Lobbying world

Jonathan Harmon has been elected by the McGuireWoods board of partners to serve as the firm’s chairman. J. Tracy Walker IV has been named as its managing partner. Harmon joined the firm in 1995, and has led its business & securities litigation department for the last two years. Walker has been McGuireWoods’s deputy managing partner and head of its litigation practice since 2015.

Two former Podesta Group lobbyists and another from BGR Group have founded their own firm: InSight Public Affairs. The firm, created by Joshua Lamel, Oscar Ramirez and Dana Thompson, “will focus on purpose-driven advocacy on behalf of companies, nonprofits, causes and coalitions,” according to a release. Ramirez and Thompson previously served as principals at the Podesta Group, and Lamel most recently led the technology and tax practices at BGR Group. Ramirez has also worked as a member of the Democratic National Committee and served on former Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) and President Obama’s presidential campaigns. Thompson’s resume includes working as the director of the Washington office of then-Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and as chief of staff to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas.) and chief counsel to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). Lamel previously worked for tech industry trade groups — the Computer and Communications Industry Association and TechAmerica. — and served as counsel to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and chief of staff to former Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.).

Law and lobby firm Dentons has launched 3D Global Affairs as part of an alliance with strategic communications and political intelligence firm Definers Public Affairs, run by Matt Rhoades, the former campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s presidential run in 2012 and former Republican National Committee research director Joe Pounder. 3D Global Affairs offers clients legal teams, lobbying and advocacy help, digital advertising, data analytics, opposition research and political intelligence, among other services.

Nestlé hired Kent Wilson as policy and public affairs manager. Prior to that, he worked as director of state and local government affairs at Target and in the government affairs shop at General Mills.