Category: News

Keenan Austin Reed Appointed to Executive Director of PPHC Board

Posted on by ally

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc., the leading government relations and public affairs group of companies providing a comprehensive range of advisory services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Keenan Austin Reed to the Board as an Executive Director with immediate effect.

Ms Austin Reed is a Principal at Alpine Group, a top 20 Washington-based lobbying firm and one of PPHC’s eight operating companies. She joined Alpine Group in 2021 and is responsible for advocacy across a broad range of policy areas, including contributing to initiatives led by the Congressional Black Caucus, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Biden Administration, where she has deployed expertise in campaigns, media, energy, climate, health, technology and telecommunications.

Ms Austin Reed was recently named Lobbyist of the Year (2023) by the Washington Government Relations Group and is Founder and Chair of Black Women Leading, a non-profit group that supports the empowerment of black women in public service, notably the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance. She has served in a number of policy and political roles, including as Chief of Staff to Congressman Donald McEachin (2017-2020), Florida Political Director to Secretary Hillary Clinton (2016), Chief of Staff to the Council of the District of Columbia Councilmember David Grosso (2015-2016) and Deputy Chief of Staff/Senior Advisor to Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (2011-2015).

In addition to her executive responsibilities, Ms Austin Reed holds various directorships and leadership roles including Advisory Council Chair at GlobalWIN, Vice Chair of the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Corporate Advisory Board and Vice Chair of So Others Might Eat’s Corporate Advisory Board.

Simon Lee, Chairman of PPHC, commented:

“Keenan is one of the top lobbyists in Washington and has made a highly positive impact at Alpine Group and PPHC. Her advisory expertise and wider interests, along with strong relationships among clients and political stakeholders, will further strengthen the Board as PPHC continues to expand its offering and broaden its geographical footprint.”

Keenan Austin Reed, Executive Director of PPHC, commented:

“PPHC is already well established in the US and I am looking forward to supporting the Board as we continue to execute the growth strategy and build on the strong foundations already in place.”

Forbes Tate Partners and Seven Letter Named to PRNEWS’ 2024 Agency Elite Top 100

Posted on by ally

WASHINGTON — PPHC firms Forbes Tate Partners (FTP) and Seven Letter have both been named to PRNEWS’ Agency Elite Top 100 for 2024. The comprehensive list recognizes the most innovative PR and communications firms in the business. This is the second year in a row that the two PPHC firms have received this honor.

“We are proud to have two of our agencies recognized in this prestigious list which follows our sustained leading performance within the Lobbying Disclosure Act rankings, where PPHC recently retained the number one spot with $17.1m of disclosed LDA revenue for the third quarter of 2023.

“Our operating companies, their commitment and work accomplished for clients is world-class and we look forward to supporting them in the years ahead as demand for services continues to increase.”

-Stewart Hall, CEO of PPHC

See the full 2024 Agency Elite Top 100 list here.

PPHC Launches Concordant Advisory

Posted on by ally

Supports organic growth and expands PPHC’s offering in corporate advisory services.

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc., the government relations and public affairs group of companies providing a comprehensive range of advisory services, is pleased to announce the launch of Concordant Advisory (“Concordant”), a new Group operating entity that integrates its policy expertise and communications capabilities.

Delivering results under a unified plan, team, and pricing structure, Concordant will provide its clients with industry-leading government relations, public affairs, audience insight capabilities and full-service, strategic communications.

Based in Chicago, Concordant will be led by Sarah Wills, CEO. Ms Wills is a former Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Cardinal Health, where she presided over communications, government relations, enterprise marketing and brand. Prior to Cardinal Health, Sarah served in leadership roles within government relations, communications and strategy at GE, and led corporate affairs at Tempus, an AI-enabled precision medicine business. Before her corporate career, Sarah spent fifteen years in politics and policy, initially as an Associate for David Axelrod and Associates, then several years as a Legislative Assistant on Capitol Hill, Senior Policy Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey, and Executive Director for New Jobs for New York, a 501(c)(3) launched by then U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Concordant will build multi-disciplinary teams to service client organisations that are investing for long-term growth and resilience, such as AI, progress towards a healthier planet, advancements in precision medicine and the reconfiguration of global supply chains.

Stewart Hall, CEO of PPHC, commented:

“Today’s launch of Concordant is aligned with PPHC’s organic growth strategy and will accelerate our expansion into the growing market for corporate advisory solutions. 

“I’m pleased to welcome Sarah to PPHC and look forward to partnering with her to continue to build and integrate PPHC’s unique bi-partisan policy expertise, nationwide coverage, in addition to broad public affairs and communications capabilities across our operating companies.”

Sarah Wills, CEO of Concordant, added:

“Globally, policy and politics shape every major market theme, from technology driven growth opportunities, to the risks generated from shifting geopolitics and monetary policy. In today’s uniquely dynamic market, Concordant is set to further empower c-suite leaders and boards with more control over their operating landscapes.”

Visit Concordant’s website at concordantadvisory.com

See the full RNS here.

