NEW YORK, Dec. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- H/Advisors Abernathy today announced that it has named longtime company veteran Carina Davidson interim Chief Executive Officer while the firm commences a search to fill the role on a permanent basis. Ms. Davidson previously served as President and has been with H/Advisors Abernathy for nearly three decades. She succeeds Tom Johnson, who is leaving H/Advisors Abernathy to pursue another opportunity. As part of this leadership transition, the firm announced the promotion of Mike Hotra and Sydney Isaacs to Co-Presidents. Both executives were previously Managing Directors and will report to Ms. Davidson.
“It is a testament to the deep bench of talent at H/Advisors Abernathy that we are seamlessly able to fill these key leadership roles with highly experienced communications professionals,” said Stephane Fouks, Executive Chairman of H/Advisors and Executive Vice-President, Havas. “Carina has decades of experience advising senior executives and Boards on wide-ranging corporate, reputational and business matters, and I have the utmost confidence in her ability to guide H/Advisors Abernathy, alongside Sydney and Mike and the broader team, while we search for a permanent successor.”
“The United States and North America are now H/Advisors’ priority for growth and development, following the significant investments we have made in Europe and Asia over the past two years. We are already looking at a number of potential opportunities, and this will continue into 2026. We are grateful for Tom’s leadership and contributions to H/Advisors Abernathy over the past 20 years and wish him the best,” Mr. Fouks added.
Mr. Hotra, who joined H/Advisors Abernathy in 2019, leads its Washington, D.C. office and public affairs practice. Ms. Isaacs is head of the Houston office and responsible for managing communications across stakeholders during clients’ most critical moments.
“I am delighted to appoint Sydney and Mike to their new roles,” said Ms. Davidson, interim Chief Executive Officer of H/Advisors Abernathy. “Each has contributed meaningfully to our firm’s success over the years through their exceptional client counsel and leadership. Sydney started her career in strategic communications at our firm, and she has established herself as a trusted advisor to clients across many of our practice areas. A seasoned public affairs expert, Mike has been instrumental in founding our D.C. office and building our public affairs offering, both launched in response to clients increasingly asking for guidance to help them navigate the complexities of this interconnected world. I look forward to continuing to partner with my colleagues, including our three recent senior hires in the U.S., as well as the whole H/Advisors team.”
About Carina Davidson
Carina Davidson advises companies of all sizes on complex communications issues. She helps clients across a broad range of sectors to manage their reputations and develop strategies to reach their core audiences. Ms. Davidson has extensive experience leading communications strategies through critical, often transformational events. As President of H/Advisors Abernathy, her work includes support for mergers and acquisitions, private transactions, initial public offerings, regulatory developments, leadership transitions, hostile takeover attempts, and shareholder activism defense. She is also one of the leading executive coaches at H/Advisors Abernathy and helps prepare senior leaders to effectively communicate with their stakeholders. Previously, Ms. Davidson worked at Edelman, specializing in crisis and public affairs. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College. Ms. Davidson is a member of the Board of Trustees at Blair Academy and a mentor for Women In America.
About Michael Hotra
For more than 20 years, Mike Hotra has counseled corporate leaders and implemented public affairs campaigns to mitigate risk, control costs, and advance business outcomes for clients. As the head of H/Advisors’ Washington DC office, he specializes in counseling clients facing significant business risk from government investigations and litigation including Congressional oversight investigations, SEC, FTC and DOJ probes, merger reviews, and qui tam lawsuits. Prior to joining H/Advisors Mr. Hotra served as a Vice President at PhRMA, the trade association for the research-based pharmaceutical industry. Earlier, he was EVP and Deputy Managing Director at a Washington-based public affairs firm. Mr. Hotra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University.
About Sydney Isaacs
Throughout her 20-year career, Sydney Isaacs has helped executives, boards and communications teams preserve value and reputation during key moments of change and challenge. She regularly advises companies on issues and events ranging from mergers and acquisitions to crises to restructurings. Ms. Isaacs leads the firm’s work and team in Houston. While her clients span a broad range of industries, she has deep experience advising companies across the energy sector, providing support to clients on communications related to their diverse efforts to participate in and respond to the energy transition. Ms. Isaacs initially joined H/Advisors Abernathy in the firm’s Los Angeles office in 2005. She is a frequent speaker, sharing insights on topics ranging from crisis management to shareholder activism defense. She graduated cum laude with a dual B.A. in Economics and Government from Claremont McKenna College. Ms. Isaacs was named one of the 50 most influential leaders in corporate governance in 2022 by the National Association of Corporate Directors. She serves on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Houston.
About H/Advisors Abernathy
A trusted communications advisor, H/Advisors Abernathy specializes in advising CEOs, board directors and senior executives on effective stakeholder communications and engagement. For over 40 years, the firm has been entrusted by clients across sectors to help build, protect, and enhance their reputation, overcome challenges, and seize new opportunities. H/Advisors Abernathy operates from offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. and, as a core member of H/Advisors, strategic communications experts dedicated to enhancing reputation and building trust to fulfil ambitions. Founded in 2001, H/Advisors employs 1,500+ multi-disciplinary experts in 40+ offices across Europe, America, APAC and the Middle East.
For more information, please visit https://abernathy.h-advisors.global.
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Contact:
Angela Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Director of Marketing
H/Advisors Abernathy
Angela.gonzalez-rodriguez@h-advisors.global
