Irish PR executive John Saunders has been appointed to the position of regional president of Fleishman-Hillard’s operations in Europe, the UK and Africa.

Mr Saunders, who has managed the company’s continental Europe and Ireland businesses since 2004, co-founded Dublin-based public relations company Fleishman-Hillard Saunders with Rhona Blake and Julian Davis in 1990.

The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of the international PR firm, which has its headquarters in the US, in 2001. Mr Saunders became regional director of Fleishman- Hillard’s continental Europe and Ireland operations in 2004. Rhona Blake succeeded him as managing director of the Dublin company. He became regional president of Fleishman-Hillard in Europe and Eurasia in 2007.