Brian Ellner Joins APCO as New York Office Managing Director

NEW YORK – February 27, 2025: Brian Ellner, an advisor to prominent corporations, nonprofits and C-Suites, joined APCO as the managing director of the New York office, APCO North America President Kelly Williamson announced today.

“I am thrilled to welcome Brian to APCO,” Williamson said. “As a native New Yorker, Brian uniquely combines a lifetime of knowledge of the city, its corporations and its political leaders with deep expertise in business, the issues of today and the challenges of tomorrow. He sits at the intersection of corporate reputation, public affairs and social impact, and I can’t imagine a better leader for us and our clients.”

Prior to joining APCO, Ellner led public affairs in the United States for WPP, focusing on building the company’s reputation with an emphasis on civic engagement in New York. He also led the corporate communications team at BCW, counseling corporate clients on public affairs and social purpose.

“New York has entered a critical moment,” Ellner said. “Corporates based here are challenged to keep up with the reputational and geopolitical issues arising in Washington, D.C., and other global capitals, and they can’t afford to miss. The APCO team is made up of expert advisors who understand these issues and produce exceptional work, making us uniquely positioned to tackle the opportunity in front of us.”

Ellner has been recognized by City & State New York as one of the 50 most powerful New Yorkers in communications, and by Crain’s New York Business as a 2023 Notable Leader in Advertising, Marketing & PR. Before WPP, Brian was the senior strategist for the Human Rights Campaign’s successful effort to win marriage equality in New York in 2011. Brian spent four years as a senior aide in the administration of Mayor Bloomberg, working with the NYC Department of Education to transform public education.

Ellner took over the MD role previously held by Pamela Passman, who continues to scale APCO’s investment in Corporate Advisory as global chair. She will continue to lean deeply into expertise navigating policy and regulatory trends, the intersection of technology and policy, corporate transactions, market regulation, and corporate governance and purpose.

Ellner joins a dynamic group of industry-leading professionals based in APCO’s New York office, including Passman, as well as:

• Deputy Managing Director, Corporate Reputation Lead Caroline Starke;
• Global Crisis Practice Lead Eliot Hoff;
• Global Lead for Geo-Commerce James Robinson;
• Global Lead for Competition and M&A Benjamin Faull;
• Executive Director, Public Affairs Advisor Judit Arenas;
• Senior Director, Impact and Sustainability Advisor Julie Jack-Preisman; and
• Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy Nick Ashton-Hart.