LOS ANGELES—Weber Shandwick has appointed industry veteran Leslie Capstraw as general manager, Los Angeles, effective immediately. Reporting to Weber Shandwick president of North America Sara Gavin, Capstraw will be responsible for day-to-day leadership of the office.

She joins from Ogilvy Public Relations where she most recently served as executive vice president, group director for brand, and head of the Los Angeles office, focusing primarily in consumer and consumer technology sectors. Her expertise in brand building, content strategy, issues management and strategic partnerships has earned several industry awards.

Capstraw succeeds Arun Divakaruni, who served as interim general manager of the Los Angeles office for the past six months. Divakaruni is senior vice president in the firm’s Element Scientific Communications team of PhDs, reporters and editors who are charged with inciting “change through science.”

Weber Shandwick's LA operation has also added Jim Wetmore as executive vice president, healthcare, having recently served as executive vice president and West Coast healthcare leader at GCI; Heidi Stewart as senior vice president, after leading Weber Shandwick's consumer practice in Australia; Mike Hope as vice president, consumer, after most recently leading Hope Public Relations; and Cira Van Leeuwen as vice president, digital, from Edelman Digital.