Stafford was formerly the office’s managing director and has played a lead role in developing Burson-Marsteller’s global Huawei account. He will report to Bob Pickard, president and chief executive for Asia-Pacific.
Pickard praised Stafford’s leadership and noted that his group had experienced the lowest turnover in the region.
In addition to Huawei, Stafford has led activity on accounts such as Foxconn, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Hong Kong government, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Stafford has been at Burson-Marsteller Hong Kong since 2007, following a period of five years as senior policy adviser on communications to the Australian government.
Separately, Burson-Marsteller has appointed David Zhao as executive vice-president in China, a newly-created position. Zhao has joined the company from Hill and Knowlton, where he was managing director for China. He will report to China chief executive and market leader Chris Deri.
Zhao will provide client counsel, thought leadership and input on talent development across the agency's practice groups in China.
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