Fleishman-Hillard, one of the world’s leading public relations companies, has expanded its operations in Canada by opening a full-service office in Toronto.

Heading the office is Linda Smith, an 11-year veteran of Hill and Knowlton, Toronto, where she was most recently a senior vice-president and director of the public relations firm’s healthcare practice.

Fleishman-Hillard, which is based in St. Louis and is employee-owned, opened in Canada two years ago with an office in Guelph, Ont.

That office will be merged into the Toronto operation early next year.

Smith says the decision to expand in Canada comes after several years of significant growth worldwide and reflects the pr company’s commitment to build further in North America.

Considered the fifth-largest pr firm internationally, Fleishman-Hillard has a blue-chip client list, representing some of the big names in the marketing community such as Anheuser-Busch and Ralston Purina, as well as providing a full spectrum of pr and pr-related services.