ICRNew York-headquartered corporate communications and investor relations firm ICR yesterday announced the creation of a newly formed advisory board, and has appointed Rob Sharp and Joseph B. Kennedy as its founding members.

ICR CEO Tom Ryan told O’Dwyer’s that the board would provide ongoing counsel and insight to help guide the agency’s business decisions, which could range from the development of new service offerings and practice areas, to staff hires and strategic investments.

“ICR has always maintained a deep network of capital markets experts and communications industry veterans who we engage with to provide intelligence and counsel. As we’ve grown, we saw value in creating a formal advisory board dedicated to broadening our network and ensuring that ICR remains at the cutting edge with respect to the critical issues facing our client base,” Ryan told O’Dwyer’s. “The establishment of this advisory board along with these two initial appointments, demonstrates our commitment to being the go-to firm for companies looking for a partner to develop communications programs and transaction advisory services tailored to achieving business goals and building enterprise value.”

Sharp is co-CEO and owner of contemporary women's fashion brand Ramy Brook. Prior to that he was senior partner of private equity firm MidOcean Partners. He also previously served as partner at Investcorp International, was an investment banker at Bankers Trust and worked in Drexel Burnham Lambert's mergers and acquisitions division.

Kennedy is founder and managing partner of real estate development firm Crystal Lake Capital. He was previously a partner at Moelis & Company, served as head of retail investment banking at Wachovia Corporation and was co-head of Bank of America’s retail investment banking division. He has also logged stints with Merrill Lynch and Chemical Banking Corporation.

Ryan said the agency plans to introduce additional members to the board in the future, though a total number of members has yet to be determined.

ICR in November introduced subsidiary ICR Capital LLC, which offers capital markets advisory services. The agency's annual ICR Conference — formerly known as the ICR XChange — is one of the industry's largest investment conferences and is currently taking place in Orlando.

The agency, which has additional offices Norwalk, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and Beijing, was ranked eighth largest firm on O’Dwyer’s annual rankings of PR firms, reporting 2014 net fees of about $50.7 million.