Jack Modzelewski is president of the Americas and senior partner. In this role, he has management responsibility for the firm’s largest group of regions. He works closely with the presidents and management team of FleishmanHillard’s offices throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America, to ensure a unified approach to client solutions, new business development and the achievement of sustainable growth.
Mr. Modzelewski was previously in charge of client relations for the firm, a strategic global role to support client relationship managers (CRMs), whose teams serve major clients. He also had responsibility for the firm’s practice groups and for coordinating business development efforts. Since 2004, he also had responsibility for strategic planning.
Mr. Modzelewski was president and chief operating officer of FleishmanHillard’s offices in Europe and South Africa from 1999 to 2004, when he was based in London. During that time, FleishmanHillard’s offices in EMEA tripled in revenue and grew their capabilities considerably under his leadership. Mr. Modzelewski first joined FleishmanHillard as executive vice president and general manager in 1990 to open its Chicago office, which he managed until 1999.
Mr. Modzelewski has 30 years of experience in working on communications programs for a wide spectrum of clients – including AT&T, Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s, Baxter, Caterpillar, Amoco (now BP), as well as major automakers, healthcare concerns, financial institutions and industrial companies. He has considerable experience in corporate and financial communications, mergers and organizational restructurings, crisis prevention and management, issues management and all means of strategic stakeholder outreach. He has assisted clients in more than 25 crisis situations.
Before joining FleishmanHillard, Mr. Modzelewski worked for two other leading public relations agencies and a major advertising firm. Earlier in his career, he was a journalist covering government and general news, and hosted a weekly public affairs radio program.
Mr. Modzelewski has attended three recent World Economic Forums in Davos, Switzerland, on behalf of FleishmanHillard. He is on the board of trustees of the Better Government Association, the board of the Institute for Public Relations, and the board of advisors of the Medill School at Northwestern.
Mr. Modzelewski received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He attended Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and has participated in the Omnicom Senior Management Program taught by Harvard Business School faculty members. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Club.