People on the Move

Melanie Klausner

Havas PR announced several additions to its executive team. Melanie Klausner joined the firm’s New York office as senior VP to counsel corporate and consumer clients. Before joining Havas PR, Klausner was a VP at Finn Partners, managing New York State's I LOVE NY tourism campaign. Stephanie Clarke, who has been with the firm since 2012, has been promoted to VP in Havas Southwest. She will oversee consumer and lifestyle accounts across the country. Ellen Mallernee Barnes has been promoted to VP of content after six years of "permalancing" with Havas PR in Nashville. Barnes manages content creation across the agency's clients, crafting op-eds, blog posts, white papers, press releases and messaging documents/

Mike Garrison

Padilla brought on Mike Garrison as VP of insights and strategy. He joins the Minneapolis-based agency from business management consultancy Iconoculture, where he served as VP and lead consumer strategist. Earlier, he was senior manager of brand research and consumer insights for Viacom kids’ property Nickelodeon, and in charge of gaming, TV, digital brand and consumer insights duties at MTV in Los Angeles. As insights and strategy VP, Garrison will work closely with Padilla’s in-house market research division, SMS Research Advisors, using research functions to better understand consumer behaviors.

Jon Teall

Capital markets and fintech shop Forefront Communications Group has appointed Jon Teall as senior VP. Teall comes to Forefront from Teall & Associates, a firm he founded in 2007. He has held senior executive positions at Standard & Poor’s, DCR Credit Rating Agency, Lipper Analytical Securities and The Bond Market Association, in addition to having worked as a Wall Street reporter for CNBC. “We are very pleased to add Jon and his deep capital markets’ experience to our team,” said Forefront managing partner Mark Dowd. “He knows the markets and the prominent media who cover them as well as anyone, and he has developed, implemented and managed an impressive array of successful communications programs across a wide range of clients.” Teall is the second major hire for the firm in the last six months, following April’s appointment of marcomms veteran Michael Kingsley.

Linda Dyson

LifeSci Public Relations LLC made two additions to its leadership team: Linda Dyson as executive VP and Drew Levinson as senior VP. Dyson has held both agency and industry roles, including with Nestlé S.A., Roche and Pfizer Nutrition, where she was global communications director, commercial and R&D. She has helped launch more than 200 products in her career, introducing companies into new therapeutic areas and markets. Levinson comes to LifeSci from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, where he was senior VP, media relations. He spent more than two decades as a network television news correspondent, covering hundreds of medical and health stories.

Zorina Akhund

Cindy Riccio Communications has promoted Zorina Akhund to account executive. Akhund will be working with clients in the consumer lifestyle, food and beverage, homecare, hospitality, beauty and fashion industries. Prior to coming to CRC, she held a position as event coordinator for the Democratic National Committee and played an integral role in the Democratic campaign for the 2016 presidential election. Prior to working with the DNC, Akhund was part of the event production and management team at Colin Cowie Lifestyle and worked in Paris with Roshanara Paris Design for the Whose Next Fashion Show. “We’re thrilled to have Zorina step up to a higher level of account engagement,” said Cindy Riccio, president and founder of CRC. “She is a natural critical thinker and aggressive in her media relations role that surpasses goals and generates optimal results,” said Cindy Riccio, president and founder of CRC.