Report: Obama adviser to join Clinton campaign - Report: Rand Paul hires campaign manager for possible 2016 bid - Romney phones party allies in prep for 2016 decision

Oct. 29, 2011: John Podesta, president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress, attends the National Italian American Foundation Gala in Washington. (Reuters)

Counselor to the President John Podesta will take on a senior role in Hillary Clinton’s as yet undeclared Presidential campaign when he departs the White House next month, according to a published report. 

The Wall Street Journal, citing three people with the matter, reported that Podesta has sat in on informal meetings of Clinton aides that have have discussed a potential presidential campaign in 2016. The former Secretary of State and Senator from New York has not yet formally announced her candidacy. However, the Journal reports that Podesta’s planned move is seen as the clearest sign yet that she will run. 

It remains unclear what role Podesta would play in a presumptive Clinton campaign, the Journal reported that he would likely become campaign chairman. 

Podesta served as White House chief of staff for the final 27 months of former President Bill Clinton’s second term in office. He became Counselor to President Barack Obama at the beginning of 2014, and has played a key role in advising the president on energy policy. 

Podesta initially told Reuters last week that he would depart the White House “in early February,” a few weeks after Obama delivers the State of the Union address Jan. 20. When discussing a possible role in a Clinton campaign, he said, “If she decides to run, I told her I’d do anything I can to help her.”

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Report: Obama adviser to join Clinton campaign - Report: Rand Paul hires campaign manager for possible 2016 bid - Romney phones party allies in prep for 2016 decision

CPL hires Australian as director of cricket

THE Caribbean Premier League (CPL) recently announced that former Australia International, Tom Moody, has joined its ranks as director of cricket.

Moody has vast experience at the top level of the game, having represented Australia, Warwickshire, Western Australia and Worcestershire as a player, before turning his attention to coaching, commentary and cricket administration.

“From a purely cricket perspective, CPL has set the bar high from its inaugural year and I’m excited by the challenge of helping to continue to improve and deliver the highest possible standards for the fans, the players and everyone associated with the tournament,” Moody said.

Commenting on the appointment, Caribbean Premier League CEO, Damien O’Donohoe, said: “We are delighted that Tom Moody has joined the team at CPL. As the tournament progresses, we will strive to maintain our status as a first-class cricket tournament, attracting the best players and coaches from around the world,” he said.

Following his retirement from the game in 2001, Moody became president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association and coach, then director of cricket at Worcestershire. In 2005, he was appointed as Sri Lanka’s coach, guiding the team to the World Cup final in April 2007, before returning home to coach Western Australia. He is currently coach for IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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CPL hires Australian as director of cricket

BlackBerry hires Speyside for regional public relations

Business

Saturday, August 03, 2013

FOLLOWING a global review of its public relations support, BlackBerry has appointed Speyside Corporate Relations as its public relations agency across Latin America and the Caribbean.The appointment is part of a new integrated global PR solution, with Speyside working alongside long-time partners Text100 and APCO who will support the company across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe Middle East & Africa.The Speyside team will provide support in all markets across Latin America & the Caribbean, working through teams on-the-ground in eight countries. The principal focus of the team will be to further enhance journalist and blogger relationships and help communicate around BlackBerry’s new products across the region.Commenting on the appointment, Speyside CEO Ian Herbison stated, “We are delighted to be part of this global team, working with BlackBerry across Latin America and the Caribbean to help the company communicate its exciting new products and its vision for mobile computing.”Headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Speyside Corporate Relations is a Latin American-focused corporate, financial and government relations consultancy operating across the region. It was founded in 2009, but the company on its website notes that its management team has over 20 years’ experience in emerging markets, having previously built the leading emerging markets corporate communications and government affairs consultancy in 21 countries across Eastern Europe.BlackBerry in June reported a first quarter loss and warned of future losses despite releasing its make-or-break new smartphones this year. Its Latin America segment saw revenue decline by six per cent, attributed to Venezuela foreign currency restrictions negatively impacting US$72 million of service revenue recognition in the first quarter.The BlackBerry, introduced in 1999, was once the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people. But it lost its cachet not long after Apple released the first iPhone in 2007. Apple’s device reset expectations for what a smartphone can do. RIM promised to catch up while developing a new software system called BlackBerry 10, which uses technology it got through its 2010 purchase of QNX Software Systems. But the company took more than two years to unveil new phones that were redesigned for the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now demand. During that time, RIM cut more than 5,000 jobs and saw shareholder wealth of more than US$70 billion vanish.RIM’s BlackBerry 10 operating system is critical to the company’s comeback. New phones running the BlackBerry 10 software began selling around the world this year. The BlackBerry Z10, a touch screen model, and the Q10, which sports a keyboard, have received positive reviews, but there was a delay in getting them to the market in the US.

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BlackBerry hires Speyside for regional public relations