Wray Ward, a Charlotte-based integrated marketing and communications agency which employs more than 175 people, will soon have a new CEO.
Jennifer Appleby, Wray Ward’s longest-serving president and chief creative officer, has announced plans to step into an executive chair role for the agency. With this move, Appleby will exit from day-to-day agency management. Kent Panther has been named Wray Ward’s next president and chief executive officer. Appleby and Panther will assume their new posts in January 2023.
The transition provides Appleby with a path to retirement from the advertising industry to which she has dedicated her career. She started in the industry 37 years ago and has been with Wray Ward for 30 years, including 21 years as its president and chief creative officer.
Entrusting Wray Ward’s future to Panther, who is currently executive vice president, is the actualization of a succession plan and ensures the agency’s continued leadership in the home and building category, commitment to creativity and client service, and preservation of its unique culture, the agency wrote in a news release.
“Wray Ward has been an extraordinary home for me for 30 years, and I am incredibly proud of the work we have done for our clients and the community,” Appleby said.
Under her leadership, Wray Ward saw unprecedented growth and dedicated community service.
“I feel the time is right for me to explore what’s next for me beyond the advertising industry and for Wray Ward to flourish under new leadership,” Ward said. “I am confident that I am leaving this agency, its talented staff, and the amazing clients and brands we have the privilege to work with in exceptional hands with Kent Panther. No one understands Wray Ward’s special culture, evolving business and the home and building category better than Kent, and his leadership will guide the agency into an exciting and bright future.”
Panther, who has three decades of advertising industry experience, oversees client engagement, project management, resourcing and business development to foster better connections between critical client acquisition, service and delivery areas. He joined Wray Ward in 2004 as head of insights and brand strategy, and he played a key role in the agency’s evolution to specialize in the home and building categories in 2011.
“I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead this world-class team of people I respect so much,” Panther said. “Our future includes a continued commitment to the outstanding creativity and better-performing work that our clients depend on and our employees embody. The agency’s collaborative culture and incomparable ability to have fun while doing great work is in my blood, and I’m thrilled to lead this dynamic company into our next chapter.”
Appleby’s contributions of time and leadership have touched virtually every corner of the community, including arts and culture, human services, economic development, business leadership and education. She serves on the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council and has chaired the board of directors for the Arts & Science Council and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. She has served on the boards of directors and executive committees for Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and Charlotte Center City Partners; served on the Public Art Commission and boards, committees and advisory councils for organizations including Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, McColl Center, Central Piedmont Community College Foundation, Johnson & Wales University, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont and United Way of Central Carolinas; and recently co-chaired the Center City 2040 Vision Plan.
“Jennifer’s innovative spirit and impassioned leadership as our president and chief creative officer helped transform Wray Ward into an agency that is nationally recognized for its creativity and locally appreciated for its community service,” Panther said. “It is hard to put into words the admiration we have for all Jennifer has done for Wray Ward, and we appreciate her continued support as our executive chair. In looking ahead, I’m excited to carry the Wray Ward vision forward as we drive toward our 50th anniversary.”
