Chris Petrikin, chief communications officer for studio giant Twentieth Century Fox, will step down at the end of the year to start his own firm.
Petrikin said he will handle crisis communications and corporate brand development for clients including Fox. “With the media and technology industries evolving at such a rapid pace, it’s an exciting time to venture out on my own to help clients protect their brands, define themselves and get their messages out," he said.
Petrikin is a former editor and reporter for Variety and Inside.com. He jumped to the PR realm as head of corporate communications for the William Morris Agency and joined Fox Filmed Entertainment in an EVP role in 2007.
Stacey Snider, who took the chairman and CEO role at Fox in June, said in a statement that Petrikin's contribution to the company "is almost impossible to measure," adding the post required "coalition building, focus and the ability to be calm in a storm."
Petrikin will aid the transition to a replacement.
Business leaders will face challenges in the upcoming year, some of which will come as a complete surprise, or beyond anyone's imagination.
Teneo has hired Philipp Grontzki, who is a 20-year veteran of corporate communications and financial journalism, as a managing director in its strategy and communications group.
Rowan Benecke, who co-founded Zeno Group and helmed Burson-Marsteller's tech practice, has joined McKinsey & Co as director of communications for North America.
BCW has named Golin's Matt Coldagelli EVP and leader of its corporate affairs practice in Chicago.
Abby Bailey, who headed corporate communications for Fedex in its Middle East, India and Africa region, has joined Teneo as managing director in Dubai.
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