Holmes Report 11 Sep 2016 // 3:14PM GMT
WASHINGTON, DC—Mitch Willey, founder of Time & Place and travel and hospitality industry expert, has rejoined APCO, this time as a member of its international advisory council. In 2001, Willey drew on his 20-year career in international law and his experience owning and managing multimillion dollar vacation properties to launch Time & Place, a luxury travel business. Willey was a senior counselor for APCO throughout the 1990s.
TORONTO—Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada has appointed D'Arcy Levesque to the newly created position of Western Canada chair, responsible for new business growth and strategic communications leadership in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Prior to joining Hill+Knowlton, D'Arcy served as vice-president, enterprise communications and corporate social responsibility, for Enbridge. He also held senior roles at TrueNorth Energy and Syncrude Canada, and served as a communications director to Alberta government cabinet ministers.
WASHINGTON, DC—Joe Householder, veteran journalist and communications counselor, has returned to Hill+Knowlton Strategies as an executive vice president based in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. He previously spent about five years at H+K’s Public Strategies. Earlier, he spent more than 20 years as a radio reporter, anchor and newsroom manager in Birmingham, Ala.; Orlando, Fla.; and Houston, Tex. He worked with international law firm Vinson & Elkins, for then Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, and for then New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. After leaving Public Strategies, he spent seven years at Purple Strategies, before taking on his most recent role handling external affairs for the Texas-based law firm Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson.
CHICAGO—Zapwater Communications has hired Carrie Lannon in the new role of chief brand officer. Lannon was most recently the national director of public relations for retailer ULTA Beauty, where she developed its first public relations department. Earlier, she founded and directed Lannon Communications, which worked with clients including Tiffany & Co., Mercedes-Benz, W Hotels, The Gap, Equinox Fitness Clubs and Related Midwest.
SAN FRANCISCO—Bateman Group has appointed 20-year IDG News Service veteran James Niccolai as director of content and media strategy. Niccolai will focus primarily on enterprise, developer and infrastructure technology clients and reunites with a former colleague from IDG, Elinor Mills, Bateman’s vice president of content and media strategy.
PHOENIX—KiteRocket, the parent company formed by the recent merger of Impress Labs and Duo Public Relations, has appointed Paco Allen as executive creative director. Allen will oversee the agency's creative, content and digital marketing divisions to integrate with public relations across all media platforms. Allen was part of the team that built Grey Worldwide's integrated agency experience and has worked with Beyond Interactive, Grey SF, Young & Rubicam, SilverFox, and most recently the San Francisco office of Harlo.
AUSTIN, TX—Wild Hive, an Austin-based marketing and consulting firm specializing in food, agriculture, and lifestyle brands, has added McKenzie Hall Jones to its team of experts. Prior to joining Wild Hive, McKenzie co-founded Nourish RDs, where she consulted with agricultural boards, food companies, and other health professionals to provide nutrition marketing and public relations services, including social media strategy and management, spokesperson and media outreach, recipe development and more.