Tom Buckmaster, a PR executive whose name is typically flanked by the words Hill and Knowlton, has left H&K's Washington, D.C., office where he was general manager, to take on the president's slot at Edelman in New York.
Sought for his expertise on the corporate side (including financial communications and public affairs), Buckmaster takes the helm June 1. Buckmaster replaces Michael Morley (now president of Edelman International), and he'll report to Pamela Talbot, president of Edelman U.S. Bringing in $40 million in revenues annually, Edelman New York is the second largest PR firm in New York. Richard Edelman was acting as president before Buckmaster was nabbed.
In recent years, it has been a frenetic GM scene at Edelman's New York office so a top-notch president is a must. The operation has nine GMs heading different division, but there have been three significant shifts in the past several years: Cliff Berman left Edelman to go to Shandwick last year but returned to Edelman after several months; Scott Tagliarino left in late 1997 to go to H&K (he's now managing director of Gavin Anderson In New York) and Edward Dandridge is now VP of network communications at ABC.
The key reason Edelman cites for bringing in Buckmaster is his efficiency in in building the largest public affairs firm in Washington with $20 million in fees. He has managed relationships with clients such as Barnes & Noble, Century Council and The Prudential.