Paul
Johnson

Paul Johnson serves as APCO’s senior strategist and chief growth officer and is based out of APCO’s Washington, D.C., office. Paul works closely with the company’s senior leadership to develop and implement local, regional and global growth strategies. He is a seasoned public affairs and strategic communications professional, responsible for developing, managing and executing complex public affairs and issue-focused programs. He also serves on APCO’s International Advisory Council and the firm’s global Executive Council. 

APCO’s unique and seamless approach to integrate client services makes us the gold standard in our industry.

Prior to joining APCO, Paul served as president and chief executive officer of SP Consulting, the strategic communications and public affairs division of Strategic Partnerships LLC, a business consulting firm headquarted in Washington, D.C. In this position, Paul was responsible for all of SP Consulting’s business operations, including client relationship management and business and talent acquisition, as well as formulating and executing the company’s strategic growth plans. Paul is the founder of kglobal, an international business consultancy that specializes in public affairs, grassroots marketing, advocacy and international political campaigns. In 2011, under Paul’s leadership, kglobal was named the industry’s “Best New Agency” by The Holmes Report. Paul also previously served as the vice chairman of Interpoint Group, a Pegasus Capital portfolio company. In this position he identified strategic acquisitions and built out an organic hub-and-spoke operation with key services and geographies. 

Paul served as the vice chairman of global growth and the president of public affairs at FleishmanHillard (FH) for 23 years, where he managed the Mid-Atlantic and Latin American regions. During his tenure at FH, Paul co-chaired the firm’s executive management committee, leading its 32 diverse practice groups and directing the firm’s external growth drivers. He was also responsible for the selection, vetting and management of the firm’s strategic acquisitions. 

Paul also has extensive experience working with all phases of company start-ups. He is a seed investor in the 1776 Fund, which focuses on new and emerging technologies designed to have a positive societal impact. He has and continues to serve as an advisor on the boards of numerous companies, including SlowTalk, JoGo, Federa, and Trilligent – APCO’s sister technology company.