imre Expands Leadership Team with Two New Executive Hires

77.5% fee growth in first half of 2019; Employee count grows by 23 along with internal promotions

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Aug 08, 2019, 11:00 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- imre, a 150-person, independent marketing agency welcomed a series of senior hires and promotions to bolster its leadership team amid 77.5% agency fee growth in the first half of 2019. The agency hired Shanee Cohen, Executive Vice President, Consumer practice and Stephanie Friess, SVP of Public Relations, to fortify and expand the consumer business and integrated public relations offerings.

Shanee Cohen will be tasked with taking the reins of imre's Consumer division, overseeing the agency's longest-standing client relationships while creating a vision for what's next among a mix of durable goods, automotive, sports, retail, CPG and OTC brands. With nearly two decades as a consumer marketer and brand strategist, Cohen has led brand strategy, business development and client relations for clients such as BMW, Citibank, Hyatt, OKCupid and West Elm. Most recently she was the Executive Managing Director at KWT Global, leading brand strategy, business development and client services for four years. Prior to that, Shanee was the Senior Vice President and Partner in FleishmanHillard's New York office, holding leadership positions in Consumer Marketing and their Digital and Social practices.

"I'm thrilled to be joining the imre team to help evolve the agency's vision, approach and capabilities for our consumer business," said Shanee Cohen. "Across industries, we are seeing more clients drawn to agencies that embody a deep sense of purpose, connection and independence that is embedded in imre's DNA," added Cohen.

Additionally, imre announced they added Stephanie Friess. Stephanie is an expert in integrated communications, with more than fifteen years' experience across media relations efforts, specializing in strategy, events, celebrity influencer relations and earned, owned and paid integrations. Prior to joining imre, she was leading several of the P&G Beauty brands for Marina Maher Communications (MMC) as the Group Senior Vice President. She also worked at other integrated PR agencies such as MSLGROUP, Devries Global and BCW, focusing on consumer brands for large CPG clients such as Abbott Nutrition, Colgate-Palmolive and L'Oreal Paris.

"I'm beyond excited to join this fiercely independent agency and be a steward of their vision to deliver clients with smart, innovative marketing programs," said Stephanie Friess. "Communications is a key component of any successful marketing campaign and I'm passionate about continuing imre's legacy in the PR space to create new approaches to earned-led solutions," added Friess.

Dave Imre, CEO and founder of the firm, reported the agency added over 23 employees thus far in 2019 for a total employee count of 153 FTEs. "These moves represent an investment in our business, one that's expanding our capabilities and giving us fresh perspective as we set ourselves up for our next 25 years in business," said Imre.

The growth also sparked a series of internal team promotions, including Kirsty Whelan, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Insights. "Whelan's leadership of the agency's strategic capabilities have had a profound impact on the growth of existing accounts and new business wins," added Imre.

imre works with many of the world's leading brands across pharmaceuticals, durable goods, automotive, sports, retail, CPG and OTC. The agency's client base includes, Airstream, AstraZeneca, Dickies, Electra Meccanica, Major League Soccer, NFL, PepsiCo, Pfizer, STIHL, and Under Armour; among others.

imre maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles and Baltimore and is an LGBTQ-owned and NGLCC-certified business. To learn more, please visit: www.imre.com.

SOURCE imre