BOSTON — Weber Shandwick has promoted longtime agency leader Micho Spring to chief reputation officer.

In the newly created role, Spring will focus her efforts on how businesses and leaders address social, political and societal issues, an area that’s become of increased importance over the last two years as companies have been responding to the pandemic, racial injustice and geopolitical events. Spring will also lead Weber Shandwick’s thought leadership around issues on reputation.

Spring, a 30-year Weber Shandwick veteran, was previously chair of the agency’s global corporate practice and president of New England.

Spring’s work leading Weber Shandwick’s corporate reputation and CEO reputation efforts has spanned sectors, categories and geographies, supporting clients’ business strategies, enhancing and protecting their reputations and responding to public policy challenges. She also has counseled clients across industries on a wide range of reputational issues, including CEO succession, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and regulatory matters, cultural transformation and corporate social responsibility.

“As companies contend with a growing responsibility to play a role in driving change, their reputations lie in the balance,” said CEO Gail Heimann. “Understanding the stakeholders that matter and the implications of any actions are key to navigating this new environment. Micho is one of the industry’s top experts on the changing drivers of corporate reputation and she will continue to play an invaluable role guiding our clients through this evolving landscape.”