NEW YORK — Corey duBrowa, who has led Google’s communications since 2018, has been named BCW’s next CEO, succeeding Donna Imperato who is retiring after 25 years with WPP.

In his new role, duBrowa will be leading the world’s third largest PR firm, which employs more than 4,000 people in nearly 40 countries around the world.

DuBrowa will also oversee BCW brands including tech specialist agency AxiCom; grassroots and advocacy agency Direct Impact; healthcare comms firm CGI Health; integrated creative agency HZ; and Prime Policy Group, a public affairs and public policy consultancy. He also will join parent company WPP’s executive committee.

DuBrowa will assume his new role at the start of August.

DuBrowa, one of PRovoke Media’s influence 100, came to Google and parent company Alphabet as VP of global communications and public affairs after a brief stint at Salesforce, taking the top comms role at the tech behemoth in 2018.

His leap into the technology sector followed a seven-year stint at Starbucks that saw him work closely with Howard Schultz to develop a uniquely progressive brand reputation. He also built a strong corporate culture under Schultz.

“Corey is one of the industry’s most highly regarded leaders, and I am delighted to welcome him to BCW and WPP,” said WPP CEO Mark Read. “His experience working for brands, technology companies and agencies could not be better suited to the role of leading BCW into its next chapter. As she hands over to Corey, I would like to reiterate my thanks to Donna for her tremendous contribution to the agency and to WPP as a whole and wish her all the best for the future.”

Imperato, meantime, has helmed BCW since it was created in 2018 through the merger of WPP’s Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe. Imperato had spent the previous 15 years as CEO of Cohn & Wolfe.

In January, she announced her plans to retire once a successor was found.