APCO Worldwide Adds Dynamic New Members to Global Leadership Team

January 8, 2019

New members will help guide future growth and investment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – APCO Worldwide, the world’s largest women and employee-owned global communication consultancy, is adding four new members to its Global Leadership Team (GLT) who will help direct future growth for the firm.

The new GLT members include: Robert Ardelt, managing director of APCO’s Germany offices; Marc Johnson, global practice lead of APCO’s digital practice; Kelly Williamson, managing director of APCO’s Raleigh, NC office and Agnieszka Yank, APCO’s chief talent officer.

“Our Global Leadership Team is the ideas engine of APCO, and we’re excited to welcome four new members to the group,” said APCO CEO, Brad Staples.

Biographies of the new GLT members can be found below:

Robert Ardelt, managing director – Germany:
Robert Ardelt is managing director of APCO Worldwide’s offices in Germany. He has more than 10 years of experience in international strategic communications, gained in various industries such as ICT, finance and energy. His focus areas include media and public relations, corporate positioning, crisis communication and reputation management. He heads the European crisis communication group of APCO.

Prior to joining APCO, Mr. Ardelt was a manager for marketing and communications at Booz & Company, where he served as a spokesman for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Previously, he worked for Burson-Marsteller as a senior associate in public affairs and corporate relations, where he led the crisis communication practice in Germany. Mr. Ardelt started his career as a journalist for Germany’s leading news agency dpa and at RTL television.

Marc Johnson, global practice lead – Digital:
Marc Johnson, senior director, is APCO Worldwide’s global digital practice lead based in New York. Mr. Johnson helps clients accomplish their strategic objectives through digital tactics and methods. He has extensive experience in managing highly technical projects and helping clients build custom online applications that achieve specific goals and objectives.

At APCO, Mr. Johnson manages business development for the StudioOnline practice. He has created winning strategies that drive specific business goals for numerous consumer and association brands. In addition, Mr. Johnson has helped these consumer clients with brand positioning and crisis management through social media platforms, which has forged brand equity growth at an accelerated rate. In addition to consumer client work, Mr. Johnson has worked with a foreign government to create a social media strategy including a training program for 400 government officers on using social media tools to engage public constituents.

Kelly Williamson, managing director – Raleigh, NC
Kelly Williamson, managing director of APCO Worldwide’s Raleigh-Durham office, provides corporate reputation and issues management support for APCO’s corporate and nonprofit clients.

Ms. Williamson started her career in Washington DC and then spearheaded the creation and growth our SouthEast presence based in Raleigh, NC.  She now leads one of our fastest growing offices. She specializes in helping clients navigate complex environments by developing strategic multi-stakeholder campaigns. She also helps her clients connect to other parts of the world by regularly implementing programs throughout Europe, Japan, India and China.

Ms. Williamson leads APCO’s Key Client Initiative which is designed to bring best-in-class service to our clients and teaches at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Agnieszka Yank, chief talent officer
Agnieszka Zieminska Yank, APCO’s Worldwide’s chief talent officer, is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, and has over a decade of human resources management experience.

Prior to joining APCO in 2017, Ms. Yank led TechnoServe’s strategic global talent efforts, and created the company’s global HR management function. She also previously led human resources at Chemonics, where she managed the international development firms’ transition to new integrated human resources management system and built its global safety and security and staff care programs.

Ms. Yank’s experience also includes program management and business development. She has managed development projects in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Afghanistan and Haiti.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Yank worked for non-profit organizations on civil society strengthening and government capacity building projects in Eastern Europe.

APCO’s new GLT members will join a strong leadership team which can be found on our website, here.

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