Executive Team
Aaron R. Kwittken
CEO & Managing Partner
You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AKwittken
Aaron Kwittken, 42, is CEO and Managing Partner of Kwittken + Company Worldwide (KCO) and is based in the agency’s headquarters office located in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. In addition to working closely with many of the agency’s clients, Aaron oversees the firm’s growing global footprint, including its wholly owned London office and its affiliate network in Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil and Hong Kong.
Aaron is also an adjunct professor with New York University’s (NYU) School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) where he teaches a class to masters degree candidates in public relations consulting.
Aaron co-founded KCO in late 2005 following an illustrious PR career and rapid ascent through the global PR agency world, which began with his issues and crisis management internship at Manning, Selvage & Lee/Washington D.C. at the young age of 19. A senior vice president at Fleishman Hillard by age 25, an executive vice president of GCI Group (now Cohn & Wolfe) managing its 250 person NY office by age 29, a president handpicked to resurrect Internet PR agency Euro RSCG Middleberg by 31, and CEO of Euro RSCG North America (now Havas PR) at age 33, Aaron is a highly regarded and admired PR industry professional who was recognized by industry touchstone PRWeek in 2007 as one of the nation’s top 40 public relations professionals under the age of 40.
Under Aaron’s leadership, KCO has been one of the fastest growing, award winning PR agencies in the United States, experiencing double-digit growth nearly every year since its inception. Believing that the old PR agency model would soon become fossilized by the rise of digital and social media and other undeniable market dynamics, Aaron in 2010 masterminded a partnership with one of the world’s leading integrated marketing communications firms, KBS+, which is part of The MDC Partners network. KBS+ acquired a majority stake in KCO, which in turn provided the agency with a suite of new capabilities in high client demand, including digital, social, CRM, planning, research, strategy and advertising.
In 2011 KCO was named Boutique Agency of the Year by PRWeek, Multi-specialist Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and Agency of the Year by the American Business Awards. The firm was also named the best new agency of the year by The Holmes Report in 2006, won honorable mention as Small Agency of the Year at the 2007 PRWeek awards and was a finalist for PRWeek’s Boutique Agency of the Year in 2009.
During the course of his 22-year career, Aaron has counseled numerous iconic brands and blue-chip companies such as American Express, Amadeus, Stryker Corporation, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, CourseSmart, McGraw-Hill, Peasron, IBM, Yahoo!, Mercedes-Benz USA, Cantor-Fitzgerald, D&B, ThomsonReuters, Visa International, Goldman Sachs and KPMG.
As a CEO who genuinely loves the craft of PR and enjoys client interaction, Aaron makes a point to work very closely with a majority of KCO’s clients, providing strategic counsel and day-to-day management oversight. His core areas of expertise include brand management, crisis communications, issues management, trade and national media relations, corporate social responsibility, social media and integrated marketing communications. Aaron also runs the agency’s spokesperson training program, preparing some of the most recognized names in business for interviews with journalists, analysts and other key stakeholder audiences.
Aaron believes that it is important to give back to the public relations profession as well as to the community at large. Philanthropy has long been a part of KCO’s philosophy, and since its founding the agency has committed nearly 2 percent of its net income each year to various charitable organizations. For the past decade Aaron has also served as a board member of Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), the largest social services agency in Westchester County, NY, providing services to more than 17,000 people a year from Yonkers to Yorktown.
Aaron contributes to the industry through his active membership in the Public Relations Society of America and through his firm’s membership on the Council of PR Firms. Aaron also wrote a regular monthly column for Entrepreneur Magazine, called the PR Post. He makes regular guest appearances on CNBC, FOX Business Network and Bloomberg TV to provide his point of view on matters involving reputation/brand management and he also blogs for Forbes.com. His philosphy on management has been featured prominently by Fast Company magazine’s 30 Second MBA Series and its Early Riser column.
His remarkable dedication to his career has not, however, held Aaron back from his life outside the office. A competitive swimmer, avid runner and cyclist, Aaron started competing in triathlons in late 2008. On August 11, 2012 Aaron took his passion for the multi-sport life to an entirely new level by competing in the US IRONMAN Championship competition in New York where he swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and then ran 26.2 miles all while raising $30,000 for Center Lane, a program that serves LGBTQ adolescents, teaching them how to deal with discrimination and bullying.
Aaron earned a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University in 1992 with a major in speech communication and minor in psychology. He lives with his family in Armonk, New York.
To view Aaron’s public profile on LinkedIn, click here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronkwittken
akwittken@kwitco.com
Jason Schlossberg
President/Partner
You can follow Jason on Twitter @JSchlossberg
Jason is well known in the industry for his creativity, vision and ability to deliver high-impact results for his many clients. His unquenchable intellectual curiosity and readiness to reinvent himself when necessary has enabled him to gain a broad range of expertise and experiences that are rarely found in one PR professional. As a result, Jason has been a key player in some of the most successful PR programs of the past decade, and in 2009 was named to PRWeek’s esteemed 40 Under 40list.
A partner and co-founder of kwittken + company, Jason works daily with most of the agency’s clients in either the capacity of creative director or as a senior account lead. As creative director, Jason is charged with ensuring that all agency account teams develop unique, innovative and media-neutral communications programs that embrace both traditional and alternative media vehicles and tactics. As a senior account lead, he plays an integral and hands-on role in developing highly targeted programs that involve corporate positioning, branding, extensive media relations, promotional campaigns, product launches and issues management.
