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One of Atlanta’s largest public relations firms has a new chief executive.
Cookerly Public Relations Inc. announced Cory Stewart will be the new CEO, taking over for founder Carol Cookerly, according to a Nov. 15 news release. He joins President Stephen Brown in the top roles at the company. Brown took over as president from Carol Cookerly in 2019.
Stewart most recently served as chief operating officer at Cookerly, which he joined in 2005 as an account executive. He works with clients in almost every sector, including energy, technology, finance and manufacturing.
“As another great year concludes, we are all in agreement; now is the time to expand on the breadth and depth of our service offerings,” Stewart said in the news release. “I appreciate the opportunity to lead the effort.”
Carol Cookerly says she is not retiring but “stepping aside a bit,” according to the news release. A former broadcast journalist, she founded the company more than 30 years ago.
“While the firm bears my name, for more than a decade I have not directly impacted many of our clients,” Carol Cookerly said in the news release. “That has allowed the senior team great latitude, and they’ve soared.”
Cookerly is Atlanta’s eight-largest public relations firm, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle research. It has 25 employees in Atlanta. Its clients include Mercedes-Benz, Georgia Tech, Trilith, McDonald's and NAPA Auto Parts.
No. of full-time Atlanta employees
| Rank | Prior Rank | Firm |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Edelman |
2 | 2 | Jackson Spalding Inc. |
3 | 3 | BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) and GCI Health |
