Matt Reid Joins Abernathy MacGregor to Lead Los Angeles Office

Ian Campbell Continues in His Role as Vice Chairman of the Firm

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Abernathy MacGregor, a leading strategic communications advisor, today announced that Matt Reid has joined the firm as Managing Director and Head of its Los Angeles office. He brings significant experience in corporate and financial communications, crisis management and public affairs to his new role. In addition to heading the Los Angeles office, Matt will also serve as a senior executive in the firm’s growing public affairs practice and will help grow the firm’s presence across the country, including the Western United States. Ian Campbell, founder of the Los Angeles office, will continue to serve the firm as Vice Chairman, advising clients full-time on a range of critical reputational issues, and as a member of the firm’s executive team.

“We are thrilled to have Matt join Abernathy MacGregor to lead our Los Angeles office,” said Tom Johnson, CEO of Abernathy MacGregor. “His expertise in public affairs, crisis and litigation builds upon our firm’s strength in these practice areas, both in Los Angeles and across the country. In addition, his track record of building and leading collaborative teams ensures we will continue the great work of Ian Campbell, who 23 years ago launched the Los Angeles office and our West Coast presence, with a great record of success through the years. We are grateful Ian is continuing to actively serve our firm and our clients as Vice Chairman. Ian will work closely with Matt to ensure a smooth transition.”

Matt joins Abernathy from Sard Verbinnen & Co (“Sard”), where he was Managing Director and co-head of its Los Angeles office. During his time at Sard, Matt represented Fortune 500 clients across a variety of industries including technology, life sciences and educational institutions and led high-stakes assignments including M&A, activist defense, executive transitions, crises, regulatory and litigation matters. Prior to joining Sard in 2013, Matt led external affairs at BSA | The Software Alliance, focusing on public affairs and global advocacy on issues involving intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity and cloud computing on behalf of the software industry. Earlier in his career, Matt founded the global public affairs practice at Waggener Edstrom, managing assignments for major corporate, non-profit and government entities, including Microsoft, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mercy Corps, Texas Instruments and the Portland Trailblazers. He also held senior roles in numerous high profile political campaigns throughout California.

“Matt is an accomplished strategic communications executive across a wide range of practice areas, which will serve him well at Abernathy where clients come to us for a variety of critical stakeholder communications needs,” added Mr. Campbell. “His expertise in public affairs in particular is a great West Coast complement to the growing practice we launched in Washington D.C. two years ago. I am confident Matt will fit in seamlessly with our firm and that our clients will immediately benefit from his extensive experience.”

“I am excited to join the talented team at Abernathy and I look forward to helping build upon the firm’s significant growth and momentum of the last few years,” said Mr. Reid. “I have long admired Abernathy’s focus and dedication to helping clients confront major reputational opportunities and challenges. The firm’s ability to deliver highly customized and holistic communications programs and its culture of collaboration match well with my own belief in the power of teams and my focus on bringing together high-performing groups to meet big challenges for clients.”

Abernathy counsels companies on effective stakeholder communications in today’s highly complex, dynamic and interconnected world. The firm continues to expand its offerings to meet clients’ changing needs as business, political and social issues converge. In the last several years the firm has added expertise and launched new practice areas, with key hires in public affairs, research and corporate governance. This growth builds on the firm’s established 35-year reputation as a strategic communications advisor in critical moments for CEOs, board directors and senior executives.

About Matt Reid

Matt Reid brings more than three decades of experience from California to Washington D.C. to Brussels in financial and corporate communications, public affairs and crisis management to Abernathy MacGregor.

His expertise spans managing high profile cybersecurity and ransomware attacks to counseling clients on patent issues and litigation. Matt has provided activist defense counsel to numerous publicly traded companies and managed major reputational crises for leading corporations and public and private universities. Additionally, he has overseen communications for countless corporate acquisitions, mergers and SPAC transactions. Matt has also led a number of executive transitions and assisted numerous companies in confronting regulatory challenges and investigations.

Matt has deep experience across industries, including working with leading technology companies, major for-profit and non-profit institutions and consumer companies over his career including, Adobe, Apple, Chevron, Dell, IBM, Mercy Corps, Microsoft, Oracle, Stanford University, Starbucks, Symantec, Texas Instruments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Francisco 49ers, Visa International and Walmart.

Prior to joining Abernathy, Matt served as Managing Director and co-head of the Los Angeles office of Sard Verbinnen & Co. He has also held senior leadership positions at BSA | The Software Alliance, the leading global trade association for the software industry; founded the global public affairs practice at Waggener Edstrom; and worked in corporate communications and public affairs at several agencies on the west coast including Fleishman Hillard and the GCI Group. Additionally, Matt has worked on numerous high profile political campaigns throughout California.

From 2015 to 2021, Matt served on the Board of Directors, including as Co-Chair of the Board, of Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, the leading Alzheimer’s advocacy and care group in Southern California. He is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in English Literature.

About Abernathy MacGregor

Abernathy MacGregor is a leading strategic communications advisor providing communications, engagement and advocacy expertise that helps clients build and preserve value, seize opportunities and solve problems in today’s highly complex, dynamic and interconnected world. Since 1984, the firm has brought to every engagement superior, customized strategies and an intensely collaborative and high-energy commitment to its clients. Abernathy operates from offices in New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and is a founding member of AMO, which is the leading international network of strategic communications consultancies.

Contacts

Caitlyn Brogan
Director of Marketing
Abernathy MacGregor
cb@abmac.com

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