Former CEO of Porter Novelli, Mission + Cause to lead national renewable energy communications agency KAOH Co-Founders move to new leadership roles
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- KAOH Media is pleased to welcome new CEO Brad MacAfee, as the national renewable energy communications firm continues to expand with portfolio clients in project host communities across the nation and beyond.
"Founded by Kelly O'Neil and myself in 2014 and recently marking its first decade of bringing "good energy" to the world, KAOH Media has now reached an expansion point where bringing additional seasoned executive agency leadership to the team is a logical step to help us move to the next level," says KAOH Co-Founder and current CEO Allan Hug, "In Brad we have found the ideal mix of deep experience, wisdom and clear vision that can help guide us to new opportunities as we continue to serve our utility-scale renewable energy clientele in local host communities and support all aspects of the clean energy transition."
MacAfee's background in leadership and mission-focused corporate culture includes a nearly 20-year stint at Porter Novelli, where he spent his last four years as CEO and Sr. Partner. He helped transform the agency from a generalist agency to one focused on purpose and social impact consulting. More recently, he founded Mission + Cause, a consultancy and executive search firm aimed at assisting public relations agencies and in-house communications departments in aligning workplace culture for purpose-driven and results-oriented expansion.
"When I was initially introduced to KAOH Media, I was immediately struck by the strong leadership, innovation and rapid growth that the agency has achieved in the renewable energy industry," says MacAfee, "Upon further exploration, I became even more intrigued and excited by the level of creativity and dedication of the KAOH team, and their singular expertise in the space. KAOH Media is driving societal impact at the local and community level. What's impressive is the agency has figured out how to get hyper-local at scale."
Employee owned and operated, KAOH offers disciplined project managers and experienced storytellers with a passion for clean energy technology, positive community engagement and impactful messaging. The multi-talented remote team hails from every corner of the country and comes from a variety of backgrounds: politics, digital marketing, journalism, media, events, technology, environmental law, design, lobbying, and energy development.
With Brad's appointment to CEO, KAOH Media's founders, Allan Hug and Kelly O'Neil will be taking on new roles in the organization. Allan Hug, former CEO, will shift to the role of Chief Growth & Innovation Officer where he will be responsible for driving agency growth and expansion as well as its focus on development of new technologies, products and services to elevate KAOH clients in the market. Kelly O'Neil, currently President, will now become President & Chief Client Officer. In her role, Kelly will be responsible for ensuring that KAOH is bringing the best people, approach and service principles to the agency's growing list of clients. Both Allan and Kelly will continue their roles and responsibilities serving on the agency's Board of Directors.
"I have worked with a lot of communications agency founders during the last several years, and it is rare to find leaders like Allan and Kelly, who care so deeply about their team and clients that they are willing to take on new roles that align with their expertise and passions while also having the courage to bring in an outside leader," said Brad. "Even better, both founders want to stay and continue to grow the agency's impact in energy and other areas of social impact. Having the opportunity to collaborate with these founders and the team they have assembled and grown is inspiring."
"KAOH Media's singular dedication to the learning the renewable energy space over the past decade has sharply honed the agency's ability to quickly and effectively assess local community growth opportunities, and help lead and support development teams in project areas through every phase from leasing through construction", says KAOH Co-Founder and President Kelly O'Neil, "We look forward to benefiting from Brad's expertise in agency management to help us assess how to best navigate the next chapter of growth for KAOH Media."
Media Contact
Nancy Schoenheide, KAOH Media, 1 2483907340, [email protected], www.kaohmedia.com
SOURCE KAOH Media
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