Mara
Hedgecoth

Mara Hedgecoth has more than 25 years of marketing, events, fundraising and consulting experience. As chief communications & marketing officer at APCO, she sets the strategic direction and oversees corporate communication, including media relations, thought leadership, internal communication, and crisis and issues management. She also directs the development of APCO’s brand and global marketing and business development initiatives on behalf of the company. Mara is a member of APCO’s Global Leadership Team and she leads the global corporate marketing and communication team.

Never underestimate the power of being underestimated.

Prior to joining APCO, Mara served as senior convention services manager with the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association. During that time, she organized meetings and events for up to 30,000 people on behalf of numerous corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. She was also responsible for marketing the city of Baltimore to associations and corporations around the United States.

Mara’s experience included designing and producing promotional materials, advising local business on ways to improve their marketing efforts, serving as a liaison between Baltimore city agencies and Baltimore’s tourism clients, and implementing innovative programs to provide visitors to the city with a quality experience. She is a Certified Meeting Professional.

Mara has previous experience in hotel management, working for Renaissance and Sheraton hotels, and theme park management, working for Walt Disney World.

She completed the 2017-2018 Arthur W. Page Society Future Leaders Experience and is a member of Page Up. She also serves on the board of directors of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global and the Museum of Public Relations. She is chair of Page’s Spring Seminar for 2025 and on the Advisory Board of CommsWeek. She was named to the class of 2024 PRNEWS Top Women in the Changemakers category, named to the class of 2024 Ragan’s Top Women in Marketing list in the Brand Marketers category, honored with an award in the Leaders category of Ragan’s 2024 Top Women in Communications Awards and named Good Person of the Year by Goodwill Industries in 2005.

She has a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Hospitality and Tourism Management from James Madison University and a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing Management from Johns Hopkins University.