A premier strategic communications agency delivering focused, experienced counsel for corporate and financial clients.
The first call when it matters most.
ABOUT
Gagnier Communications (GC) is a strategic PR & IR agency, serving clients across North America, Europe and Asia. We are based in New York City.
The team has led numerous corporate positioning and investor relations programs and has been actively involved in numerous special situations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia.
From senior counsel through to implementation of full-scale communications and investor relations programs, GC has assisted clients in critical assignments covering high-profile positioning assignments, shareholder activism, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, litigation and other complex situations.
TEAM
Dan Gagnier
Founder and Managing Partner
Dan Gagnier is the Founder and a Managing Partner of Gagnier Communications LLC. He has worked on numerous corporate positioning programs and actively managed a variety of special situations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. These include mergers, acquisitions, proxy contests, IPOs, SPACs, restructurings, litigation and other various complex situations. His work spans a multitude of industries including financial services and hedge funds, metals and mining, oil and gas, pharma/biotech, technology and industrial manufacturing.
Dan Gagnier – Founder and Managing Partner
Dan Gagnier is the Founder and a Managing Partner of Gagnier Communications LLC. He has worked on numerous corporate positioning programs and actively managed a variety of special situations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. These include mergers, acquisitions, proxy contests, IPOs, SPACs, restructurings, litigation and other various complex situations. His work spans a multitude of industries including financial services and hedge funds, metals and mining, oil and gas, pharma/biotech, technology and industrial manufacturing.
Prior to founding GC in 2016, Mr. Gagnier was a Partner and Managing Director at Sard Verbinnen & Co. Prior to joining SVC in 2000, Mr. Gagnier was an Account Coordinator in the Financial Communications division of GPC Canada Inc.
Mr. Gagnier holds a B.A. degree with honors in Political Studies from Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec.
Brent Anderson
Managing Director
Brent is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. Brent has more than 20 years of corporate, brand, crisis, digital, media and transaction communications and significant investor relations expertise at several leading global, publicly traded companies.
Brent Anderson – Managing Director
Brent Anderson is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. Brent has more than 20 years of corporate, brand, crisis, digital, media and transaction communications and significant investor relations expertise at several leading global, publicly traded companies. Most recently, he was Frontera Energy Corporation’s Director of Investor Relations where he designed and executed the Company’s capital markets strategy.
Brent has led enterprise-wide communications functions, served as corporate spokesperson for multiple issuers, managed complex corporate events and created countless communications strategies to protect and enhance corporate brands. He also has significant M&A, shareholder activism, financing, corporate and asset transaction expertise.
Ashley Gagnier
Managing Director
Ashley is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. Ashley has worked on numerous corporate positioning and media relations mandates, principally in financial services.
Ashley Gagnier – Managing Director
Ashley Gagnier is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. Ashley has worked on numerous corporate positioning and media relations mandates, principally in financial services. Prior to joining Gagnier Communications, Ashley served as a communications manager at Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), a global venture capital firm with $4.5 billion under management.
During her time at BVP, Ashley worked to elevate the firm’s partners and successes in a crowded venture capital ecosystem through strategic communications counsel and multiplatform implementation. She helped to redesign the firm’s website, launched BVP’s blog and handled all social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. In addition to her BVP focused activities, Ashley worked closely with BVP’s portfolio, which encompasses companies from a wide range of sectors, including cloud computing, cyber-security, healthcare, financial services and mobile.
Prior to joining BVP, Ashley was a PR specialist at Clifford Chance US LLP, a global law firm.
She began her career at financial communications firm Sard Verbinnen & Co.
Ashley holds a B.A. in Political Economy from Princeton University.
Louise Kozier
Managing Director
Louise is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. For over twenty years, Louise has provided clients in the U.S, Canada and Europe with strategic communications counsel and support.
Louise Kozier – Managing Director
Louise is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. For over twenty years, Louise has provided clients in the U.S, Canada and Europe with strategic communications counsel and support. Louise has worked across industries and has led communications strategies for major business transformations and restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, activist preparedness, and proxy fights. Louise also supports her clients with a wide range of corporate and financial communications needs including disclosure and financial reporting, media relations and thought leadership, employee communication, stakeholder engagement and executive coaching.
Prior to joining Gagnier Communications, Louise was a Partner at Longview Communications and Public Affairs. Louise started her career with Edelman Public Relations in London and New York.
Riyaz Lalani
Managing Director
Riyaz is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. Riyaz specializes in special situations, including proxy contests, M&A, short seller defences, and litigation communications.
