Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, announced today that Gail Whitcomb has joined its Chicago office as a senior vice president/group head in the Corporate practice reporting to Kevin Cook, general manager and executive vice president.

At Edelman, Ms. Whitcomb will oversee branding, issues management, and strategic stakeholder communication for the agency’s corporate clients.

“Gail Whitcomb brings a strong background as a senior counselor in the corporate and agency environments with particular strength in the hospitality and technology sectors,” said Cook. “Her expertise will support our growing client needs and help us expand our service offering into important growing industries.”

Ms. Whitcomb joins Edelman from Fleishman-Hillard in St. Louis where she was a senior vice president in the Corporate & Financial Issues Practice serving as a counselor for UPS, Eastman Kodak Company, and National Association of Investors Corporation. Ms. Whitcomb served a vice president at Weber/Shandwick in Boston and was the director of corporate communication for Red Roof Inns from 1997 to 1999 and manager of government and industry relations for CompuServe, respectively.

Ms. Whitcomb holds a bachelor of arts in Business Administration from Capital University in Columbus, OH. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Association of Corporate Growth and the Junior League.

About Edelman

Edelman is the world’s largest independent public relations firm with 1,900 employees in 43 offices worldwide. Advertising Age recently profiled Edelman as one of their “Best Agencies in 2004” and The Holmes Report named Edelman the 2004 International Agency of the Year. Edelman’s network includes four specialty firms – Blue (advertising), First&42nd (management consulting), StrategyOne (research) and BioScience Communications (medical education and publishing) – making it possible for us to offer clients a comprehensive spectrum of communications. Visit www.edelman.com for more information.

For further information contact:

Ann Glynn
312-240-2650
ann.glynn@edelman.com