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| (L-R) Robin Colwell, Annie Shea Weckesser |
Intel is bringing on Robin Colwell, who was most recently deputy assistant to President Trump, as VP of government affairs and Annie Shea Weckesser, who was CMO at AI platform SambaNova as SVP and chief marketing and communications officer. Before joining Trump’s staff, Colwell was a principal at BGR Group and founder and principal at Convergence Strategies. She will lead Intel’s global engagement with policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders. “She has a rare ability to navigate dynamic policy environments and deliver outcomes that benefit businesses, policymakers, and the communities they serve,” said Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Weckesser has led U.S. marketing and communications at NIO Inc. and spent nearly a decade in global marketing and communications roles at Cisco. “Her leadership will be essential as we sharpen our message and position Intel for long-term success,” said Tan.
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| Jason Hobar |
Cal Athletics, which represents the University of California at Berkeley’s sports teams, names Jason Hobar as CMO. Hobar most recently spent over a decade at Nike, where, among other posts, he served as director of the company’s production studio, overseeing a team of more than 70 digital creatives. He was previously Cal Athletics' director of creative services and licensing. In his new post, Hobar will oversee Cal Athletics’ efforts in marketing, fan experience and digital media, focusing on revenue generation, increased attendance and increased television viewership. The addition of Hobar further positions the athletic department to thrive in this new era of intercollegiate athletics. "Jason is a highly respected and accomplished leader in the marketing and branding space, and the combination of his creativity, entrepreneurship and visionary leadership are just the ingredients we need to help tell the story of Cal Athletics and continue to elevate our brand,” said Cal Athletics co-directors Jenny Simon-O'Neill and Jay Larson.
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| James Nicholas Kinney |
INVNT, a brand storytelling agency, names James Nicholas Kinney global chief AI officer, a newly created role. Kinney joins the agency from Media.Monks, where he was global chief people officer. He was previously global chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and North American chief people officer at Ogilvy. His new role is part of INVNT’s efforts to accelerate the integration of AI across all the agency’s departments and divisions. Kinney will be responsible for leading client-facing AI innovation, helping global brands scale their experiences and campaigns through intelligent machine learning, and driving new business opportunities grounded in AI-powered transformation. “James is uniquely qualified for this role, one of the foremost minds in AI-enabled organizational design with a rare blend of HR leadership and agency experience mixed with advanced AI training,” said INVNT chairman and chief growth officer Scott Cullather. “He understands how humans and machines can coexist to drive meaningful progress.”
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.
