New Management for San Francisco Offices
STEVE KERNS APPOINTED GENERAL MANAGER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, AS AGENCY CONTINUES TO INVEST IN LEADERSHIP IN KEY AREAS
SEATTLE — April 25, 2016 — WE Communications today announced the appointment of Steve Kerns as general manager and senior vice president for its San Francisco office. Reporting to executive vice president Katie Huang Shin, Kerns joins a growing team of multidisciplinary communications professionals to further extend WE’s capabilities and offerings to companies in the U.S. and around the globe with the Bay Area as a key hub.
A critical part of WE’s North America and global growth plans, San Francisco has established itself as a leading consultancy for companies seeking communications support to navigate an incredibly dynamic and ever-changing business landscape. Since establishing its San Francisco Bay Area presence 28 years ago, the office is well connected to Valley influencers and investors with specialties in transformative business communications, brand building, globalization and storytelling. With deep experience in consumer, technology and healthcare, the office is integral to servicing some of the agency’s largest global and multioffice accounts. The team has also recently played a key role in bringing on new client wins in the area of emerging and innovative technologies.
“As an agency that holds technology as a key component to all we do, the Bay Area is obviously an important hub for us. But even beyond tech, it’s central to the work we do across consumer, healthcare and social innovation,” said Kass Sells, president of North America. “With his broad experience and passion for all things in this market, Steve is just the kind of person we want to head our San Francisco office. He is a leader of action, who has a proven track record of delivering positive business impact for his clients, his teams and his agency.”
In his new role, Kerns will focus on deepening WE’s position as a communications agency leader in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. An agency veteran that has established his communications career in one of the most dynamic technology environments in the world, Kerns will strengthen WE’s operations, nurture the team of talent, and solidify the office as a center of excellence for clients.
“The power of WE drew me to the opportunity here,” said Kerns. “WE is proving that it is THE independent agency that understands the power of the collective as well as transformative storytelling with technology at the core. The need for that know-how across the Bay Area is limitless, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Kerns previously served as senior vice president at Text 100 in San Francisco, driving local sales and marketing efforts in tandem with client relationship leadership responsibilities. Before that, he held senior positions at global agencies Edelman and FleishmanHillard, working with a range of clients in the technology and consumer sectors.
NICOLE MILLER DRIVES WE’S CYBERSECURITY COMMUNICATIONS OFFERINGS IN SAN FRANCISCO
The WE San Francisco team has gained another new member, senior vice president Nicole Miller, who just relocated from Seattle. In addition to her work with existing WE technology clients in North America, Miller leads the agency’s cybersecurity efforts and will partner with Huang Shin, WE’s global client development leader, to help new and existing clients address their cybersecurity challenges. A frequent contributor to key industry speaking circles like RSA and HIMSS, the agency and Miller are established thought leaders in how to plan for and communicate with confidence to diverse audiences during a cybersecurity event.
Miller is a seasoned communications veteran with a track record of successfully managing cybersecurity incidents and issues for Fortune 500 global companies. She’s a sought-after speaker on cybersecurity/privacy crisis and response and leads a global team that has navigated some of the most significant consumer, global policy and multifaceted incidents of all time. The agency’s cybersecurity capabilities span from incident response and readiness assessment to strategic planning and training and restoration. To learn more about Miller and WE’s cybersecurity work, please visit https://www.we-worldwide.com/point-of-view/cybersecurity.
About WE
WE works with some of the most innovative companies on the planet — those focused on delivering the next big thing. We partner with clients to transform their businesses through storytelling, in many different forms. Our playground is consumer, healthcare, social innovation and technology. Our fiercely independent mindset allows us the freedom to bring together the best talent, partners and ideas to create powerful, persuasive campaigns. That’s the power of WE. Shiny accolades like Cannes Lions, Integrated Communications Agency of the Year, Digital Firm of the Year, Best Large Agency to Work For, Communications Agency of the Year, Technology Agency of the Decade and, most recently, a PRWeek Award for Best Use of Social Media/Digital adorn our offices. But it's not about us, it's about our clients, their customers, and sparking a more elemental and immersive conversation. Talk soon.http://www.we-worldwide.com.
For more information, press only: Martin C. Pearce, WE Communications, (425) 638-7812,[email protected]
