BIOGRAPHY

Return to Webinar Details

Ken Kerrigan
Director of Sub Area Communications
Ernst & Young

Ken Kerrigan is the Director of Sub Area Communications for Ernst & Young, one of the largest accounting firms in the world with annual revenues exceeding $20 billion.  He oversees strategic development and implementation of internal and external communications strategies for the firm in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America, and South America.  In doing so, he leads a network of well over a dozen communications professionals across geographic locations and service lines.  He also serves as editor-in-chief for the firm’s internal online newsletter, which is read by more than 20,000 employees daily. 

As the accounting profession sees its way through unprecedented change and dramatically increased scrutiny from investors, regulators and legislators, Ken has played a hands-on role in developing open relationships between Ernst & Young and the media and has helped shape an ongoing dialogue between the firm and its key stakeholders.  

In addition, over his seven years with Ernst & Young, Ken has overseen numerous strategic campaigns to support many of the firm’s core service lines, including tax, risk management and transaction advisory services.  During this time, the Holmes Report, one of the public relations profession’s leading trade publications, has twice recognized Ken’s work as among the 100 best campaigns in America and PR News has named Ken one of its finalist for Public Relations Professional of the Year, as well as one of the 15 Public Relations Professionals to Watch. 

Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Ken spent close to a dozen years working in some of the most respected public relations agencies in America, most notably Hill & Knowlton and Edelman.

At Hill & Knowlton Ken was managing director of media relations for the agency’s New York-based corporate practice, where he developed media strategies for IPO listings, CEO visibility programs and ongoing corporate communications campaigns.  Previously, he helped form the new media practice at Edelman by developing programs to launch the Internet Advertising Bureau and Starwave (the new media company founded by Paul Allen that created the online sites for ESPN and most major sports leagues). 

Ken refined his media relations skills at two of New York’s most renowned publicity firms - Dan Klores Communications and Howard Rubenstein Associates.  There he represented clients ranging from law firms to breweries and entertainment executives. 

He began his career representing inanimate objects - fax machines - for RICOH Corporation’s Home Office Products group.  His work for RICOH was honored with the PRSA’s Big Apple award and resulted in the company being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the development of the world’s smallest fax machine.

A former member of the board of directors for the New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Kerrigan holds a BA from New York University and will soon attain his Masters in Communications Management from the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications.  The PRSA’s Universal Accreditation Board accredited him in public relations in 1998.