NEW YORK: RLM Finsbury has selected partner and president Michael Gross to succeed Walter Montgomery as the firm’s CEO.
Gross will step into the chief executive role on April 15. Montgomery will remain onboard as the firm’s co-founder and partner.
As CEO, Gross will focus on key assignments in the realm of corporate, financial, and crisis communications and work to bring more senior-level talent to the firm. He also wants to expand RLM Finsbury’s global offerings and market the firm "aggressively" to international corporations, as well as to beef up its scale in the US.
In terms of running things differently than his predecessor, Gross said he is committed to being "even more" of a global ambassador for the firm, driving the process RLM Finsbury established under Montgomery to present a unified global capability for clients.
"Our firm distinguishes itself in providing strategic, sophisticated counsel to C-suite execs, having senior people roll up their sleeves and focus on disciplined execution, and making sure things go right in implementing impactful programs," said Gross. "We want to continue to fuse that DNA with global reach and relationships that we have been able to develop over the years."
Montgomery will continue to work on select projects, playing a role as counselor on communications issues with investors, the press, and other stakeholder groups.
"[Montgomery] has a passion for science and technology comms, which he believes are increasingly important, and he is going to continue to focus on building out our practice in those areas," Gross commented.
Gross, who has worked at the firm since 1989, did not say who will replace him as president.
This story was updated on April 1 to correct that Gross joined RLM Finsbury in 1989.
