NEW YORK — With an eye on continued growth, Edelman has created a new financial communications leadership team led by Lex Suvanto as CEO, and launched its specialty agency in Canada.


An agency veteran, Suvanto is Edelman's first financial communications CEO and managing partner.

Suvanto has led the firm's global financial communications and capital markets offering as managing director since 2016. Before joining Edelman in 2013, he spent a decade in senior roles at Abernathy MacGregor.

Edelman has also created financial communications regional leadership teams.

Katie Spring and Josh Hochberg are managing directors and chief operating officers of the US financial communications team. Alex Simmons leads Edelman Smithfield's EMEA Capital Markets and oversees the financial communications growth strategy across EMEA. Chad Tendler serves as executive VP and leads financial communications in APAC.

David Ryan, meantime, has been tapped to lead Edelman’s newly launched financial communications boutique Smithfield in Canada. Toronto-based Ryan has been promoted to Smithfield managing director after serving as the office’s national practice lead.

Operating within the larger firm, Edelman Smithfield offers board and C-suite level communications expertise in mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and restructurings, corporate governance, asset management and private equity, as well as capital markets regulation and other special situations. Edelman has operated its UK financial communications specialty as Edelman Smithfield since acquiring Smithfield Consultants in 2015.

"Continuing to grow financial communications in both breadth and depth of service is central to our growth strategy,” said CEO Richard Edelman. “Our deep expertise across verticals including health, technology, and food and beverage coupled with our truly global footprint puts Edelman in a unique position to serve current and future clients.  Lex and this outstanding group of leaders have built a strong platform for delivering world-class counsel and execution and we will continue to invest significantly to further grow our team.”