Scott Allison Ceding Allison Global CEO Role To Focus On Growth

(MENAFN- PRovoke) SAN FRANCISCO - With an eye on rapid growth, Scott Allison will be stepping down from his role as global chairman and CEO of Allison to focus on expanding the agency through acquisitions.

Global COO and co-founder Jonathan Heit will move into the global CEO role as part of the larger management change.

“Jonathan Heit has been with the agency since inception,” Allison said.“He has a keen understanding of our culture and is well-poised to continue the growth trajectory and service-oriented approach for clients in collaboration with a talented group of colleagues.”

Allison, who founded the San Francisco-based agency as Allison+Partners 22 years ago, will become chairman and
will continue to assist with select new business prospects, media and presentation training, and mergers and acquisitions in Europe. He will also maintain his current client-facing role.

Co-founder Andy Hardie-Brown will also step away from daily operations. He will serve as vice chairman with a focus on strategic growth initiatives, particularly in Asia-Pacific, including mergers and acquisitions, and key revenue-generative talent acquisition.

The agency also announced members of its new global board, which will be helmed by Allison and Hardie-Brown. Board members include Heit; global COO and CFO Julia Farrell; chief growth officer, global client service Matthew Della Croce; global CEO, marketing innovation Cathy Planchard; North American CEO Anne Colaiacovo; North American COO Tom Smith; president, global consumer group Lisa Rosenberg; and general counsel Brian Feldman.

The change in leadership comes roughly four months after the agency unveiled a brand refresh, including a name change to Allison, and stated its intent to expand rapidly through acquisition.

“This is a natural and methodical evolution of management succession planning to prepare for the long-range future of the agency,” Scott Allison said.“We've engendered more than two decades of extraordinary growth based in part on dynamic leadership elevations. Now we have achieved global status, we need a strong board that
sets the stage for a three-year strategic plan as we build toward becoming a $200 million agency and one of the top ten largest agencies in the world.”

Said Heit, "While we've not closed 2023, we are at roughly half that size now. Throughout our history, growth has been the greatest driver of opportunity for our people and for our clients. For clients, we're able to provide more services, more market coverage, and the best people. For teams, this size gives them the chance to work with the world's most revered brands doing groundbreaking work while still being small enough to remain a nimble operation with deep relationships amongst our teams.

"This also opens the opportunity to invest in more product development and innovation, which furthers this virtuous circle of success," he said.

Last year, Allison ranked as as the 32nd largest PR firm in the world, having registered $118.5 million in fee income in 2022, according to PRovoke Media's global agency rankings.

The agency, part of the Stagwell group, said the rebrand – which included a new logo, website and manifesto, as well as the new name – reflected its evolution from an earned media PR agency to a global integrated marketing communications firm.

At that time, Allison said the new-look agency planned to achieve rapid growth through targeted acquisitions, as well as bolstering its creative capabilities, and would continue to expand its offer beyond its PR roots, with a focus on innovation driven by data and technology.

He said the firm had undergone a“remarkable evolution,” expanding its services, its talent base and its client portfolio. Seven of Allison's top 10 clients are now represented across multiple market, and the agency has more global brands on its client roster, such as AB InBev, GE Appliances, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IHG, Kyndryl and Revlon.

MENAFN04012024000219011063ID1107683112