He will report to Weber Shandwick executive vice-president, Hitoshi Shioya.
Messer has served in the media and communications industry for more than 15 years. Prior to his time at PRAP, he was a financial reporter at Bloomberg and Dow Jones.
“Ian is a very experienced practitioner who offers strong leadership for our corporate and financial practice in Tokyo,” said Akihiko Kubo, president and CEO of Weber Shandwick Japan. “His background in the international media also strengthens what we can offer our well-established multinational client base.”
Last month, senior PR executive Ross Rowbury also departed PRAP Japan after Edeman appointed him president of its Japan operations.