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| Michael O'Brien |
Former Ketchum chief client officer Michael O’Brien is coming on board at Highwire as CEO.
He was most recently global CEO at 5W Public Relations. In a 23-year career at Ketchum, his accomplishments included transforming client service by focusing on growth, reducing revenue attrition, and creating a more purposeful approach to client management. He also led global business development and strategic planning.
At Highwire, O’Brien is tasked with reinforcing the agency’s investments in AI-backed tools and data expertise. Highwire comes in at No. 6 on O'Dwyer's ranking of the top technology PR firms for 2025.
He succeeds Carol Carrubba, who has served as interim CEO. Carrubba will remain on Highwire’s executive leadership team, helping to shape and support the agency’s vision and strategy.
“Michael stood out in every way as a leader who shares our values and brings the scale, relationships, and experience to realize our vision. I am confident that he will propel us into a new era as a company while honoring our deep roots.” said Carrubba.
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