Bob Leaf

In 2012, Leaf published his memoirs, The Art of Perception. It was described in The Reality Gap as:

In 2000, Leaf was given the Chartered Institute of Public Relations first ever 'Alan Campbell Award', for outstanding contributions to international public relations and, in 2011, he received journalism's highest award Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service to Journalism from his alma mater, the University of Missouri. Previous recipients include Tom Brokaw, Walter Cronkite, George Gallup and Sir Winston Churchill. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Debrett's People of Today. In January 2014, he was included in 'The Debrett's 500', a list of people considered by them as Britain's 500 most influential people.

In 1997, after 40 years with Burson-Marsteller, he stood down as their International chairman and established his own firm, Robert S. Leaf Consultants, which is based in the Burson-Marsteller building in London. He still advised Burson-Marsteller.

Harold Burson had also been stationed overseas in the army and felt that it offered great opportunities for the firm to represent American clients there. He appointed Leaf head of international operations and, in 1965, he was sent to Brussels on a one-year assignment. Three years later he was transferred to London, where he still resided.

While still working at B-M's New York office Leaf received a phone call from Adele Ornstein, who had been a fellow student at Joan of Arc Junior High School in New York whom he had not seen in 12 years but hadn't forgotten, so they started dating. They were married in June 1958, their son, Stuart, was born in 1961 and they have two grandchildren.

He joined Burson-Marsteller on July 1, 1957, alongside its then six executives. The business grew rapidly and soon Leaf was promoted and given assistants, one of whom was Mary Travers – soon far better known as the Mary in the vocal group Peter, Paul and Mary.

Leaf moved back to the United States in 1956 and went to live with his widowed mother in New York, while searching for a job. For a short while he worked for a show business publicist where his main clients included Milton Berle, who helped start television in the United States, Tony Bennett and Pearl Bailey. He then obtained an interview with a small PR firm called Burson-Marsteller which was looking for its first trainee, and got the job.

After high school Leaf enrolled in the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, the world's first school of journalism. Initially he was interested in pursuing a career in sports journalism, but after attending classes in advertising and public relations he decided that was where his future lay. At college, Leaf also developed a keen interest in history and international relations and, after receiving his bachelor of journalism degree with honors in 1952, he received an MA with honors in history in 1954.

Robert Stephen "Bob" Leaf ( August 9, 1931 - June 10, 2021) was an American public relations executive. He is best known for creating the international network of offices which made Burson-Marsteller the world's largest public relations firm in the 1980s, where he eventually rose to be international chairman. Debrett's have recognised him as one of Britain's 500 most influential people.

Leaf was born in New York City on August 9, 1931. He attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.