On the Move: Hachette Book Group Tabs Amazon's Gambrell to Lead Comms

Gabrielle Gambrell

Hachette Book Group names Gabrielle Gambrell as SVP, chief communications officer. Gambrell joins HBG from Amazon, where she was head of communications for inclusive experiences and technology, employee experience. She previously served as chief marketing & communications officer at Barnard College and held senior communications and PR posts at FCB Global, NBCUniversal and CBS. As a member of HBG’s executive management board, Gambrell will oversee the Hachette Speakers Bureau; branding; corporate, internal, and executive communications; media relations; strategic communications; trade fairs; HBG’s philanthropic activities and environmental program; and will work closely with Hachette UK. She succeeds HBG’s current SVP communications, Sophie Cottrell, who is leaving the company at the end of August. “Her creativity, flair and experience across a range of disciplines and industries will help us hugely in getting the message out there about the new worlds of ideas, entertainment, learning and opportunity which books offer,” said Hachette Book Group CEO David Shelley.

Jordan Langdon

Prologue, a DC-based strategic advisory firm, hires Jordan Langdon as senior director of client experience, a newly created position. Langdon comes to the firm from Purple Strategies, where she was a director, leading public affairs and reputation engagements. Previously, she served as deputy communications director for Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and communications director for Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA). Her experience includes leading proactive positioning, public affairs campaigns, issues management, crisis response and thought leadership engagements in energy, healthcare, biodefense, consumer goods and global manufacturing. “As a boutique firm, we uniquely understand the importance of having smart, responsive and experienced strategists, public affairs leaders and policy experts,” said Prologue managing partner and corporate practice lead Clare Thomas Maher. “In hiring Jordan we continue to build out a senior team of consultants with the kind of insights and talent that are invaluable to our clients.”

Stephanie Byington

Visit Seattle, the official destination marketing organization for Seattle and King County, Washington, names Stephanie Byington SVP and chief marketing officer. Byington most recently served as senior director of brand marketing for business and technology consulting company Slalom. She was previously director of innovation at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; VP, marketing and product development at TCS World Travel; and held a range of executive marketing positions at Nordstrom. In her new post, Byington will oversee all marketing and brand development initiatives to promote tourism to the city across travel segments, including meetings and conventions, leisure, transient, and international markets. “She has spent years honing her skills at some of the biggest brands that call our great city home,” said Visit Seattle president and CEO Tammy Blount- Canavan. “We’re looking forward to seeing Stephanie put her magic to work for us.”