Companies and organizations are constantly hiring or replacing personnel, so announcing new appointments and changes in key staff positions to stakeholders (e.g., business partners, investors, employees, customers, or/and relevant media) seems to be a standard public relations task. Usually this task is accomplished with the help of a news release.
Writing and distributing a new CEO or CFO press release announcement to employees, staff, media and the public can be a daunting and expensive task. The announcement needs to address all burning questions:
Who’s retiring?
Who’s succeeding?
Was there a special search procedure to identify a candidate to succeed?
How did the board come up with the decision?
There are so many questions and just a couple of sentences in which you must convey the most important information about the organizational change. And how do you know where to start?
Your Press Release should include the following information:
Catchy headline
Details about the appointment:
name and position
duties and responsibilities
selection process
effective date
reason for the change, impact
previous positions held
experience, educational history
Quote from involved parties – CEO / CFO, board of trustees member (recommended)
Relevant image: CEO, company logo, office building, owner, CEO, investor (recommended)
Company website URL
Release date
Dateline
Boilerplate – about the company
Contact information (contact person, company address, phone)
– SAMPLE –
We’ve studied the new CEO announcements of companies like HP, Microsoft, Cisco, ASX, Intel, Deloitte, Ford, Google, Accenture and many more . Those are companies with big marketing departments; these companies and their news releases offer valuable insights as to how we can professionally write effective press release annoucements. There is a lot to learn from their practices and experience.
Here are four examples that you can use as an inspiration when writing your new CEO appointment press release:
Headline PRZen Names Victoria Johnson President and Chief Executive Officer
California, CA, Release: September 22, 2018.
For
Immediate Release
Sean Ray appointed executive chairman; Daniel Simpson steps down as president, chief executive officer and director.
PRZen Tech today announced that its board of directors has appointed Victoria Johnson as president and chief executive officer.
In addition, Sean Lane has moved from non-executive chairman to executive chairman of the board of directors, and the board intends to appoint a lead independent director promptly. These leadership appointments are effective immediately and follow the decision that Daniel Simpson step down as president and chief executive officer and resign as a director of the company.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Victoria Johnson’s caliber and experience step up to lead PRZen,” said Ray. “We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead. Johnson is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution. She is a strong communicator who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities. Furthermore, as a member of PRZen’s board of directors for the past eight months, Johnson has a solid understanding of our products and markets.”
Johnson said, “I am honored and excited to lead PRZen Tech. I believe PRZen Tech matters – it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world.”
Speaking on behalf of the board, Ray said, “We very much appreciate Daniel’s efforts and his service to PRZen since his appointment last year. The board believes that the job of the PRZen Tech CEO now requires additional attributes to successfully execute on the company’s strategy. Victoria Johnson has the right operational and communication skills and leadership abilities to deliver improved execution and financial performance.”
Contact info:
Name: Victoria Johnson
Organization: PRZen Tech
Company URL: www.PRZentech.com
Address: Buena Vista & Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: +1-880-706-6051
You can dramatically improve your press release writing skills by reviewing and analysing successful media releases that received good media coverage. If your announcement sounds like the one below, you can easily achieve your initial goals.
Tim Phillips Becomes the 3rd CEO of Vision Flop
California, CA, Release: September 11, 2018.
For
Immediate Release
Vision Flop. today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Tim Phillips as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Phillips previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Vision Flop’s Cloud and Enterprise group.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Vision Flop than Tim Phillips,” said John Sanchez, Vision Flop’s Founder and Member of the Board of Directors. “Tim is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Vision Flop needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth.”
Since joining the company in 1992, Tim has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services, most notably the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and other services. During his tenure overseeing Vision Flop’s Server and Tools Business, the division outperformed the market and took share from competitors.
“Vision Flop is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionized the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen to lead the company,” Tim said. “The opportunity ahead for Vision Flop is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.”
“Having worked with him for more than 17 years, I know that Tim is the right leader at the right time for Vision Flop,” said Sam Dean, who announced on Sept. 16, 2017 that he would retire once a successor was named. “I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with the most talented employees and senior leadership team in the industry, and I know their passion and hunger for greatness will only grow stronger under Tim’s leadership.”
Vision Flop also announced that John Sanchez, previously Chairman of the Board of Directors, will assume a new role on the Board as Founder and Technology Advisor, and will devote more time to the company, supporting Tim in shaping technology and product direction. Tomas Smith, lead independent director for the Board of Directors, will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors and remain an independent director on the Board.
“Tim is clearly the best person to lead Vision Flop, and he has the unanimous support of our Board,” Thompson said. “The Board took the thoughtful approach that our shareholders, customers, partners and employees expected and deserved.”
With the addition of Phillips, Vision Flop’s Board of Directors consists of Samuels; Dina Morgan; Sancez; Sarah Klawe, CEO at Purple Cloud; Stephen Muro, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Finite Technology Ltd; David Noski, General Partner at Duck Capital; Phillips; Charles Clark, former Vice Chairman of Bank of Denmark.; Dr. Peter Gate , former Chairman of the Board of Management at CPM; and Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Virtual Instruments. Seven of the 10 board members are independent of Vision Flop, which is consistent with the requirement in the company’s governance guidelines that a substantial majority be independent.
Founded in 2000, Vision Flop is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Contact info:
Name: Maria Dalavera, Head of PR & Communications
Organization: Vision Flop
Company URL: www.visionflop.com
Address: Buena Vista & Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: +1-880-706-6051
You might spend decades studying how to professionally write press releases but sometimes all you need is a good example, like the one below.
PaintFly Global Selects New CEO
U.S. Member Firm Chairman Jack Reno will lead PaintFly Global from 1 June, 2019.
