Axios Communicators

September 05, 2025
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This newsletter, edited by Brad Bonhall, is 1,611 words, 6 minutes.
1 big thing: MPA promotes John Mercurio
Motion Picture Association promoted John Mercurio to executive vice president of global communications, Axios learned.
Why it matters: MPA is tasked with supporting the film, TV and streaming industry as it grapples with massive change.
Details: Mercurio will continue to report to MPA CEO Charlie Rivkin and will oversee all global communications for the organization, including advocacy communications, executive communications, digital strategy and events.
Catch up quick: Mercurio joined MPA in 2020 from the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications.
- He also previously held senior leadership roles at Purple Strategies and Burson-Marsteller.
What he's saying: "The industry is emerging from a challenging time — from the COVID pandemic to the two labor strikes in 2023 to the LA wildfires earlier this year," says Mercurio.
- "On the Communications side, we work across all core MPA teams and with our studio PR Council in countless ways and on various platforms, to tell the stories that help amplify the countless benefits our industry provides economically, socially, culturally, and, of course, creatively," he added.
What's next: The annual MPA Awards in Washington, D.C., on Monday, where the organization will honor Jon M. Chu, director of "Wicked."
- "We're also supporting our U.S. Federal Affairs team as they gear up for an active few months on Capitol Hill. We'll be on the ground for summits in New York and Georgia and elsewhere to promote the economic impact of our industry," he says.
- Plus, "we're growing our partnership with America 250 between now and next July 4, celebrating our nation's semiquincentennial by highlighting how America's studios tell America's stories."
2. Bonus: Cardinal Health expands communications team
Health care services and products company Cardinal Health has centralized its communications teams under the helm of Erich Timmerman, the company told Axios.
Driving the news: Timmerman will take on the role of senior vice president, enterprise communications and marketing effective Monday.
- He will report to chief human resources officer Ola Snow and manage a team of 50 responsible for internal and external communications, social media, enterprise brand, and digital.
Zoom in: Other promotions include Shana Eiselstein as vice president, pharmaceutical and specialty solutions communications; Carlene Lule as senior director, enterprise communications; and Emma Hayward as manager, enterprise communications.
What's next: The comms team is focused on telling the company's growth story, says Timmerman.
- "We've had several significant acquisitions over the last year, and ensuring smooth integrations from a communications and brand perspective will be important," he added.
3. 💼 Corporate moves
- Vice Media Group named Emily Spence chief communications officer.
- Liz Sidoti joins UnitedHealth Group as chief communications officer.
- Oscar Suris joins TelevisaUnivision as executive vice president and chief communications officer.
- Skybound Entertainment named Kristina Cole senior vice president, global communications and corporate brand.
- Lia Davis joins CoreWeave as head of communications.
- Jeannine Ginivan is chief communications officer for Volkswagen Group of America.
- Cath Anderson is now chief communications officer at Akido Labs.
- Catherine Ferdon joins Coinbase as chief marketing officer.
- Michael Atalla joins UiPath as chief marketing officer.
- Southwest alum Brandy King joins H&R Block as vice president, corporate communications.
- Intel promoted Cory Pforzheimer to vice president, corporate and product communications.
- Meghan Barr is vice president, communications for the Americas at Darktrace.
- Cava named Molly McKenna Jandrain vice president of marketing and communications.
- Howard Cohen joined Mistral AI as head of North America communications.
- CBS News alum Hugo Rojo joins The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as head of communications.
- Gina Simonis joins Manulife as global head of media relations.
- Watershed named Amelia Penniman head of communications.
- Merck promoted John Cummins to executive director, global media relations, policy, crisis & issue communications and enterprise social media.
- James Aldous will now lead communications, events and community engagement for the Information Security group at Apple.
- Airbnb promoted Paul Yadgir to communications lead, business and executive communications
- Laura Herbert joins Visa as senior director, North America communications.
- Microsoft alum Jenny Moran joined Wolt as senior manager, internal communications.
- Paul Pettas is communications lead, sports and entertainment partnerships at IBM.
- DoorDash alum Simran Kodesia joined Peak XV Partners as head of communications.
- Hims & Hers named Javier Lacayo director, policy and trust communications.
- Veleisa Burrell joins AT&T as director, communications & PR.
- Rosemary Girard joins Google Cloud as senior executive communications manager, strategy & operations.
- Klaviyo named Charlotte Reed as senior manager, corporate communications and Addie Bedell as internal communications lead.
- Beejoli Shah is a communications manager at Perplexity.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise named Shane Carlisle corporate & technology media relations manager.
- Cosette Rinab joins Acceleration Community of Companies as creator-in-residence.
- Duolingo alum Zaria Parvez joins DoorDash as director of social media.
4. 📣 Firm moves
- Margaret Key is chief executive officer, Allison Asia and Stagwell's executive director, Asia Pacific, and Slavi Samardzija is Stagwell chief data and platforms officer.
- Politico alum Brad Dayspring joins Purple Strategies as executive director.
- XPO alum Michael Abrahams joins Brunswick Group as a partner; Deel alum Allie Mack joins as a director in the TMT practice.
- Justin D'Onofrio joins Zeno Group as head of AI.
- Dentsu Creative promoted Abi Evans to global chief growth officer.
- Edelman added Kate Stanners as chief creative officer, international.
- Ryan Heath, Jim Prosser and Farrell Kramer joined Weber Advisory's Global Senior Advisors Council as senior advisers; Jack Satzinger is vice president, earned media strategy.
