Toronto, ON – August 1, 2012 – Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), Canada’s top-rated PR and government affairs firm, is pleased to welcome Anne Kothawala as vice-president and group leader of the Toronto public affairs team.
A seasoned public affairs consultant with diverse experience across many sectors, Anne started her career in the agency world before moving to a public affairs role at the Canadian Restaurant and Food Services Association, where she became an expert on trade issues including environmental and supply management.
At the Canadian Newspaper Association – ultimately as president and CEO – she successfully built consensus on recycling, lobbied to exempt newspapers from telemarketing legislation and reversed draft federal legislation. Anne was also SVP public affairs for the Retail Council of Canada, where she honed skills in international trade, payments, copyright, privacy, consumer protection, waste diversion and recycling.
“Our commitment to building and retaining the most strategic and dynamic public affairs team in Toronto and across the country is stronger than ever,” says H+K Strategies’ president and CEO Mike Coates. “Anne joins an already-thriving group and her remarkable expertise and successes put her in an ideal position to offer exceptional mentorship, leadership and drive client results.”
Anne is fluently bilingual; chair of the board and member of the public affairs committee at the Daily Bread Foodbank; a board member at French for the Future; and former board member of ParticipACTION. She has written several op-eds for major newspapers and was a weekly panelist on CFRB radio’s “Your Opinion Counts.”
About Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada
With nine offices across the country, Hill+Knowlton Strategies (hkstrategies.ca) is a leader in both public relations and public affairs. The company is the No. 1-rated strategic communications firm in Canada. It specializes in corporate communications, public affairs, marketing communications, crisis, energy, technology, health care, digital communications, financial communications and transactions. The only communications firm to have earned the Order of Excellence from Excellence Canada, it is also recognized as one of the 2012 Best Workplaces in Canada. Its parent company, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Inc., has 86 offices in 46 countries as well as an extensive associate network and is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.
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For more information, please contact:
Ann-Marie Koumettou
416-413-4649
[email protected]