February 10, 2012

APCO Hires Former U.S. Department of Commerce Public Affairs Strategist Shah

Parita Shah, former public affairs strategist at the U.S. Department of Commerce, has joined APCO Worldwide (www.apcoworldwide.com) as a vice president, Robert Schooling, managing director of the Washington, D.C., office, announced. Shah will lead on building APCO's competencies in international trade policy and intellectual property issues.

"We're pleased to welcome Parita to our team," said Schooling. "She brings more than a decade of experience in developing and coordinating media strategy and messaging for the public sector and will be a valuable resource to help clients communicate with government and private stakeholders."

Most recently, Shah served as senior advisor to newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, where she led the ambassador's transition process. She developed a comprehensive 100-day outreach plan to introduce the ambassador to key stakeholders in the bilateral relationship, the people of China and the media, while simultaneously coordinating with embassy staff and external stakeholders to develop policy priorities and public dialogue.

"To compete in today's globally integrated economy, companies must engage a diverse set of stakeholders and embrace new market opportunities," said Shah. "I'm eager to leverage my knowledge and experience in navigating complex international trade issues to effectively counsel APCO's impressive portfolio of clients."