Allison Worldwide Strengthens Support of Clients with 6 Senior Leaders

Allison Worldwide announces the addition of six new senior leaders across several practice areas as it further builds end-to-end communications support for global clients.

“Allison’s priorities are clear: a client-first culture centred on every client's success; future-focused innovation and anticipation; and expanding our capability and expertise with a world-class team delivering world-class results,” said Ray Day, Allison Worldwide executive chair and Stagwell, vice chair. “Since joining Allison in early December, I’ve been overwhelmed by interest from others wanting to join our team as we accelerate our shared vision of global growth.”

The six new communications leaders bring decades of combined expertise across a range of industries and communications specialisations. They include:

Ellen Barry, Allison managing director, Corporate Affairs: Ellen most recently led her own strategic and crisis communications firm, having served in senior leadership positions at Cardinal Health, Teneo, Brunswick, Joele Frank and Fleishman-Hillard. At Allison, she serves as a senior strategist for boards and executives on reputation, crises, corporate positioning and financial communications.

Kiersten Fries, Allison chief strategy officer: Kiersten joins from Omnicom Public Relations Group and Ketchum, where she served as global chief growth and marketing officer. At Allison, she leads global client success, growth and strategic development – especially for Fortune 500 clients and prospects.

Aaron Kokoruz, Allison senior vice president, earned media relations: Aaron joins most recently from Ketchum, where he was part of the earned media leadership team. He also serves as an expert travel contributor for NBC News, leveraging his extensive experience in the space. At Allison, he brings deep relationships across the earned media spectrum and expertise in executing high-impact media campaigns.

Rebecca Lindland, Allison managing director, Automotive: Rebecca joins from Cars Commerce, Fisker, Cox Automotive and IHS Automotive with more than two decades of experience in the automotive and tech industries. At Allison, she leads the global automotive industry offering and solutions for clients.

Robyn Patterson, Allison senior vice president of public affairs: Robyn joins Allison from the White House, where she most recently was advisor to the press secretary, as well as the former deputy public affairs director for the US Department of Commerce. At Allison, she supports clients with deep government and public affairs expertise, while supporting crisis management and reputational growth.

Tony Sardella, Allison managing director of data and predictive analytics: Tony joins Allison from most recently serving as founder of predictive analytics firm evolve24, where he was also CEO, along with decades of experience as a senior communications leader at Monsanto, Oxy and Intertek. He also is a senior research fellow at Washington University. At Allison, he leads all data, research and analytics for clients and is advancing work on the future of predictive analytics.

“These new team members represent one of the most significant infusions of new talent in Allison’s recent history,” said Jonathan Heit, CEO of Allison Worldwide. “Their expertise and vision will play a crucial role in shaping our future and reinforcing our position as a trusted partner for our clients.”