Edelman poaches Weber Shandwick's Matthew Gain

Gain’s appointment is the latest move by Edelman to raid its rivals to staff its new Australian operations. Earlier this month, Edelman lured Hill & Knowlton veteran Michelle Hutton to take charge of its Australian office, and poached Alexandra Kelly from Weber Shandwick to take the role of GM in Sydney.

Gain departs Weber Shandwick after less than a year at the company. He joined in August from Microsoft, where he was the company’s in-house consumer PR manager.

His appointment at Edelman is effective in July.

At Weber Shandwick, Gain managed digital and social media strategy for key clients including MasterCard, Procter & Gamble, Vodafone and Samsung. Prior to his time at the agency and Microsoft, he held roles with Edelman UK and Ogilvy PR Australia.
 
“Matthew’s appointment is about us continuing our major commitment in digital, in order to have highly relevant digital capabilities across geographic and practice areas,” said Alan VanderMolen, president of Edelman Asia-Pacific.

“Edelman’s reputation of being at the forefront of digital engagement is impressive and the main driver behind me joining the team. I’m delighted to be re-joining the firm and look forward to becoming a part of the industry-leading team,” Gain said of his appointment.
 
Elsewhere in the region, Edelman has also ramped up its staff at the expense of other agencies. In January, Mark Hass, former global CEO of Manning Selvage & Lee, announced he would relocate from New York to Beijing to take charge of Edelman China. This week, Edelman appointed Ross Rowbury – one of the longest-serving foreign PR executives in Japan – to head its operations in the country.