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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 14, 2010-- Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and communications firm, today announced it has appointed Susanne Deegan (formerly Chasanoff) as a Managing Director in the U.S. Public Affairs Practice. Deegan has more than 17 years of experience working in public affairs, crisis communication and labor relations, and she is also a veteran of New York politics. Deegan will be based in New York and report to U.S. Public Affairs Practice Chair Mike Lake. "Susanne is a Burson-Marsteller alumnus we are happy to welcome back to the firm," said Lake. "Her expertise in labor and workplace communications will definitely strengthen our practice and client services, and her leadership will surely strengthen our New York public affairs team." Deegan previously worked for Burson-Marsteller from 1999 to 2007 and held a variety of posts in the Public Affairs Practice. Over the course of her previous eight-year tenure with Burson-Marsteller, she was promoted from Senior Associate to Manager to Director to Managing Director. As Managing Director, she provided strategic counsel to CEOs and senior level clients and developed a variety of communications programs for crisis planning and response, labor relations issues and stakeholder engagement. Her specialties include collective bargaining, M&A, litigation, workplace accidents and public affairs campaigns. She has worked with clients in the steel, newspaper, supermarket, hospitality, energy, real estate, textile and transportation industries. Most recently, Deegan was a Managing Director for The Harbour Group, a public affairs firm. Along with counseling clients on the development and execution of communications campaigns, Deegan created and managed communications programs designed to protect clients' reputations in the face of public attacks from stakeholder groups. She also provided strategic counsel to clients facing regulatory and legislative issues in the State of New York. Before joining Burson-Marsteller in 1999, Deegan began her career by working in New York politics. She served as an Assistant Legislative Representative for the Office of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In that role, she represented the Mayor's Office on City Council legislative and oversight issues related to consumer affairs, economic development, public safety and environmental protection. Her duties included lobbying and negotiating with City Council Members and administration officials on legislation and administration initiatives. She then went on to work at the New York City Department of City Planning/ City Planning Commission. As Deputy Director of Government Affairs, she acted as the chief legislative/intergovernmental liaison on legislative and land use matters before the City Council and City Planning Commission. She also represented the Department in matters involving multi-agency coordination of legislative/intergovernmental issues, community affairs and economic development efforts. In addition, she served as the Director of Public Affairs acting as spokesperson and point of contact for all media inquiries on regarding land use, real estate development and zoning. Deegan obtained her Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Communications from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. About Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising and web-related services. The firm's seamless worldwide network consists of 68 offices and 71 affiliate offices, together operating in 98 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world's leading communications services networks. Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6359610&lang=en CONTACT: Burson-Marsteller Paul Cordasco, 212-614-4522 Email: Paul.Cordasco@BM.com Twitter: @BMGlobalNews SOURCE: Burson-Marsteller Copyright Business Wire 2010 Order free Annual Report for WPP Group PLC Visit http://djnweurope.ar.wilink.com/?ticker=JE00B3DMTY01 or call +44 (0)208 391 6028 (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 14, 2010 11:12 ET (15:12 GMT)