A communications generalist by choice, Jason refuses to silo or limit his work to one industry or category, choosing instead to work with companies, brands and products that he finds intellectually stimulating, exciting and challenging. He strongly believes that a diverse client base and experience set leads to fresh, original and creative programming and big-idea development.
As a result of this philosophy, Jason has extensive experience in consumer, healthcare, human capital, retail, publishing, corporate and technology marketing. Jason has worked closely with industry leaders such as Yahoo!, Mercedes-Benz USA, Paul Stuart, The Sharper Image, American Eagle Outfitters, The Absolut Spirits Company, Towers Perrin, Weight Watchers, Stryker Orthopaedics, First Health, Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Rockstar Games), CVS/pharmacy, Silverjet, Stylesight, The Beanstalk Group, and leading Japanese retailer UNIQLO, among others.
Prior to co-founding kwittken + company, Jason was a senior vice president at Euro RSCG Magnet (formerly Middleberg + Associates). Jason was at Euro RSCG Magnet for nearly seven years in a number of roles. He was the founding member and leader of the agency’s Health & Human Capital practice and the co-founder of the agency’s PopWorx practice, a group dedicated to non-traditional communications tactics. In 2003, Jason led the U.S. public relations effort around Euro RSCG’s research on the emergence of “Metrosexuals,” helping to create one of the year’s biggest buzzwords.
Before joining Euro RSCG Magnet, Jason was a member of Ruder Finn’s Strategic Communications Group.
Jason’s first career was academics. While working as a research assistant in New York University’s department of cinema studies, he earned a master’s degree. During his two-year tenure in that department, he assisted with research for the book, The Sounds of Commerce, and was asked to present his original scholarship at conferences around the world.
Jason earned a bachelor’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology with a minor in creative writing from the University of
California, San Diego.
To view Jason’s public profile on LinkedIn, click here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonschlossberg
Gabrielle Zucker Acevedo
Managing Director/Partner
Gabrielle plays an integral role in determining the strategic direction of clients’ integrated communications campaigns and spearheads efforts to create high-level thought leadership opportunities.
Gabrielle has an extensive understanding of the healthcare, education, technology and financial services industries, including work within insurance and reinsurance, stock, bond, commodities, options/derivatives and energy markets, as well as a focus on credit risk, electronic trading, online brokerages and traditional banking. Her focus on creating and increasing awareness for her clients among key audiences, advocates and influencers, earned Gabrielle national recognition, receiving a SABRE award in 2004.
Previously, Gabrielle served as vice president of the Corporate & Financial Practice at Euro RSCG Magnet and was responsible for growing the practice and cultivating relationships with key financial services, technology and education companies. Before joining Magnet, she managed the public relations division of VMW, Inc., an investor relations firm handling small- and medium-cap clients. In this role, Gabrielle worked closely with publicly held companies on shareholder communications and investor relations.
Throughout her career, Gabrielle has managed public relations campaigns across financial services, healthcare, technology, consumer and other vertical industries. Key clients include AIG, Cantor Fitzgerald and their subsidiary eSpeed (Nasdaq:ESPD), Stryker Orthopedics, U.S.News & World Report, Seventh Generation, Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC) and their subsidiaries Thomson Financial, Thomson Healthcare, Thomson Scientific and Thomson Learning (now Cengage Learning), Scottrade, DBM, Resources Global Professionals (Nasdaq: RECN), Automated Trading Desk, Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq:TTWO) and their subsidiary Rockstar Games, First Data (NYSE:FDC), Kiodex, and Soleil Securities, among others.
gzucker@kwitco.com
Ellie Jones Rossi
Managing Director
Ellie Rossi is responsible for creating high-level editorial collateral and messaging platforms for clients and for offering clients editorial counsel on a broad array of communications and thought-leadership initiatives.
In addition, Ellie draws upon her 10-plus years as a journalist to support the agency’s executive communications coaching practice by helping clients to prepare for and capitalize on media interviews.
Before joining kwittken + company, Ellie was a vice president at Euro RSCG Magnet for six years. Prior to joining Euro RSCG Magnet, Ellie spent over 10 years working as a reporter, editor and writer for a variety of media outlets.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Ellie double-majored in English and the history and sociology of science.
erossi@kwitco.com
David Press
Managing Director, Corporate Strategy Group
David Press is the head of Corporate Strategy at kwittken + company. David brings a deep background in corporate strategy and issues management with more than 18 years of experience as a lawyer and a communications consultant. David has provided communications counsel for numerous public and private companies on corporate positioning programs and financial transactions, with an emphasis on cross-border matters. David’s transactional work includes mergers and acquisitions, merger integration communications, hostile situations, IPOs and crises.
David has worked with a wide range of companies including nearly all of the leading U.S. investment banks, Tata Group, The Reader’s Digest Association, American Express, Vimpelcom, Lululemon, Midwest Airlines, Pearson, Exelon Corporation, NASD, InBev, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Allergan, Gold Fields, CNOOC, Sanofi-Synthelabo and Goldcorp.
Prior to joining kwittken + company, David was a Managing Director in Special Situations at FTI Consulting’s Strategic Communications division. Previously, David was a Director at Brunswick Group in New York where he focused on mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to moving into the communications field, David was in Business Development at America Online in Virginia where he sourced, structured and negotiated revenue and content deals. David began his career as a corporate securities lawyer in New York where he practiced for a number of years, most recently at Morrison & Foerster LLP, focusing on private and public securities transactions.
David is a member of the Bar in The State of New York. David received his JD at Columbia Law School in 1995 and his BA from Stanford University in 1990. David has previously lived and worked in France and is fluent in French.
dpress@kwitco.com
