GCI Group has appointed Chelsea Bodow Bova to the newly created role of EVP, global head of business development. 

Effective Tuesday, Bova will support and evolve work across the group’s four agencies, GCI Health, Uncapped Communications, Curation and Goodfuse. 

“[GCI Group] has had incredible growth in recent years, so this is an opportunity to further scale that success,” Bova explained. 

“It’s really implementing and developing strategic and operational best practices. I do feel like that’s a piece that can use improvement and why they’re bringing someone in,” she added. “They’ve already been doing such a great job, and it’s just really finding ways to bring some of my experience and some of the work I’ve done in my career to bring them new thinking.”

Bova will report to global chief growth officer Eleanor Petigrow in this role. The two will work together to further integrate growth across the global organization by partnering with teams to package new solutions to clients. 

Bova will be guiding a team put in place by the firm, but direct reports to her title have yet to be decided at this time. 

GCI Group’s “expansive set of capabilities in healthcare,” such as its expansion in clinical trial recruitment, global health, public affairs and health policy, is what drew Bova to the role, she said. In this new title, she’ll be focused on developing and implementing strategic and operational best practices to maximize growth and pitch excellence.

GCI Group’s set of agencies sit within BCW Group, which is a subsidiary of WPP. Bova added she’s excited to tap into resources across the holding company’s network, especially given recent investments in creativity and technology. 

Prior to GCI, Bova spent two years at Porter Novelli, most recently serving as SVP, head of growth North America. Her replacement has not yet been named according to a Porter spokesperson.

Bova also held stints at Real Chemistry as senior director, business development and had an eight-year tenure at Edelman, most recently as director, U.S. business development. 

BCW Group reported a revenue increase of 9% to $812 million globally and 6% to $387 million in the U.S. in 2022, according to PRWeek’s 2023 Agency Business Report. 

WPP reported 2.4% growth in revenue in its PR division in Q4 of 2023.

This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.