NEW YORK--Gail Heimann has been promoted to the role of president at Weber Shandwick, following Andy Polansky's elevation to CEO in late 2012.

An 18-year Weber Shandwick veteran who was most recently vice-chair and New York president, Heimann also takes on the chief strategy officer position at the agency.

“Weber Shandwick’s leadership position in our industry reflects a focus on delivering extraordinary, impactful work for our clients every day, around the world. Gail’s creative and strategic contributions are at the center of many of these efforts, for key multinational clients,” said Polansky. “With so much changing in our industry and beyond, her leadership has been and will be an important driver of the firm’s ongoing success.”

In addition, the firm has named CFO Frank Okunak to the position of chief operating officer.

Okunak, who also has spent 18 years at the firm, will have global oversight managing the agency's financial and administrative operations.

“Operating excellence is a Weber Shandwick hallmark, and Frank has played an instrumental role in Weber Shandwick’s strong business performance over the past several years,” Polansky said.