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| (L-R) Anthony Cloud, Grayson Shockley |
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. His promotion recognizes his leadership in building strong client relationships and driving measurable results for the agency’s home service contractors and franchise brands. Shockley, an eight-year Ripley PR veteran, has guided campaigns for manufacturing, home service vendors and construction technology across the country. His focused role will further strengthen Ripley PR’s ability to develop tailored strategies for clients in these sectors. “By organizing our leadership around our key verticals, we’re empowering our teams to go deeper into the industries we serve, creating true specialists who can deliver greater value and insights to our clients every day,” said Ripley PR founder and CEO Heather Ripley.
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| George Gallate |
Walker Sands adds former Havas Digital global CEO and chairman George Gallate to its board of directors. Gallate also served as CEO of Merkle, He is currently CEO of growth consultancy MKTG2.U, as well as an independent board member and investor in Tinuiti, Real Chemistry, Bounteous, Anteriad, Bond Loyalty and WebFX. At Walker Sands, he is expected to help the agency accelerate strategic acquisitions, broaden service offerings and provide deeper counsel to enterprise technology clients. “George brings a rare mix of operator experience and investor discipline, with a track record of executing at the highest level,” said Andrew Cross, co-CEO of Walker Sands. “He knows B2B marketing as well as anyone in the industry.” Gallate’s appointment follows Walker Sands’ recent partnership with Mountaingate Capital in October.
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| Scott McGowan |
Stewards, a diversified financial company based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, appoints of Scott McGowan as CMO. McGowan was most recently director of investor relations at InvestorBrandNetwork. Before that, he was CEO of strategic communications consultancy Omincor Media. At Stewards, McGowan will lead the company’s integrated marketing and communications strategy, overseeing corporate messaging, brand development and investor engagement. “His experience will strengthen our transparency, elevate our market presence and unify our messaging as we move into our next phase of growth,” said Stewards president Shaun Quin.
Sarah Knakmuhs, who formerly led H/Advisors Abernathy’s DC office, is joining the Financial Services Forum as chief communications and strategy officer.
Brian Hughes, chief of staff at NASA, has joined Mercury Public Affairs as a partner in its Tallahassee office.
Narrative Strategies brings on Stacia Tipton as managing director... Prosek Partners promotes Deirdre Bolton, Josh Clarkson and Jon Schwartz to partner... YAP Global, an international digital assets PR firm, promotes Otto Jacobsson, who has served as CFO of the firm since 2020, to CEO. 
Cindy Leggett-Flynn, who most recently led communications at Credit Suisse, is coming on board at Swiss multinational private bank and wealth management firm Julius Baer Group as group head of communications.
The Pollack Group brings on John Cheng as creative director and Daniel Chou as director of digital strategy... Baretz+Brunelle, an advisory firm that works with legal industry businesses, brings on Daniel Gilfarb, as a senior managing director in its talent practice.... Prophet names Mat Zucker, who has served as interim CMO for the past two years, to the full-time CMO position.
