Stagwell agency Allison Worldwide, formerly known as Allison+Partners, has named Ray Day as executive chairman, effective on Monday.
Chairman Scott Allison and vice chair Andy Hardie-Brown, the agency’s cofounders, are stepping down from their roles and moving to an adviser capacity.
Day’s priorities are “to ensure every client’s success and form deep partnerships” and to be future-focused “to help clients see around the corners with data,” as well as to grow the firm’s capabilities and expertise, he said.
Day has served as Stagwell’s vice chair since 2020 and he will continue in that role. Aside from Allison, the holding company owns and operates PR and public affairs agencies including Hunter, KWT Global, SKDK and Sloane & Company. Its network also includes creative firms 72andSunny, Crispin and Anomaly.
“What excites me the most, is among the Stagwell comms and creative agencies, Allison is by far one of the anchors and biggest for end-to-end global comms and creative,” said Day. Its practice areas include healthcare, technology, travel, retail, sports and automotive.
Before joining Stagwell, Day was IBM’s chief communications officer. Previously, he had a 28-year career at Ford, culminating in a decade as its chief communications officer. Before joining the automaker, Day was a journalist in the Detroit area. He is also chair-elect for the PRSA. Day has appeared on PRWeek’s annual Power List, ranking No. 22 in 2019.
Allison and Hardie-Brown launched Allison+Partners in September 2001, and the agency rebranded as Allison Worldwide in 2023. The firm has a global network of 52 offices.
In January, Allison named global COO and cofounder Jonathan Heit as global CEO. At that point, Allison cofounder, global chairman and CEO Allison became chairman and Hardie-Brown became vice chairman. CFO Julia Farrell took on the added role of global COO, Heit’s previous position.
Heit, who has worked at the agency since its launch, remains global CEO, reporting to Day. This year, Allison formed a global board helmed by Allison and Hardie-Brown.
In 2023, Allison was inducted into PRWeek’s Hall of Fame.
Allison reported a 6% revenue decrease to $89 million globally and an 8% decrease to $71 million in the U.S. in 2023, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2024.
