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FrazierHeiby Announces New CEO and Co-Owners

The 36-year-old Agency is Returning to its Roots as a Woman-Owned Business 

CommPRO Editorial Staff

The New Year will bring about exciting changes at FrazierHeiby, an intelligent communications consultancy based in Columbus, Ohio. On January 1, 2020, President and CEO Bryan Haviland will step down and Executive Vice President Lauren Parker, 33, will assume the lead role. Vice Presidents Ann Mulvany and Whitney Somerville will become senior partners and co-owners alongside Parker. 

FrazierHeiby Announces New CEO and Co-Owners“We’ve developed this succession plan thoughtfully over the past two years. Bryan has taken our firm to a new level of excellence and we’re excited about the opportunity to build upon our success going forward,” said Doug Frazier, partner, creative services. “This approach puts our firm's new leaders in the best possible position to elevate and expand service offerings for clients and chart a course for growth.

Haviland joined FrazierHeiby in 2013 and became president and CEO in 2016. Frazier, the firm’s majority owner, has been with the company since 1985 when it was then known as Clary Communications. Both Haviland and Frazier will continue to play integral roles in the agency. 

Parker joined in December of 2018. Before joining FrazierHeiby in 2018, Parker served in leadership positions at agencies Hot Paper Lantern and Peppercomm in New York City. Mulvany and Somerville have been with the firm for four and five years respectively, both bringing deep experience from the non-profit sector. 

“Ann, Whitney and I are reinventing this well-established business to better meet the demands of modern CCOs and CMOs,” said Parker. “Clients want strategic communications counsel that’s rooted in research and understanding of today’s digital ecosystem. As freshmen business owners in our early 30s, we’re taking a long-term approach to the business and investing in our talent, tools and processes so we can provide the highest level of value and service to our clients.”

Coinciding with this news, FrazierHeiby has introduced a refreshed brand to better reflect the agency’s principles, value proposition and commitment to solving business challenges.

In October, the firm announced the addition of three new clients – St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Ohio Insurance Agents, and Silfex. The additions bolster a roster of regional and national clients in the energy/utility, economic development, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and professional service industries.