Edelman Appoints Sonia Sroka EVP and Group Head, Multicultural Marketing Sroka to Join US Multicultural and Diversity

Task Force November 8, 2012, New York, NY Edelman today announced that Sonia Sroka has joined the firm as executive vice president and group head, in the New York office. Leading a team of 15 specialists, Sroka will provide expert counsel to clients across the Edelman portfolio to reach diverse multinational and multilingual audiences. Additionally, Sroka will participate in Edelmans US Multicultural and Diversity Task Force. As the so-called 'general market' becomes more and more culturally diverse, our goal is to make multicultural marketing a more integral part of our communications and consumer engagement strategies," said Adrienne Hayes, general manager of consumer brand marketing, New York. "Sonia has the perfect mix of expertise, passion and vision to help us propel this practice into the future. It's no longer a nice to have for brands, it's a must have." Clients represented by the Edelman multicultural marketing team in New York include: Unilever, American Heart Association, Kimberly-Clark, AstraZeneca and Darden Restaurants. Recently named one of PR Week's "40 Under 40: Rising Stars", Sroka was recognized as a high-achieving marketing communications executive and trailblazer of diversity and inclusion in the field. In her previous role as a Senior Vice President at Porter Novelli, she established the multicultural marketing group with an emphasis on the burgeoning Hispanic market. During her time at PN she managed global brands such as Procter & Gambles Gillette and Crest as well as Sony PlayStation, Hewlett Packard, Bayer, Microsoft and McDonalds. She served as chairperson of Porters National Diversity Council and last year, the TORCH program which she helped to conceive and manage, won the Diversity Distinction in PR Awards from the Council of PR Firms and PRWeek. She also served two terms as the national chair of the PRSAs Diversity Committee and sat on Omnicoms Diversity Development Advisory Committee. Sroka was also named to Profiles in Diversity Journals 2013 Women Worth Watching list, celebrated as a successful female executive who demonstrates outstanding achievements and leadership in her career. She was awarded the 2012 Multicultural Leadership Award of the TriState Area by the Tri-State Diversity Council for demonstrating leadership excellence, sustaining a record of accomplishments, retaining commendable reputation and exhibiting a commitment to the highest ethical standards and professional excellence. Earlier in 2012, Sroka was named a CSR Professional of the Year by PR News, and a 2011 LATINA Corporate Executive of the Year by LATINA Style magazine, for excellence in corporate leadership, mentorship and dedication to working with the community.

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"I am very excited to join the Edelman family for its innovative nature and rigorous focus on identifying the next economic growth opportunity for clients, said Sroka. "The potential for brands to expand their offerings to the multicultural market is great. I look forward to working with our clients to help them engage these communities at the strategic level in order to establish loyalty and lifelong relationships. Sroka graduated from California Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. About Edelman Edelman is the worlds largest public relations firm, with 66 offices and more than 4,500 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman was named Advertising Ages top-ranked PR firm of the decade in 2009 and one of its A-List Agencies in both 2010 and 2011; Adweeks 2011 PR Agency of the Year; PRWeeks 2011 Large PR Agency of the Year; and The Holmes Reports 2011 Global Agency of the Year and its 2011 North American Large Agency of the Year. Edelman owns specialty firms Edelman Berland (research), Blue (advertising), A&R Edelman (technology), BioScience Communications (medical communications), and agencies Edelman Significa (Brazil), and Pegasus (China). Visit http://www.edelman.com for more information. For further information contact: Michael Bush michael.bush@edelman.com