 Mariana Agathoklis |
Verizon has tapped Mariana Agathoklis for the VP-corporate communications post that was formerly held by Torod Neptune, who left in March after a nearly two-year stint for Lenovo.
The ex-VP communications at MTV takes charge of external communications and issues, reporting to Jim Gerace, chief communications officer from her perch in Basking Ridge, NJ.
At MTV, Agathoklis worked on its series, specials, awards & news programming across the digital, mobile and social platforms. She also was responsible for corporate/brand initiatives, as well as promoting the Viacom unit's leadership team.
Agathoklis joined MTV in 2005 from Porter Novelli.
Known for its wireless network, Verizon's Oath unit includes social/digital/video brands such as AOL, TechCrunch, Yahoo, HuffPost, engadget, MAKERS and tumblr.
Established through a founding gift from 2025 Page Hall of Fame inductee and former Weber Shandwick Global CEO Andy Polansky, the fund is meant to serve as a catalyst for empowering future senior communications leaders as well as increasing the diversity in the chief communications officer pipeline.
Some well-honed communications strategies typically deployed in an activist situation must be set aside when the activist is also the founder of the company. Such situations require a more tailored response: one that respects the founder’s credibility without conceding the company’s future, addresses shareholders’ financial interests while acknowledging questions of legacy, and anticipates that the fight may be as personal and persistent as it is strategic.
Molly Fogarty, who rose to head of corporate affairs & sustainability at Nestle during a nearly 23-year stint, will join Brunswick Group as a partner in DC on Sept. 14.
Senior leaders have been exiting newly combined agencies since the wave of integrations started—the kind of departures that don't always make headlines but show up in who's running client accounts six months later.
Why CEO visibility is no longer optional as a communications tactic.
