Carina Davidson named interim CEO, Michael Hotra and Sydney Isaacs named Co-Presidents

December 3, 2025 – New York. 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.”