Riyaz Lalani – Managing Director
Riyaz Lalani is a Managing Director at Gagnier Communications. Riyaz specializes in special situations, including proxy contests, M&A, short seller defences, and litigation communications. His career experience spans communications, finance and investing, C-level public company operating roles, and proxy solicitation.
Riyaz was the CEO and founder of a leading financial communications firm, where he led engagements across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Prior to that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Canada’s largest proxy solicitor. Riyaz has also acted as an independent advisor to public and private companies on strategic and corporate development matters. He held C-level roles at two public companies where his purview included leading the companies’ M&A and integration efforts, investor relations, enhancing corporate governance practices, and strategic and operational duties. Riyaz spent the first 10 years of his career at an international asset manager in New York and Toronto. He is a director of a public company, and a past director of three public companies.
Lindsay Barber
Senior Vice President
Lindsay is a Senior Vice President at Gagnier Communications. Lindsay provides strategic counsel and communications support to wide range of corporate clients, including private equity firms, public corporations and asset management firms.
Lindsay Barber – Senior Vice President
Lindsay Barber is a Senior Vice President at Gagnier Communications. Lindsay provides strategic counsel and communications support to wide range of corporate clients, including private equity firms, public corporations and asset management firms. Areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, executive leadership changes and crisis communications, with a particular interest in sports business. She also assists clients with ongoing investor relations, corporate positioning and media relations strategies.
Lindsay holds a B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College.
Elizabeth Chaconas
Senior Associate
Elizabeth Chaconas is a Senior Associate at Gagnier Communications. Elizabeth provides strategic communications support to a wide range of clients, including private equity firms and public corporations.
Elizabeth Chaconas – Senior Associate
Elizabeth Chaconas is a Senior Associate at Gagnier Communications. Elizabeth provides strategic communications support to a wide range of clients, including private equity firms and public corporations. Areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, equity advisory, and investor relations. Prior to Gagnier, Elizabeth held roles at FGS Global and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
She holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MSc in Finance from University College Dublin.
Caitlin McNamara
Associate
Caitlin is an Associate at Gagnier Communications. She supports corporate clients’ strategic communications needs across industries including financial services, energy and fintech.
Caitlin McNamara – Associate
Caitlin is an Associate at Gagnier Communications. She supports corporate clients’ strategic communications needs across industries including financial services, energy and fintech. Areas of expertise include reputation management, crisis communications, litigation support and special situations.
Caitlin holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania
Molly Broderick
Junior Associate
Molly is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. She assists the firm’s daily operations and corporate and investor communications for clients.
Molly Broderick – Junior Associate
Molly is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. She assists the firm’s daily operations and corporate and investor communications for clients.
Molly joined Gagnier Communications in 2023 after graduating from Trinity College. At Trinity, she earned a BA in Art History with a minor in Formal Organizations with a concentration in Entrepreneurship.
Abby Donahoo
Junior Associate
Abby Donahoo is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. She assists with the firm’s daily operations and special situations communications for various clients.
Abby Donahoo – Junior Associate
Abby Donahoo is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. She assists with the firm’s daily operations and special situations communications for various clients.
Abby joined Gagnier Communications in 2024 after graduating from the University of Virginia where she earned a BA in Global Commerce and minor in Business and Sociology.
Hayden Gilbert
Junior Associate
Hayden Gilbert is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. He assists with the firm’s daily operations and special situations communications for various clients.
Hayden Gilbert – Junior Associate
Hayden Gilbert is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. He assists with the firm’s daily operations and special situations communications for various clients.
Hayden joined the Gagnier team in 2024 after graduating from Colgate University where he earned a BA in Media Studies and minor in Economics.
Henry Jones
Junior Associate
Henry is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. He provides daily support to a variety of clients, including media relations and corporate communications.
Henry Jones – Junior Associate
Henry is a Junior Associate at Gagnier Communications. He provides daily support to a variety of clients, including media relations and corporate communications. Henry was previously a Government Affairs and Public Policy Intern at Nicholas & Lence where he supported the agency’s Account Coordinators on various communications initiatives and BID formation projects.
Henry joined Gagnier Communications in 2023 upon his graduation from Miami University, where he earned a B.A. in History with a minor in Political Science.
PRACTICE AREAS
Corporate Communications
Crisis Communications
Investor Relations
Shareholder Activism
Transaction Communications
Litigation Support
Restructuring
Digital Strategies