Weber Shandwick has appointed Will Crain as head of CEO communications advisory and promoted Contessa Kellogg-Winters to head of executive visibility, both for the agency’s North America region.

The newly created leadership roles aim to bolster the firm’s rapidly growing corporate affairs advisory business in North America, according to the agency. Crain’s role will be effective at the start of March, while Kellogg-Winters’ new title is effective immediately. 

In his new role, Crain will focus on building the firm’s communications advisory capabilities geared around the “modern CEO agenda,” the firm said in a statement.  Crain noted that he looks forward to building trusted client relationships and helping C-Suite executives navigate an increasingly complex business, cultural and geopolitical environment. 

Kellogg-Winters will lead executive visibility and leadership positioning programs for C-suite leaders across Weber’s client portfolio. 

Crain and Kellogg-Winters will work with head of corporate affairs for North America Peter Carson and other leaders to leverage the full suite of corporate affairs and consulting capabilities across The Weber Shandwick Collective, including analytics, corporate reputation, public affairs, capital markets, social impact and sustainability, crisis and management consulting.

“We are seeing escalating demand for C-suite advisory as leaders face greater pressure, in line with a new leadership agenda that’s emerged for 2024,” Weber Shandwick North America CEO Jim O’Leary said via email. “For [Kellogg-Winters] and [Crain], the goal is to accelerate our rapidly growing body of work advising CEOs and other C-suite executives.”

O’Leary highlighted geopolitical risk, macroeconomic uncertainty and AI-driven technology transformation as “defining concerns,” for leaders today. 

“The stakes have changed in terms of how leaders prove their value with key stakeholders,” Kellogg-Winters said. “As we grow our work in this space, I’m eager to form trusted relationships with executives that weigh the nuance of this moment to establish their reputations in the public arena.” 

Crain most recently served as GM in Edelman’s corporate affairs practice, where he advised brand CEOs and led corporate communications programs across the Fortune 500 companies. 

Kellogg-Winters joined Weber Shandwick in 2022, most recently serving as SVP of client experience.  

Last January, Edelman’s U.S. COO O’Leary jumped ship for the North America CEO job at Weber Shandwick. Other Edelman execs followed him down the same route, including president of Weber Shandwick West Jordan Rittenberry; and president of Weber Shandwick Central Sheila Mulligan. 

Additionally, Weber Shandwick hired Katie Salvati as its North America growth lead for influence. Salvati joined the firm in December from Edelman sister agency Zeno Group, where she was SVP of creator marketing. 

The Weber Shandwick Collective, including agencies such as United Minds and Powell Tate, reported a revenue increase of 5% to $915 million globally and $546 in the U.S. in 2022, according to PRWeek’s 2023 Agency Business Report.

This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.