On the Move: Freud Communications Puts PAN's Thomas in Charge of NYC Outpost

Brandon Thomas

Freud Communications brings on Brandon Thomas, who was most recently VP and general manager of PAN Communications’ New York office, to head up its New York team. While at PAN, Thomas also led the agency’s DEI efforts. Before he joined PAN in 2020, he was an associate VP at Red Havas, and he previously worked at Southard Communications and Widmeyer Communications. Thomas has also been recognized with the Emerging Leader Award by The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. “Under Brandon’s leadership, we know that New York can be a market that serves as a focal point for Freuds' long-term,” said Freud Communications CEO Arlo Brady. Freuds’ has also hired Phoebe Knatchbull as global account development director of Freuds +, the firm’s healthcare, behavior change, and social impact specialists. Knatchbull will be tasked with growing the presence of Freuds+ as it launches the Freuds+ Model for Change, a behavior change model to be designed for communication, with a particular focus on earned media.

Chris Patz

August, a Los Angeles-headquartered advisory firm, names Chris Patz as a managing director, leading the firm’s San Francisco office. Before coming to August, Patz established Patz Management, an independent strategic advisory firm that he ran for more than 15 years. He was previously a securities litigator at Morrison & Foerster, focusing on shareholder litigation, corporate governance and investigations. At August, he will help lead client engagements with a focus on litigation matters and crisis situations. “Chris has established himself as a trusted advisor, with deep experience guiding clients through their most significant and challenging moments,” said August CEO Steven Goldberg. Patz’s hire marks August’s expansion to Northern California, the firm’s fourth major market entry since its founding in October 2021.

Anna Cowenhoven

The University of Pennsylvania enrolls Anna Cowenhoven as VP for university communications, effective August 21. Cowenhoven has served as senior executive director and associate dean for communications at Harvard’s faculty of arts and sciences since 2017. Before that, she was senior VP, corporate affairs at Bank of America and media relations manager at Boston Children’s Hospital. At Penn, Cowenhoven will oversee the university’s internal and external communications operations and promote the widespread recognition of Penn’s contributions to the community, country and world. “She cares deeply about communicating the value of higher education to society, and she brings a strategic, creative, and collaborative approach to leading in an ever-changing media landscape,” said Penn president Liz Magill.