MIAMI — JeffreyGroup chairman Jeffrey Sharlach will be retiring from the Latin American-focused agency he started more than 30 years ago.

Sharlach, who launched Miami-based JeffreyGroup in 1993, will retire at the end of March. Brian Burlingame, who has run the agency since 2015, will continue to do so as CEO.

Sharlach pioneered the idea of opening a Latin America-focused agency in Miami, where traditionally most PR firms focused on local tourism and real estate.

Having held senior roles at firms including Burson-Marsteller and Saatchi & Saatchi (where he worked exclusively on international programs), Sharlach launched his own consultancy to serve multinationals looking at South Florida as a regional base for Latin America after he was unable to convince other organizations to do so themselves.

Today, JeffreyGroup has more than 300 employees in Miami, New York, Mexico City, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. The agency, which was bought by H&K in September 2022, serves global brands including Airbus, Amazon, American Airlines, Bayer, Disney, Marriott, Mastercard and Salesforce.

“From the outset, it was clear to me that if we were going to compete successfully with the big agencies, we needed to differentiate ourselves in the way that we worked rather than the actual services,” Sharlach said. “For JeffreyGroup, that meant focusing on client service, being proactive, and committed to delivering meaningful results, with senior professionals that stay close to the clients.”

Sharlach said this year is “the perfect time” to retire given JeffreyGroup’s successful transition from private ownership to being part of WPP-owned H&K.

Sharlach, who has lived in New York City since 2006, will continue to serve on the faculty of NYU’s management communication department as well as dedicating time to his various charitable activities.