FleishmanHillard names Kris Balderston to President, Global Public Affairs and Strategic Engagement and Robert Hoopes to GM of FH Washington, DC.
FleishmanHillard has appointed Kris Balderston to the role of President, Global Public Affairs and Strategic Engagement as well as named Robert Hoopes to General Manager of FH Washington, DC in addition to his formal duties as President of VOX Global.
In his new afforded leadership position, Balderston has been charged with leading the global public affairs offering of the firm, while identifying and developing collaboration opportunities within the public relations group’s client portfolio and with targeted external partners.
He had been the GM of the same office since 2013, and while having previously served as Special Representative for Global Partnerships under Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. He was once also her first Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff during her term as Senator from New York.
Before joining Senator Clinton, he served President Bill Clinton in the White House as the Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet and the Deputy Assistant to the President. Meanwhile, Hoopes’ tasks will now include overall management and growth of the agency on top of his other responsibilities.
In the expanded role, he is to oversee business operations for two of the office’s most successful brands in public affairs and public relations. In 2007, FH acquired Hoopes Strategies and appointed him President of VOX Global. He has been active in electoral politics for over 25 years.
He got his start in national campaigns in 1987 when he worked for Senator Biden in New Hampshire on his first run for President, before joining the Senator in his Washington, DC office where he worked during the first Gulf War and Supreme Court nominations.
“Our Washington, DC operation has long been the catalyst of our global public affairs offering. The appointments of Kris and Robert will strengthen our core and enhance the connectivity of our global public affairs network,” said John Saunders, President and CEO of FH.
