CHICAGO — Golin has hired consultant Michon Ellis to lead the agency’s Chicago issues and crisis practice.

As an executive VP, Ellis is tasked with building out the Chicago team’s crisis and issues expertise while driving specialty department growth and helping position the agency as a premier resource for clients navigating complexities. He joins a corporate communications team of more than 40 specialists in the firm’s headquarters, including nearly a dozen experts in crisis and issues management.

Ellis started in early July and reports to Molly Starmann, associate managing director, Golin Chicago.

Most recently, Ellis served as CEO of CLOUT, a consultancy he founded in 2019 specializing in crisis and reputation management. He spent a decade of his 25-year career in corporate communications at McDonald’s where he served as a corporate comms and consumer PR senior leader.