Ketchum appoints Conor Nash as global CFO and COO

Ketchum has named Conor Nash as the firm’s global CFO and COO, effective this week. 

Nash reports directly to Ketchum president and CEO Mike Doyle and joins the executive team. The last person to hold the CFO and COO positions was Alan Banner, who took on the titles in August 2019. Banner left Ketchum in May 2022 to join Lockwood as president and COO, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Overseeing the global team with leaders and representation in all of Ketchum’s markets, Nash will be responsible for driving growth – both operationally and financially – and supporting the firm’s overall efforts to deliver on client excellence, the agency said in a statement. 

“I was very, very impressed by the culture and the people I met [at Ketchum],” Nash said. “Obviously, my focus, even though I'm an accountant by trade, has been heavily focused on client relationships and delivering for clients. I am going to take that and apply that to Ketchum and now be part of the continued growth and success that Ketchum has had.”

Doyle cited Nash’s skillset as a “consultant in a CFO/COO outfit” as part of the decision for bringing him onboard. 

“What I loved about [Nash’s] experience was he hasn't just been at the table, he's been sort of setting the table for client innovations, for bettering the client experience, for actually thinking about operations and financial stewardship as strategy, not just necessity, actually strategy versus necessity,” Doyle said. 

Nash joins Ketchum from WPP, where he held a variety of commercial, operational and financial leadership roles at the holding company level and for its agencies such as Ogilvy and Grey. He most recently served as Ogilvy’s COO in North America, focusing on developing innovative commercial and operational solutions.

In 2021, Ketchum reported double-digit top- and bottom-line growth greater than any year in the past decade, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2022.