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| Jennifer Stearns |
Burson appoints Jennifer Stearns global chief innovation officer, effective Sept. 22. Stearns comes to Burson after over a decade at Accenture, where she most recently served as managing director for Accenture Interactive. She brings extensive experience leading global teams and complex workforce evolution initiatives at the intersection of technology, sales and organizational change. In her new post, Stearns will oversee Burson’s AI portfolio, guide the development of net-new client-responsive products and services and scale solutions across Burson’s global network. She will also design agentic workflows that build on the agency’s existing technology suite, taking innovation from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment. “Jennifer is an accomplished transformation leader who understands how to connect technology, data and strategy to address complex client challenges and create measurable value,” said Burson CEO Corey duBrowa.
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| Phoenix Ricks |
The ONE Campaign, a global, nonpartisan organization advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa, brings on Phoenix Ricks as chief communications officer, effective Sept. 21. Most recently, Ricks founded Girl Friday, a Washington-based global affairs firm helping multinational organizations understand geopolitical risk and develop communications and advocacy strategies. She previously led government relations and public affairs work for SHEIN in the United States and PepsiCo across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Ricks will lead ONE’s global communications strategy, including media and public relations, digital communications, creative, strategic partnerships and events. “Communications is at the heart of effective advocacy, and Phoenix brings exactly the combination of global perspective, strategic thinking and communications expertise we need for this moment,” said The ONE Campaign president and CEO Mark Green.
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| Larry Thomas |
eMedia Monitor, a broadcast intelligence platform and global leader in real-time radio, TV, web-TV and podcast monitoring, names Larry Thomas as VP, Americas, to lead the company’s U.S. expansion. Thomas most recently led U.S. business development for media intelligence company UNICEPTA after driving growth for Talkwalker prior to its acquisition by Hootsuite, and for Bulletin Intelligence both before and after its acquisition by Cision. At eMM, Thomas will lead the company’s growth strategy across the Americas, sharpening its focus on deep, local-market coverage across the U.S. while building its client base among U.S. communications and data analytics professionals. “Larry has built U.S. operations for some of the most respected names in media intelligence, and he has a proven track record of turning that groundwork into lasting growth,” said eMedia Monitor founder and CEO Thomas Netousek.
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| Michael Mendenhall |
The Pacific Financial Group, a wealth management company focused on Self-Directed Brokerage Account management for 401(k), 403(b), and 457 retirement plans, names Michael Mendenhall EVP, CMO and chief communications officer. Mendenhall joins the company from HR solutions provider TriNet, where he served as SVP, CMO and chief communications officer. In his new position, Mendenhall will lead brand strategy, go-to-market execution, and enterprise communications for TPFG, with a mandate to accelerate advisor growth and modernize the firm's marketing and communications capabilities through applied AI and agentic technologies. “Michael brings a rare combination of brand-building at global scale and hands-on experience driving AI-powered transformation inside marketing and communications organizations,” said The Pacific Financial Group CEO Megan Meade.
Qorvis has named Victor Shiblie senior advisor to boost its international network and global business opportunities.
Pierre DuBois has taken the VP-public affairs post at AIB Data Centers, developer of the digital infrastructure for AI hosting and high-performance computing workloads.
Allison Worldwide names Victoria Brophy EVP, head of corporate and technology in Europe. Brophy comes to the firm from Golin Ketchum London, where as EVP she built and led the London Corporate Affairs practice... 
Signal Group, a DC-based public affairs firm, hires Josie Feron as director. Feron was most recently communications director for the Office of Congresswoman Deborah Ross (D-NC)... Moburst, a mobile-first digital agency driven by a proprietary AI program, appoints Etgar Shpivak as VP of marketing... Howard University hires Jasmine Gurley as senior director of public relations in the Office of University Communications.
Christina Hoggatt, who has directed strategic communications for the U.S. Space Command and U.S. Space Force, joins HawkEye360, a provider of domain awareness and early-warning indicators to the U.S. Government and allied partners, as SVP, global communications.
