Executives quit top PR company

Three senior executives have resigned from public relations firm Fleishman Hilliard International Communications, bringing to four the number of high-level departures from the staff of one of Dublin's best-known agencies, writes Arthur Beesley, Senior Business Correspondent

The most senior of the departees is public affairs director Michael Keane, a former Sunday Press editor, who is also on the board of the company. The other two are public affairs client director Jimmy Smyth and health client director Ruth Jenkinson.

Their resignations follow that of company director Michael Parker, a former general secretary of the Progressive Democrats.

Fleishman Hilliard managing director Rhona Blake, who took over the role in the middle of the year, said that she was "not concerned" about the departures.

"They're all leaving for different reasons. I believe that successful agencies need fresh blood as they diversify and develop to meet clients changing needs going forward," she said.

"There's a lot of change taking place. I see the changes as very positive. We're gearing up for 2006. Based on the business we have identified for that year, it will be our most successful year yet."

Big clients of the company include the Musgrave retail and wholesale group, accountants Ernst & Young, drug group Eli Lilly and William Fry solicitors.

The latest accounts for the company, which changed its name from Fleishman Hilliard Saunders last March, show that its pretax profit grew to €1.08 million in 2004 from €908,468 in 2003. In the same period, turnover grew to €8.52 million from €6.9 million.

The company's ultimate owner is US group Omnicom. It paid out no dividend in 2004.