Fast-growing NextTech Communications announces 3 key hires

NextTech Communications, a women-led boutique communications agency formed through a merger in 2021, celebrated its one-year anniversary by celebrating its growth.

The Holmdel-based agency, which was created when the Bliss Group acquired Savarese Communications, has more than tripled the number of full-time staff, CEO Janine Savarese said.

The additions include a number of new senior leaders, including Senior Vice Presidents Jennifer Harbour and Erin Harrison, as well as Vice President Michelle Anderson.

Savarese said the additional team members have enabled the agency to expand to a national footprint, with offices in New York, Houston and San Francisco, as well as triple its client portfolio across numerous verticals, including: cybersecurity, digital identity/fraud, edtech, fintech, healthtech, legaltech, insurtech, human resources tech and martech.

“We formed NextTech Communications to serve businesses looking for an agency that not only uncovers the next market advantage, but also propels change while driving business growth,” Savarese said.

“With such an accomplished leadership team, our clients will benefit from multiple decades of experience understanding how to effectively communicate their missions, values and differentiators to key stakeholders across the right channels. I am extremely proud of our team’s accomplishments this past year and excited to celebrate our future achievements together as we continue to grow.”

That growth is ongoing.

The firm now has 15 full-time members, Savarese said.

“We’re continuing to hire to support the firm’s growth and deepen our vertical expertise,” she said. “We are also supported by the Next Practice Group and the Bliss Group, which give us larger agency resources, while allowing our teams to remain nimble.”

NextTech Chairwoman Cortney Stapleton said the expansion is going as it was envisioned.

“One year ago, we made the conscious choice to go deep into tech and build up our expertise with the formation of NextTech Communications,” she said. “Through an expanded leadership team and enhanced agency capabilities, our clients can be confident that, as we create and share their stories, our sense of the market’s future is aligned with theirs.”

Savarese said she’s ready for Year Two.

“As a rising agency entering our second year with extended resources from the Bliss Group and the Next Practices Group, we’re thrilled to continue growing alongside our clients as they further disrupt their industry sectors,” she said.

A look at the three recent hires:

• Harbour: Based in Houston, she brings to the team over 20 years of experience in supporting business-to-business enterprise technology balanced between public relations agency and corporate, in-house communications experience. Prior to joining NextTech, she worked at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and was with AxiCom U.S., where her clients included Dell Technologies and Lexmark. She has worked across a range of technologies such as hardware, software and services, cloud and edge computing, Internet of Things, as-a-Service solutions, as well as corporate issues like social impact, diversity, equity & inclusion and customer experience.
• Harrison: With more than two decades of media experience, Harrison has deep domain expertise within legal services, legal tech and B2B technology, helping firms establish a solid market presence and differentiate themselves through novel strategies and tactics. Based in New York City, Harrison will help grow NextTech’s existing client base and legal portfolio while collaborating with clients to build mindshare and elevate brand awareness through integrated marketing strategies, including paid, earned, social and owned media.
• Andersen: Known for her roots in technology and marketing and public relations expertise, Andersen specializes in media and analyst relations, including strategy, analysis and management, with an emphasis on enterprise technology. Based in San Francisco, she brings industry specializations including artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain/cloud, science technology, data, security, digital media, Web3 and more to further deepen NextTech’s technology bench.