Mary Foerster, former vice president of communications and marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and former vice president of communications and community relations at Boeing Defense and Space, joined APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council (IAC), announced Margery Kraus, founder and executive chairman of APCO Worldwide. Based in Seattle, Foerster will bring her extensive expertise to APCO’s clients through its Corporate Communication Strategies (CCS), a sub-group of the IAC.
“Mary’s knowledge of the aerospace and defense industries and the important role public affairs plays on a daily basis is second to none,” Kraus said. “Her expertise will help our clients navigate an increasingly complex landscape and prepare them for success in the years to come.”
APCO’s CCS is a specialty group within its IAC that provides top-tier guidance to clients facing communications challenges. It is composed of former corporate CEOs, heads of global corporate communications at major companies, CEOs of major public relations firms and leading academics dedicated to the field of public relations and marketing.
During her time with Boeing, Foerster was responsible for the implementation of all domestic and international communication activities with employees, government and commercial customers, shareholders and other key audiences.
Prior to joining Boeing, Foerster was a senior executive at Hill and Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller, where she had management responsibilities in major American and European markets such as Washington D.C., Frankfurt and London. At Burson-Marsteller she helped to establish operations in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, and developed communications strategies for Western companies acquiring or establishing local companies. Foerster has also been involved in strategic communications planning for major global corporations including GE, Philip Morris, Ford and Toyota.
“Working with the IAC will be an exciting new experience, and I’m looking forward to contributing to APCO's global corporate communications offerings,” Foerster said. “I’m eager to use my experience to help clients solve complex issues, especially communication strategies for corporate transnational acquisitions.”
Foerster joins a distinguished group of corporate communication industry veterans on the CCS including:
- Nicholas Ashooh, former vice president of corporate affairs for Alcoa
- Barie Carmichael, former vice president and chief communications officer of Dow Corning Corporation
- Chris Hassall, former global external relations officer at Procter & Gamble
- Kirk Stewart, former global vice president of corporate communications for Nike, Inc.
- Karen Tripp, former vice president of communications and public affairs of Phillips 66
- Pete Wentz, former vice president of corporate communication and law for Helene Curtis Industries, Inc.
To learn more about APCO in Seattle and around the world, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.