Change of stars at Burson-Marsteller agency

There’s a change of stars at one of Sri Lanka’s longest standing and most experienced PR agencies, Strategic Alliance PR, the Exclusive Affiliate in Sri Lanka of the top global network Burson-Marsteller.

Chief Operating Officer Rezani Aziz departs, after a long innings of 14 years with the agency where she was initially Head of Media and then Head of PR, to take on a senior level position as Head of Corporate Affairs at Standard Chartered Bank.

Her successor is another veteran in the field with 28 years of experience in PR and marketing communications, Jumar Preena.  

Jumar joins the agency with highly relevant experience in the private, public and parliamentary sectors, and overseas. Having started his career as a journalist with the Independent Newspapers, Jumar worked in PR and Marketing Communications with the Maharajah Organisation and its media businesses, Mobitel (Telstra) and Hutch before proceeding to the UAE to work with a real estate company and then Newsweek.

In between, he worked for 12 years in the public sector directing media communications with the Ministries of Trade & Commerce and Transport and as Media Secretary to the Speaker.

Speaking of the change, Chairman and CEO of the agency Nimal Gunewardena said “Rezani had a very attractive offer, and we had no option but to let her pursue this great opportunity in her career.

We are grateful to her for the tremendous service to our agency and the reputation and rapport she has built with our clients and the media through her professional and charismatic demeanour” adding “Jumar, with his valuable private and public sector and overseas experience, is an eminently worthy successor and we are glad we were able to zero-in on him quickly on his return to the country.”

To mark the change, the agency is hosting the editorial media, who have helped them over their most successful journey of 17 years as Sri Lanka’s most widely experienced PR agency, to a star-themed farewell-welcome evening, together with their PR clients.

The agency has an unparalleled track record in reputation management, advocacy, issues, change and crisis management and media relations.

The agency is part of a unique integrated communications resource that also has an advertising arm, Bates, and media specialist, Mediaedge, all of which are affiliated to networks of the world’s biggest media conglomerate WPP plc.