Allen Shapard Joins RSR Partners to Expand the Firm's Corporate Affairs & Communications Practice

RSR Partners announced today that Allen Shapard joins the firm as a Managing Director and Head of the Corporate Affairs & Communications practice. He is based in the New York office.

Mr. Shapard has more the 25 years of relevant experience in communications, branding, marketing, and corporate social responsibility. He has worked closely with high-profile consumer and enterprise organizations including PepsiCo, Cisco Systems, Honeywell, and Samsung, as well as with esteemed institutions such as the Nobel Foundation, United Nations, U.S. Institute of Peace, and the Kavli Foundation.

Prior to joining RSR Partners, Mr. Shapard was Senior Vice President of WME/IMG, the global marketing and entertainment conglomerate, for 20 years. In this role, Mr. Shapard grew the company’s global consulting capabilities in the areas of communications, marketing, and branding. Much of his efforts were focused on developing human capital solutions for a wide array of clients in various parts of the globe. He was also Senior Vice President at APCO Worldwide (and co-head of the firm’s Corporate Responsibility Practice), and was Global Vice President, Communication at ABB, Inc., in Zurich, Switzerland.

“Allen’s wealth of experience and relationships in the communications and marketing arenas are highly regarded,” said Brett Stephens, CEO, RSR Partners. “His track record for creating and implementing strategic partnerships and complex communications and marketing campaigns will serve our clients well.”

“With Allen, RSR Partners has unparalleled expertise to handle clients’ evolving communications and marketing needs,” said Brad McLane, Managing Director and Head of RSR Partners’ Marketing Officers and Consumer Goods & Services practices. “He maximizes the matrixed relationship between marketing functions such as brand, digital, social, and product development, and appreciates how they interconnect with internal and external communications and corporate affairs teams. His unique background is well-suited for clients who are grappling to connect the dots between teams that, in today’s environment, need to be highly orchestrated.”

Mr. Shapard earned a law degree at the University of Virginia and practiced with Morrison & Foerster and Dow, Lohnes, PLLC. He received his B.A. in History (Honors) from Yale University and also has a Masters in Philosophy in International Relations from Cambridge University.