- Edelman alum Kevin Cook joins DGA Group as senior adviser.
- Inkhouse appoints Darah Roslyn as executive vice president.
- Scott Love joined Mission North as senior vice president, financial services practice.
- Avōq added longtime tax policy expert Jeff Levey as a senior adviser on its government relations team and Valerie Dowling as senior vice president in its D.C. office.
- Whitney Wells joins Highwire as senior vice president.
- Teneo announced Ryan Cox is global head of artificial intelligence.
- Burson named Jordan Lubowitz U.S. chair, mobility & transportation.
- Jeremy Jacobs joined August as senior adviser.
- Axios alum Lucille Sherman has launched Birdseye Strategies, a Raleigh, N.C., communications & consulting firm.
- EvolveMKD named Quin Acciani vice president.
- Ashley Smith joined Seven Letter as senior director of paid media.
- Dezenhall Resources added Mary Grace Lucas as vice president; Amma Boateng as senior director, coalitions; Jana Spacek as managing director, organizational development and operations; and Katie Runkle and Steffen Newman as associates.
- Stephanie Waties joins APCO as senior director.
- Ditto PR alum Sandy Shakoor joined Avenue Z as director of public relations.
- TrailRunner International named Jamie Paster director.
- Mission North alum Sam D'Addario has joined M Booth as account director, corporate.
- Jaime Levitt Corry launched communications consultancy JLevCo.
- Evan Boyer launched Leaders PR, a communications consultancy helping B2B companies.
- IBM alum Luca Sesti launched communications firm LCS Communications.
- Match Group alum Jennifer Santamaria launched Lucky Six communications consultancy.
- ROKK Solutions alum Lindsay Singleton launched Singularity Public Affairs.
- Nico Zviovich joins Touchdown Strategies as senior director, digital & entertainment strategies.
5. 🌱Nonprofit and government moves
- Emily Schillinger joins Edison Electric Institute as chief communications officer.
- Josh Stanton is director, strategic communications at Embassy of Australia, United States of America.
- Jaden Jules is press secretary for Rep. Laura Gillen.
6. 📰 Media moves
- The Associated Press: Rio Yamat is a travel reporter.
- Axios: Josephine Walker is a breaking news reporter; Brock Turner is a Health Care Deals reporter; and Amy Harder is a national energy correspondent.
- Bloomberg: Maggie Eastland is a tech reporter.
- CNN: Ellis Kim will cover Capitol Hill.
- The Information: Katie Roof is deputy bureau chief for venture capital beat.
- Los Angeles Times: Ana Ceballos is a Washington correspondent.
- The New York Times: Ann Marimow is a Supreme Court reporter.
- PBS Newshour: Liz Landers is White House correspondent.
- TechCrunch: Russell Brandom is an AI editor.
- USA Today: Alberto Cuadra is managing editor of graphics.
- The Wall Street Journal: Lydia Wheeler is a legal affairs reporter.
- The Wrap: Corbin Bolies is a media reporter.
7. 🔎Job openings
- Anthropic: policy communications lead, societal impacts and research (New York, Seattle, San Francisco, D.C., $200k–$255k)
- Arm: director, tech & product communications (San Jose, Calif., $233k–$316k)
- Ascension: director of external communications, public affairs (remote, $129k–$183k)
- Aurora: senior internal communications manager (Mountain View, Calif., $158k–$253k)
- CAA: vice president, talent and influencer partnerships (London)
- Citi: federal government affairs director (Washington, D.C., $170k–$300k)
- Disney Experience: vice president, communications & public affairs, Disney Consumer Products (Glendale, Calif., $211k–$283k)
- Docusign: technology communications lead (San Francisco, $140k–$225k)
- Flagship Pioneering: senior director, communications (Cambridge, Mass.)
- Flagship Pioneering: digital content manager (Cambridge, Mass.)
- HP: vice president, corporate communications (Palo Alto, Calif., $250k–$350k)
- JPMorgan Chase: vice president, executive communications (Wilmington, Del; New York; or Columbus, Ohio, $123k–$185k)
- McDonald's: director, global media (Chicago, $149k–$190k)
- NBCUniversal: senior manager, executive communications (New York, $100k–$125k)
- News Corp: senior manager, corporate communications (New York, $110k–$140k)
- Northwood Space: head of communications (Torrance, Calif.)
- On: senior lead, communications (New York, $138k–$173k)
- OpenAI: content strategist, Chatgpt.com (San Francisco, $310k–$393k)
- Peloton: senior director, communications, product and technology (New York, $245k–$312k)
- The RealReal: vice president, public relations & corporate communications (New York or San Francisco, $260k–$300k)
- Salesforce: vice president, professional services for communications & media (Washington, D.C. $240k–$420k)
- SXSW: senior publicist (Austin, Texas)
- TKO: vice president, commercial strategy, partnership marketing (New York, $180k–$240k)
- TikTok: head of communications, U.K. and Ireland (London)
- TikTok: communications manager, global partnerships (New York, $117k– $266k)
- Twitch: international communications lead (London)
- Under Armour: director, global corporate communications (Baltimore, $148k–$204k)
- U.S. Soccer Federation: manager, media relations (Atlanta)
- UTA: director of communications, filmed entertainment (Los Angeles, $150k–$175k)
- Visa: director, North America communications (San Francisco, $161k–$234k)
- Waste Management: communications manager (Houston)
- World Central Kitchen: media relations director (Washington, D.C., $120k–$145k)
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