Hotwire Global, the global communications and marketing consultancy including Hotwire and ROI∙DNA has appointed Grant Toups as its Global Chief Executive Officer. Toups brings more than two decades of experience in public relations, technology marketing and executive leadership. As Global CEO, he will lead global strategy and further strengthen the consultancies’ reputation, relationships and revenue services. Toups’ experience at translating innovation, AI and intelligence for marketing and comms leaders complements Hotwire Global’s AI investments and will accelerate delivering measurable business outcomes and growth for its GEO and AI-powered solutions and consultancy.
Toups said: “Hotwire and ROI·DNA have incredible reputations for connecting innovation with storytelling that drives measurable business impact for clients. It’s a pivotal time for technology, marketing and communications, and I’m proud to lead this team to unlock even more value for clients through creativity, data, and intelligence.”
Ian Ball, CEO of The Enero Group, said: “Grant is a proven leader at the forefront of comms-tech, AI, and marketing transformation. He brings the perfect blend of strategic vision, deep sector expertise, and operational leadership to accelerate Hotwire and ROI·DNA’s growth. His appointment marks an exciting next chapter for the business; strengthening our momentum, expanding capabilities, and driving the next wave of innovation for clients navigating an increasingly complex, tech-driven world.”
Toups’ appointment follows a series of milestones for Hotwire Global, including ROI·DNA securing its largest-ever client win with Qualtrics, and the recent appointment of Charlotte Harvey as Managing Director of Hotwire UK. In addition, Hotwire continues to grow demand for its proprietary AI-driven tools — including Hotwire Spark and Hotwire Ignite — which help brands understand and influence how they appear across AI ecosystems and deliver performance insights that inform strategic decision-making. Such recognition underscores the strength of Hotwire Global’s integrated offering and ability to deliver AI-powered, impactful communications and marketing for pre-eminent technology brands globally.
Toups joins Hotwire from Burson, where he served as Global Chief Digital & Intelligence Officer, leading a network of more than 800 specialists across 40 countries. During his tenure, he pioneered new ways to measure the financial impact of reputation, partnered with Pendulum to develop AI technology that closes blind spots in analysing audio, video and niche social platforms, and delivered award-winning work across digital, influencer, paid and data intelligence, all contributing to Burson being named 2024 Global Digital Agency of the Year by Provoke Media.
Prior to Burson, Toups was Hill & Knowlton’s first Global Chief Technology Officer, where he built global centres of excellence across seven cities and introduced data-driven tools for risk prediction, reputation measurement and performance insight, while shaping WPP’s PR-segment AI strategy.