NEW YORK — Matthew Gallagher is leaving APCO Worldwide after a decade to lead BCW’s North America corporate practice.

In the executive VP role, New York-based Gallagher will be responsible for leading and building the practice across the region. He replaces Brian Ellner, who is now executive VP, growth & marketing.

Gallagher joins BCW with more than two decades of experience in the public and private sectors. During his last two-plus years at APCO, he led the firm’s Midwest & West regions, Chicago office and North American energy practice.

Before that, Gallagher held senior leadership roles in APCO’s clean tech and corporate communications and issues management practices. Earlier in his career, Gallagher led the issues and crisis practice of Los Angeles firm Cerrell Associates.

“Never before has the role of the corporation in society been more profound and more scrutinized, with every member of the stakeholder ecosystem holding companies accountable for their impact on society,” said global CEO Donna Imperato. “Because of that, building and protecting a corporate reputation requires broad functional and specialty expertise and a keen understanding of how to leverage all platforms — from earned and paid media to digital to owned and social content. With Matt’s deep experience and BCW’s earned-plus offer we are bringing world-class thinking and modern approaches to solving corporations’ most pressing issues.”