NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) -- Hill and Knowlton, a leading public relations and public affairs firm, today announced that Scott Fagerstrom has joined the firm as a managing director in the media relations practice. Fagerstrom, a veteran journalist with more than 23 years of experience in financial and business media relations, will be based in the agency's Irvine office and will assist with overall media relations counsel, media training, crisis communications, and the operation of the office's rapidly expanding financial relations practice.
Fagerstrom joins Hill and Knowlton after most recently serving as the business editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Prior to that, he served as deputy business editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"Scott brings an immense wealth of knowledge and experience in business and financial media relations to the firm. His expertise will allow us to provide our clients with the specialized communications needs they want and require," said Ron Hartwig, executive vice president and general manager of Hill and Knowlton's Los Angeles office. "We are delighted to have such a respected journalist join our media relations practice."
Before his tenure at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fagerstrom was the business editor and a columnist for the Tacoma News Tribune. Prior to that, Mr. Fagerstrom worked as a wire editor and reporter for the Orange County Register.
He began his professional career as a general assignment reporter for the Vancouver Columbian. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications and philosophy from Western Washington State University. Fagerstrom was a Rockefeller Fellow at the University of North Carolina.
Throughout his career, Fagerstrom has created and directed programs to improve the quality of financial information in the communities that he has served, including developing personal finance fairs in San Diego, Fort Worth and Tacoma. In addition to this, he developed a series of Associated Press educational seminars for business editors in the Pacific Northwest and Texas and frequently speaks at continuing education seminars to professionals in the fields of financial media and public relations.
Established in 1927, Hill and Knowlton, Inc. (www.hillandknowlton.com) is a leading international public relations and public affairs firm based in New York, with 68 offices in 34 countries as well as an extensive associate network. The agency is part of WPP Group, plc (Nasdaq:WPPGY) (www.wpp.com), one of the world's largest communications services groups. WPP Group provides services to local, multinational and global clients, including more than 300 of the Fortune Global 500.