Andy Polansky
Andy has been at the forefront of marketing solutions and corporate strategy for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. In his over thirty years with Weber Shandwick and its predecessor companies, he has infused his passion for client service, culture and collaboration throughout the firm.
“Our profession has never been held in higher regard and for good reason – we’re uniquely positioned to help organizations find their voices, solve their most complex problems and simultaneously grow their business …”
Profile
Andy's Story
Andy Polansky is Executive Chairman of Weber Shandwick. He served as the firm’s CEO from 2012-2019.
Andy also serves as Chairman and CEO of Interpublic Group’s (IPG) Constituency Management Group (CMG), which includes IPG’s specialty marketing firms across a variety of disciplines including public relations, sports marketing, experiential marketing, brand consulting and digital and entertainment marketing. In addition to Weber Shandwick, global brands within CMG include Golin, Octagon, Jack Morton, Current Global, DeVries Global, Rogers & Cowan and PMK*BNC, and FutureBrand, among others.
A leader in the public relations and marketing service industries, Andy has delivered outstanding results for hundreds of companies around the globe. Under his direction as CEO, Weber Shandwick was a “Standout” Agency on the prestigious Ad Age Agency A-List in 2017 and 2018, and was named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work list in 2019. Weber Shandwick was also PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year four years in a row (2015 to 2018) and The Holmes Report‘s Global Agency of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
Andy has a deep passion for client service and collaboration. He led the development of Weber Shandwick’s Client Relationship Leader program, which was featured as a Harvard Business School case study.
Andy sits on the Board of Directors for The Ad Council and the Board of Trustees for the VNA Health Group, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit independent providers of home health, hospice and community-based care.
In 2019, Andy was honored with the distinguished John W. Hill Award, which recognizes professional achievement in public relations, from the New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. He received The Holmes Report’s Individual Achievement Award in 2016 and has been a fixture on PRWeek’s Power List for several years. He also was named PRWeek’s Global Professional of the Year (Agency) in 2015 and appointed to the PR News Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2014, Andy received the prestigious Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations’ Milestones in Mentoring Award in recognition of his people-centric leadership and long-standing personal commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Prior to his roles with IPG, Andy was a municipal reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times in Levittown, PA, a business and feature writer for the Princeton Packet in Princeton, NJ, and a sportswriter at The Trentonian in Trenton, NJ.
Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and sits on the TCNJ Foundation Board of Directors. In 2015, Andy received the Alumni Citation Award, which is bestowed upon an alumnus who has shown exceptional pride and commitment to the college and has served as a positive role model after graduation.