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| Joe Ellis |
BGR Group hires Joe Ellis, who most recently helped lead the planning for President Trump’s recent trips to Qatar and the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, as a VP. Ellis was previously chief of staff to Rep. Max Miller (R-OH). Before that, he was VP and head of US government affairs and external campaigns at BP, in addition to serving as head of state & local affairs and head of strategy & planning for BP’s government and public affairs organization. During the George W. Bush administration, he served as assistant secretary for administration and management at HHS. “His breadth of experience as a chief of staff, senior executive, and top advance man for three presidents makes him stand out in Washington. He will be a tremendous asset to the firm and our clients,” said BGR president Erskine Wells.
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| Matt Simon |
Wills Group, which operates Dash In convenience stores and Splash In car washes, appoints Matt Simon as CMO, a new position at the company. Simon was most recently CMO at online learning company Penn Foster Group. He was previously chief brand experience officer for supermarket chain The GIANT Company and has also held senior marketing posts at Auntie Anne’s and Hershey. At Wills, Simon will support Dash In and Splash In’s multi-state expansion, with a focus on Dash In’s growth in North and South Carolina. He will also work to elevate all aspects of the brand experience, including the guest loyalty and e-commerce platform, Dash In Rewards. “Matt’s passion for brand building, guest experience, and channel optimization will ensure that Dash In and Splash In continue to set new standards in convenience retail,” said Wills Group president and CEO Julian B. Wills.
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| Adrianna Burrows |
Avalara, an AI-powered tax and compliance platform, brings on Adrianna Burrows as EVP, chief marketing officer. Burrows joins the company from Shopify, where she was head of global marketing. She previously held the CMO spot at PayScale, Cornerstone OnDemand and Stack Overflow, in addition to serving as general manager, Windows global marketing at Microsoft. At Avalara, Burrows will lead efforts to elevate Avalara's global brand, expand market awareness, and drive demand for the company's compliance solutions. Avalara has also named Shahan Parshad as SVP, chief information officer, overseeing the company's global IT, business systems and data infrastructure. "Adrianna and Shahan's leadership will be key as Avalara advances our marketing and technology strategy to fuel growth and innovation," said Avalara president Ross Tennenbaum.
Ripley PR realigns its leadership team with the promotion of Anthony Cloud to managing director, B2C and franchising, and a new role for Grayson Shockley as managing director, B2B. Cloud, who joined Ripley PR in October 2020, has held multiple roles within the agency, including brand manager and content specialist... Walker Sands adds former Havas Digital global CEO and chairman George Gallate to its board of directors... Stewards, a diversified financial company based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, appoints Scott McGowan as CMO.
Kevin Lawlor, who most recently served as chief political officer and EVP at DDC Public Affairs, is coming on board at Zeno Group as head of public affairs.
Former Ketchum partner Esty Pujadas joins Grayling as CEO of its North America business, part of the agency’s expansion in the region.
Marketbridge brings on Bob Ray as CEO. Ray was previously CEO, head of B2B agency services at Merkle, part of the Dentsu Group... Rasky Partners promotes Andy Hoglund and Graham Shalgian to partner... IGB Group, an investor relations, capital markets, and strategic communications advisory firm, appoints Charlotte Burch as a managing director.
Caitlin Allen, who was most recently head of global markets and CEO communications at eBay, joins Daily Pay as chief brand and communications officer.