 

MultiState Associates Launches MultiState.ai

Posted on by ally

MultiState Associates announced the launch of a new resource this week: multistate.ai. The new email newsletter and dedicated website will explore how state and local governments are regulating artificial intelligence (AI) and related emerging technologies.

MultiState’s bi-weekly updates on AI policy will be available free of charge for the remainder of 2023, before transitioning to a subscription-only offering. Sign up by providing your email address here.

PPHC Remains On Top of Q2 Lobbyist Rankings

Posted on by thomas

WASHINGTON – PPHC maintains its position atop the second quarter LDA Rankings as all three wholly-owned firms rank in the Top 20. Crossroads Strategies, Forbes Tate Partners and Alpine Group Partners each earned spots on the list, with their combined quarterly federal lobbying disclosure revenues reaching $17.1 million.

See the full list as published in Politico’s Influence

Alpine Group’s Keenan Austin Reed Awarded Lobbyist of the Year at WGRG’s Tin Cup Awards

Posted on by ally

WASHINGTON, DC – Washington Government Relations Group (WGRG) held the twelfth Annual Tin Cup Awards on Wednesday evening where the group presented Keenan Austin Reed, Executive Vice President at Alpine Group, with the prestigious Reginald “Reg” Gilliam Lobbyist of the Year Award. The Reginald “Reg” Gilliam Lobbyist of the Year Award is granted annually to an outstanding African-American lobbyist selected by WGRG, a non-partisan, independent, volunteer association whose goal is to enhance the leadership prowess and careers of African-American government relations professionals.

“I am both honored and humbled to receive this award from a group of my peers. I feel fortunate to do such rewarding work alongside so many talented professionals. Lobbying is a team sport, and this recognition underscores our collective effort to serve as a critical tool of our democracy, amplify the concerns of the unheard and champion causes that desperately need attention. I remain committed to using my platform to drive positive change.”

–Keenan Austin Reed, Executive Vice President, Alpine Group

In addition to her work at Alpine, Reed is the Chair and Co-Founder of the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance (BWCA), Advisory Council Chair at GlobalWIN, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Corporate Advisory Council, and Vice Chair of SOME’s (So Others May Eat) Corporate Advisory Board. In May of 2021, Reed testified before the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The focus of her testimony was recruiting, maintaining, and empowering diverse congressional staff.

Read Alpine Group’s full press release here.

PPHC Announces Chief Financial Officer Succession; Roel Smits Elevated

Posted on by ally

PPHC is pleased to announce that, as part of its executive officer succession planning, Roel Smits has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect.

Founding CFO Bill Chess remains on the Board as Executive Director and will assume the new position of Chief Administrative Officer, reporting directly to the CEO, where he will drive internal efficiency and collaboration.

Roel joined PPHC in May 2022 as Deputy CFO. He has previously acted as CFO at Kantar, the data analytics and brand consulting company owned by WPP and Bain Capital, most recently for Americas and prior also for Asia-Pacific and Africa. Prior to that, he performed senior roles at WPP (Senior VP of Corporate Development) and Dutch private equity family office HAL Investments BV. Roel has a Masters in Finance from London Business School, as well as a Masters in Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam and an MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University.  

It is the intention that Roel will join the Board in due course subject to completion of customary due diligence and regulatory procedures.

“The appointment of Roel to the position of CFO and of Bill to the new position of Chief Administrative Officer is the result of careful succession planning and adds additional strength to the executive team. Since our IPO in December 2021, we have created a business delivering revenues of over $100m with strong EBITDA margins between 25% and 30% and we are looking forward to building on this progress in the coming years.“

-Simon Lee, Chairman, PPHC

“I am delighted to take on the role of PPHC’s CFO as we continue to deliver our clearly stated strategy and benefit from the ever-increasing importance that corporates globally are placing on government relations and public affairs. In addition to continued organic growth, PPHC is actively in discussions with a number of potential acquisition targets, both in the US and internationally – I am excited by the potential for significant growth that lies head for the Group. With deepest respect I thank my predecessor Bill Chess for all he has done for PPHC since its inception in 2014.”

-Roel Smits, CFO, PPHC

“Being part of the team that has propelled PPHC into becoming the largest provider of federal lobbying services in the US continues to be an incredible journey.  I’m looking forward to working in my new role to drive internal efficiency and collaboration as we deliver on our organic and acquisitive growth plan.“

-Bill Chess, Chief Administrative Officer, PPHC

PPHC Remains the Leader in Bloomberg Government 2022 Report

Posted on by ally

WASHINGTON – PPHC maintains its position as leader of the top-performing lobbying firms in Bloomberg Government’s 2022 report. Forbes Tate Partners, Crossroads Strategies, and Alpine Group Partners each earned a spot on the list, with their combined 2022 federal lobbying disclosure revenues reaching $66.5 million.

Forbes Tate Partners once again earned a spot amongst the top 10 lobbying firms with the highest revenue, while Crossroads Strategies was named as a ‘Standout’ firm. The standout distinction was given to firms that retained 80% or more of their clients from 2021, retained 60% or more of their clients over three years, and earned $550,000 or more in revenue per lobbyist.

 

Read the full RNS announcement from PPHC here.

Download the full Bloomberg Government 2022 report here.