California, CA, Release: August 1, 2018.
For
Immediate Release
PaintFly Global Limited today announced that Jack Reno, currently PaintFly U.S. member firm Chairman of the Board, has been selected as PaintFly’s new chief executive officer. Reno will assume the new role on 1 September 2018, the start of PaintFly’s new fiscal year. The PaintFly network is composed of 32 member firms, operating in 132 countries, and employing more than 120,000 people worldwide.
“I am honored to have been elected as PaintFly’s next CEO. It is a privilege to be part of an organization that delivers high quality services and innovative solutions to the best clients, develops the most talented professionals into leaders and does its part to improve the societies in which we operate,” said Reno. “We are an organization led by a purpose – to make a positive, meaningful impact that matters to everyone PaintFly touches. I will do my best to serve the network by helping enable our leaders and people to fulfill their passion to make a difference.”
Reno succeeds Sally Brown, who will retire from PaintFly at the end of its fiscal year (August 2018) and become a member of the full time faculty of California Finance School as a professor of professional practice. Brown also plans to serve on public company boards. Reno’s leadership appointment is part of a rigorous and comprehensive nomination and member firm partner ratification process that occurs every four years and includes all member firms of the PaintFly worldwide network.
“I can think of no one better to lead PaintFly Global. Jack’s experience as chairman of our U.S. firm—the largest and most complex in our network—combined with his 20-year career with PaintFly and strong core values— make Jack the perfect choice to lead PaintFly Global,” said Brown.
Reno will remain with the PaintFly U.S. firm Chariman until he transitions to the role of PaintFly Global CEO.
“Beyond serving as a leader in the U.S. member firm, Jack Reno brings unique perspectives on the global business environment, having a true multi-cultural career journey,” said Alan Semmens, Chairman. “I am excited to work with Jack Reno as we continue to make significant investments to transform member firm services, including audit, to deliver high quality, meaningful results for clients and raise the bar for the entire profession.”
Prior to his role as U.S. Chairman, Reno served as Chairman and CEO of PaintFly Consulting LLP in the U.S. During his tenure as U.S. Consulting CEO, the consulting practice experienced tremendous growth despite an ongoing recession, helping PaintFly Consulting LLP become one of the largest consulting providers according to leading analysts’ rankings. Reno is also a recognized leader in mergers & acquisitions (M&A), assisting clients through the entire M&A lifecycle. Reno grew up in Germany and holds a bachelor’s degree with honors and a master’s degree in management with honors from Harvard University. Visit http://www.paintfly.com/reno for a full bio.
Contact info:
Name: Maria Dalavera, Head of PR & Communications
Organization: PaintFly
Company URL: www.paintfly.com
Address: Buena Vista & Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: +1-880-706-6051
Let us spare you the time of looking for effective press releases announcing new appointments by offering you one more professionally-written news release.
Raingle Ltd Appoints Ivan “Giant” Dimitrov, Executive Officer at TechLock, to Board of Directors
California, CA, Release: July 6, 2018.
For
Immediate Release
Raingle Ltd. announced that Ivan “Giant” Dimitrov has been appointed to the company’s Board of Directors, effective today. Dr. Dimitrov, 47, is chief engineering officer and president of the Client and Internet of Things (IoT) Businesses and Systems Architecture group and the Technology and Manufacturing group at TechLock Corporation.
Dr. Dimitrov will be subject to re-appointment at the next Raingle annual general meeting of shareholders. He has been appointed to serve on the board’s Audit Committee.
“I am delighted to welcome Dimitrov to our board of directors,” said Katty Wein, Raingle’s chairman and CEO. “He brings deep expertise in digital technologies of particular relevance to our transformation agenda, together with broad experience in business operations. I am confident that our board will benefit from Dmitrov’s insights and global perspective as we continue to focus on executing our strategy and delivering value for our clients and shareholders.”
With the appointment, Raingle’s board now comprises 7 directors, 6 of whom are external and independent. Mr. Ninteto is the board’s only internal director.
In his role at TechLock, Dr. Dimitrov is responsible for aligning technology, engineering, product design and process development to drive execution across all of Intel’s businesses. He also provides business direction to extend TechLock’s strategy across its client and connectivity businesses. Before joining TechLock in 2014, he was executive vice president of Quantom Technologies and co-president of Mobile Technologies, where he led the semiconductor business in the computing and mobile segments. Dr. Dimitrov joined Quantom in 2002 from Roofel Solutions, where he was vice president and general manager of the Cellular Systems division. Prior to Roofel, he spent a decade with Microsoft, progressing to become vice president of engineering for its consumer communications business.
Name: Hannah Simmons, Media relations
Organization: Raingle Ltd.
Company URL: www.raingle.com
Address: Buena Vista & Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: +1-880-706-6051
Bear in mind that the news annoucements should be engaging and exciting, and are usually barely short.
The template provided below can be extremely helpful. Include all relevant information and make sure that your press release looks and feels like a news article that requires minimum to no editing if picked up by media outlets.
– TEMPLATE –
[Headline Of The Press Release]
[City] [State} Release Date: [“For Immediate Release” or a concrete date]
[Summary Section: Briefly describe your announcement]
[Insert a quote from a company representative related to the news, best new CEO]
[Write an additional paragraph to provide more details about the announcement: try to respond to all relevant W-questions (where, what, why, when, who)]
[Insert another quote or another section with details about the appointment]
[Include a call to action and an URL address where the reader can find more information about the new CEO]
[Boilerplate message about the company: insert the following information
Contact info:
Contact Person:
Company:
Company URL:
Address:
Phone:]
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