PR Happenings at KCD, TransMedia Group, Levick/Chase, Allison+Partners, and Text100
KCD Adds Eight New Global Partners
Top fashion PR firm KCD just moved eight of their employees up the ladder to become partners in the firm while also restructuring. The eight joining current partners Mannion and Filipowski are Nan Richards, Kerry Youmans, Renee Barletta, Txampi Diz, Laurence Laure, Jarrad Clark, Marty Griffith, and Rachna Shah. These eight have already been in charge of various divisions in the company and have not been given the task to establish a five-year plan to integrate their various offices (New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London) and their five divisions (Media Relations, Digital, Consulting, Creative Services, and Entertainment and Technology.
Lynn Aronberg Returns to Boca Raton and TransMedia Group
Lynn Aronberg, wife of Florida State Attorney David Aronberg, and a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, returns to the firm where she got her PR job start. Ms. Aronberg is a celebrity publicist and a frequent attendee of black-tie events at some of the top parties in the country. She’s friends with the Trumps and has been featured on CNN, Sports Illustrated, Allure magazine, and others.
She’s been running her own PR firm but is returning as an EVP. She brings more than a decade of PR and publicist experience working not just in Florida, but also in Los Angeles and New York City.
LEVICK Acquires Chase Communications
LEVICK, a PR firm specializing in business advice, strategic communications, and public affairs, announced last week that they acquired Chase Communications with offices in San Francisco and DC, specializing in crisis, public affairs, corporate, healthcare, and real estate. Julie Chase, former president and CEO of Chase Communications will oversee the real estate practice of LEVICK as well as act as advisor and strategist for larger clients.
Julie Chase brings to the table more than 25 years of expertise in marketing communication, healthcare, and real estate. Chase’s full team joins LEVICK and Felicia Brown will continue to manage the San Francisco office. That office will become the west coast location for LEVICK. The Chase DC office will be integrated into LEVICK’s DC office – so now there will be five LEVICK offices in DC, Chicago, Toronto, New York, and San Francisco.
Tracey Cassidy Promoted as New GM for New York Office of Allison+Partners
Tracey Cassidy has been working in Allison+Partners’ (AP) New York office as the SVP of client services and operations, but she was promoted in December to general manager of that office, replacing Anne Colaiacovo who became the partner and chair of the Eastern region late in 2015. Cassidy reports to Colaiacovo in her new role and will be in charge of the daily operations, providing strategic counsel for clients, heading business development, and leading a staff of 35.
Also moving up the ladder at AP is Emily Wilson-Sawyer as she shifts to work as EVP in charge of West Coast consumer practice as well as travel and hospitality, a newly established position. Her previous post was as an SVP. She reports to the chief creative officer and co-chair of the consumer marketing sector, Lisa Rosenberg.
Big Changes to Text100 Leadership in EMEA and Asia-Pacific Regions
Changes in the EMEA area include Cecile Missildine leaves her previous post in Europe to assume a senior position overseeing analytics. The company is still searching for a replacement to fill Missildine’s previous position. Also, Richard Parkinson, based in the London office, will become the creative director globally for Text100. He sold IncrediBull, his brand marketing agency, to Next15 in 2015.
Changes in the Asia-Pacific area include a new regional director spot filled by Lee Nugent who has been in the Singapore office as managing director of strategy and consulting for less than a year. Nugent replaces Anne Costello who has been promoted to chairman of the region for the next six months and then she’ll shift again into overseeing people and talent globally for the company. Both EMEA and Asia-Pacific have seen many other changes recently, including a recent rebranding of the company, acquisitions, and mergers. Unless otherwise noted, all leadership changes become effective on February 1st.
