David Liu promoted as chairman of Interpublic’s CMG division

Liu’s responsibilities will give him a platform to add value to all of the group's businesses in China, where a growing number of clients are looking for multi-disciplinary marketing services, according to the company.

Liu has spent the last 12 years of his career at Weber Shandwick, starting as head of corporate communications and public affairs in the Beijing office in 2000. He was appointed general manager of the Beijing office in 2004, managing director of that office in 2006, and managing director of Weber Shandwick China in 2006.

Meanwhile Darren Burns, managing director of Weber Shandwick’s Shanghai and Guangzhou offices since 2007, replaces Liu as managing director of Weber Shandwick China.

Burns has been working in China and Taiwan for 16 years and speaks fluent Mandarin. He joined Weber Group in 1999 and then moved to GolinHarris, Weber Shandwick’s sister PR company within CMG, in 2000. He was appointed managing director of its Taiwan office in 2005 and managing director of Weber Shandwick Shanghai and Guangzhou in 2007.

Burns will continue to report directly to Liu who, in turn, continues to report to Tim Sutton, Asia-Pacific chairman of CMG.

Burns told Campaign that Weber Shandwick is expanding to a new city and will open one new office in China this year. "Traditionally the regional business hub is in Singapore or Hong Kong," he said. "We are now managing lots of our B2B regional hubs out of our Shanghai office."

Weber Shandwick is the second biggest multinational PR company in China, after Ogilvy PR. Its long-term clients in China include P&G, Nike, General Motors, MasterCard, Suntech, City of Dreams, and Ocean Park.