Industry veteran Rick Murray takes over as Managing Partner
Rick Murray, a PR industry veteran with 20+ years of agency leadership experience in the U.S. and Canada, has been appointed Managing Partner of Boston-based SHIFT Communications.
SHIFT part of AVENIR GLOBAL, a privately-held agency network based in Montreal which also owns NATIONAL Public Relations. Murray has been Managing Partner of NATIONAL’s Toronto PR operations for the past five years, more than doubling the business during that time behind investments in the office’s analytics, digital and creative capabilities, as well as relaunching its capital markets practice.
“Rick has helped transform our business in Toronto, and been a real champion of greater integration and collaboration across our network,” said Jean-Pierre Vasseur, President & CEO of AVENIR GLOBAL. “SHIFT is one of AVENIR GLOBAL’s crown jewels and core to our U.S. growth strategy, and we’re delighted to have Rick’s passion and drive at the agency’s helm.”
Boston, New York and San Francisco
SHIFT, which has offices in Boston, New York and San Francisco, promotes and protects the reputations and businesses of clients in the consumer, B2B, technology and healthcare sectors nationwide. An early champion of the integration of digital and social media in public relations, the agency is now leading clients into the era of data-driven storytelling.
“I’ve been a huge fan of SHIFT and what they’ve been doing for years,” said Rick Murray. “From the first social media press release almost 15 years ago, to the work being done today to turn data into stories that drive the kind of tangible results clients need, they’re always a vanguard for what’s next. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of that future.”
Murray, who started his career in sales and marketing at Ocean Spray Cranberries, is returning to the Boston area once more. He will continue to support many of the network’s Canadian clients from there, including TELUS, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Deloitte and FIGR.
About AVENIR GLOBAL
AVENIR GLOBAL is a Montreal-based holding and management company with an active operations mindset and a hands-on approach to all its investments. A global powerhouse of specialist communications firms, AVENIR GLOBAL has 1,000 staff and offices in 24 locations across Canada, the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, and ranks among the top 15 largest communication firms in the world.
In Canada, AVENIR GLOBAL owns NATIONAL Public Relations, the country’s leading public relations firm, servicing clients across a wide range of sectors, which includes NATIONAL Capital Markets, the industry’s foremost investor relations and financial services practice. In the United States, AVENIR GLOBAL owns SHIFT Communications, a data-driven integrated communications agency; and the public relations and communication company Padilla, which includes the brand consultancy Joe Smith, the food and nutrition experts at FoodMinds and the research authorities at SMS Research Advisors. In Europe, AVENIR GLOBAL owns the London-based strategic communications consultancy Madano and Hanover, one of the EMEA’s leading strategic communications and public affairs consultancies, with offices in London, Brussels, Dublin, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hanover Group also includes creative communications agency The Playbook, and the brand and culture consultancy Multiple. The AVENIR GLOBAL network also includes healthcare specialists AXON Communications, with offices in Toronto, the U.S, the U.K. and Europe and healthcare creative agency Cherry, based in London.
AVENIR GLOBAL is owned by RES PUBLICA Consulting Group.
