NextTech Communications Expands Leadership Team, Celebrates First Year in Business

NextTech Communications (NextTech), a women-led boutique communications agency formed through The Bliss Group’s (Bliss) acquisition of Savarese Communications in 2021,  announced new members of its senior leadership team to support the agency’s rapid growth.

Led by CEO Janine Savarese, NextTech has more than tripled the number of full-time staff since launching a year ago—including the recent appointment of NextTech’s first-ever Senior Vice President, Jennifer Harbour. Erin Harrison was also named Senior Vice President, where she will lead an integrated legal practice across NextTech and Bliss. NextTech also named Michelle Andersen as Vice President.

In the past year, NextTech has grown its geographical footprint from Holmdel, New Jersey and expanded across the U.S. with leaders in New York, Houston and San Francisco. With a strong presence in multiple flourishing tech hubs, the agency tripled 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,” said CEO Janine Savarese. “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.”

“One year ago, we made the conscious choice to go deep into tech and build up our expertise with the formation of NextTech Communications,” said Cortney Stapleton, Managing Partner of The Bliss Group and NextTech Chairwoman. “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.”

Based in Houston, Harbour brings to the team over 20 years of experience in supporting business-to-business (B2B) 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 and inclusion and customer experience.

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 (PESO) media.

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.

“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,” Savarese added.