1.27.2006 ET

(CSRwire) WASHINGTON, D.C. - James M. Jones, former executive vice president of The Vaccine Fund, today was named senior vice president, joining APCO Worldwide's global corporate social responsibility (CSR) team, announced Margery Kraus, president and CEO.

"Helping our clients develop multi-sector partnerships to address global social issues is an increasingly important aspect of our CSR work," said Ellen Mignoni, who leads APCO's global CSR team. "Jim's experience in bringing governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multilateral organizations and corporations together on such projects is exactly the type of expertise APCO clients expect."

"APCO has one of the industry's oldest CSR practices and is well known around the world for its excellence," said Jones. "I look forward to joining such a strong global team and working with clients on their important communication and CSR initiatives."

Jones spent three years as executive vice president of The Vaccine Fund, where he managed North American operations for the $1.2 billion initiative founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At The Vaccine Fund he worked with NGOs, U.N. agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, foundations and governments to advocate for and fund programs designed to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children in 75 countries. The Vaccine Fund's immunization project was launched in Mozambique with the chair of the program, former South African President Nelson Mandela. Jones helped facilitate a $40 million grant to the People's Republic of China for vaccination of children in the western provinces, as well as worked with the Vishnevskaya-Rostropovich Foundation (VRF) to launch an initiative to distribute hepatitis B vaccines in the former Soviet Union.

Jones previously was policy director and director of communications for U.S. Senator John F. Kerry, last year's Democratic presidential candidate. Immediately prior to joining APCO, he was vice president of programs and policy for the Children's Defense Fund.

Jones will work closely with other members of APCO's CSR team including Mignoni, who counsels corporate and nonprofit clients in strategic planning and program development; Rachel Thompson, director of CSR for APCO Europe, who provides strategic advice on globalization and citizenship issues to corporate and government clients and previously worked as an Australian diplomat and at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; and Kelly Lau, director of APCO Asia's regional CSR practice, who helps clients plan and manage stakeholder relations, conduct citizenship and philanthropic programs, and previously worked for the United Way.

About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is a global communication consultancy with offices in 23 major cities throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., clients include governments, corporations, industry associations and non-profit organizations. APCO also includes among its clients six of the top 10 companies on Fortune's Global 500. Core services include corporate, investor and internal communication, crisis management, issue management, government relations, litigation communication, media relations, coalition building, opinion research, market entry, corporate social responsibility and online communication. APCO Worldwide is an independent company and is primarily employee owned. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.

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