Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has strengthened its Financial + Professional services team with the promotion of Rob Ireland to National Sector Lead, the addition of Meagan Murdoch as Vice President, and the promotions of Cillian Murphy to Senior Account Director and Eric Dillane to Account Director.

Rob Ireland, Senior Vice President + National Sector Lead, joined H+K in 2019 bringing experience and success in international public affairs, crisis management, corporate communications, and internal communications. He has specific working experience supporting schedule 1 banks, financial advisory and investment management, pension funds, alternative investments, international wealth management, fintech, legal and accounting.

“Rob is known for his ability to delve into complex issues and bring uncommon insight and perspective by being able to draw upon his expertise within corporate advisory, marketing, sales and communications functions,” said Sheila Wisniewski, President and CEO of H+K Canada. “Rob’s depth in financial and professional services, his integrated experience and his success driving results with our clients to date makes him an excellent lead for our national team.”

Rob will be working closely with Meagan Murdoch who has recently joined H+K as Vice President. Meagan brings strategic communications and crisis management experience drawn from government, corporate and agency environments. She has worked in Canada and abroad with clients in private equity, agriculture, real estate, insurance, and law. Meagan is known for her ability to distill complex issues and hit the ground running to deliver on large-scale national mandates.

H+K has also promoted two of its senior communications and public affairs team members. Cillian Murphy has been promoted to Senior Account Director. Cillian supports some of the agency’s largest clients on integrated national campaigns that build reputation and drive growth across B2C and B2B audiences. Further, Eric Dillane has been promoted to Account Director. Eric advises clients on the landscape of federal politics and public policy and has become a go-to resource given his prior experience advising Ontario’s Minister of Finance.

“We’ve built an integrated team to deliver on the growing needs across strategic communications, public affairs, and transaction support,” said Rob Ireland, National Sector Lead. “We are seeing momentum with new clients like Scotiabank, and growing mandates with clients such as Interac and Deloitte. The addition of Meagan and the promotions of Cillian and Eric will help us to continue building our team and support our clients as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of a post-pandemic world.”

H+K’s Financial + Professional Services team helps public and private companies drive growth, build reputation and manage risk through corporate communications, corporate advisory, issues and crisis management, B2B and channel marketing support, public affairs, and ESG communications. The team also provides internal and external support on financial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and bankruptcy.