Tech PR specialist Hotwire has promoted North America CEO Heather Kernahan to the role of global chief executive officer.
Kernahan officially assumes the role on July 1. She succeeds Barbara Bates, who has held the global CEO title since 2017. Bates now moves into a newly created senior advisory role with Hotwire’s parent company, Australia-based marketing and communications network Enero Group, where she’ll help facilitate Enero’s M&A activities in North America.
Kernahan joined Hotwire in 2016. She was previously president of Eastwick Communications, a tech firm which maintained offices in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area (Bates was Eastwick’s former founder and CEO). Enero acquired Eastwick in 2016 and Kernahan was charged with leading the agency’s North American and Australian operations. She was promoted to North America chief executive officer in 2019.
Easier in her career, Kernahan was global marketing director at energy technology company Enphase Energy. Prior to that, she worked at CA-based software/services company Autodesk, where she held a variety or titles before ultimately being named senior marketing manager of product and industry marketing.
“There is no more exciting industry to be in than technology and I’m thrilled to lead the Hotwire team as we continue to grow,” Kernahan said in a statement. “We have ambitious plans to bring more value to our fast growth and global tech clients, who are looking for an alternative to the big multinational agencies. Barbara has led a culture, team and business that is sought after by the largest tech companies in the world and I’m honored to now lead this organization. With 20 years behind us, we feel that we’re just getting started.”
Kernahan will report to Enero Group CEO Brent Scrimshaw.
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