Relentless Partners

Matt Ryan

Managing Partner

Matt is the founder of newly formed Ryan+Partners and the CEO of Roth Ryan Hayes. RRH is a leader in agency resource search and contracting. Prior to acquiring Roth Associates and re-launching as RRH, he served as Global CEO of WPP’s United Network. Matt’s shift to global work started at Arnold and Euro RSCG, units of Havas. As Co-Chairman and President of Global Brands at Havas Worldwide he profitably managed a 450-person staff of integrated communications professionals. Among the global marketers and brands he worked closely with were Jaguar, Reckitt Benckiser, Merck, Volvo, and Live Nation. His domestic brands included New York Life, Atlantic City, Dos Equis, and others. Prior to joining Havas Worldwide, Matt served as EVP of Havas’s sister agency, Arnold Worldwide. While at Arnold, he led the agency’s winning team in a global Volvo agency review, subsequently staffing and managing the Volvo business globally. Early in his career, Matt rode the first wave of the digital revolution, founding integrated agency Ryan, Drossman & Partners. A pioneer in digital technologies, the agency launched renowned digital-first brands such as MovieFone, SportsLine.com, TheStreet.com, Verio, and Cantor Fitzgerald. Matt ran the agency for a decade before selling. He then served as CEO of the publicly-traded Change Technology Partners, leading the company through 12 acquisitions. Due to his success in fostering and navigating this period of intense growth, he became EVP/Partner at Roth Associates, where he conducted advertising and media agency searches for leading advertisers such as Jaguar, Toyota, and Shell. Matt is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he received a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Newspaper Journalism.

Carla Brand

Sr. Consultant, Engagement Lead

Carla brings a wealth of consulting expertise to Ryan + Partners, helping clients build differentiated insights, improve customer engagement, and navigate strategic marketing issues. With a unique combination of Corporate and Agency experience, she is skilled at brand strategy, digital strategy, marketing planning, CRM, conducting primary qualitative & quantitative research and lead gen. Carla’s agency work includes time at Ogilvy and Havas where she created break-through, business driving campaigns for brands including American Express, Jaguar Cars, Kraft and Verizon Business. On the marketing side, Carla has significant experience working with start-ups including leading marketing for FidoPharm’s PetArmor brand which led to $100 million+ sales and launching Veterinary Prime’s Humankind – a 100% Human Quality food for dogs, driving all aspects of commercialization. Other corporate experience includes Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. and SodaStream Inc. Carla is a graduate of Duke University where she majored in Public Policy Studies. In 2019, Carla was elected to the Town Board for the Town of Pound Ridge where she is currently serving a 4-year term.

Richard Notarianni

Partner, Marketing Communications Practice Lead

A pioneer in 360 communications strategy, he’s developed transformative campaigns for Charles Schwab, Jaguar, Exxon Mobil, Dos Equis, Nestle, Keurig and TD Ameritrade. His work has taken him from Media Planning Director at DDB to the creative department at Havas. There he developed the role of Executive Creative Director of Media; solving for the creative implications of the changing media landscape. Recognizing clients’ need to transform their brand experience, he introduced new capabilities in branding, social, content, culture and data. He co-authored Havas’ Creative Business Ideas (CBI) global process and Brand Momentum Studies. In 2017 he left the agency world to begin working directly with marketers and media owners to reinvent their marketing strategy and operations. Of all his work, he’s most proud of creating the “Good Life 2.0: Living Better Instead of Bigger” for the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD). This roadmap for changing consumer aspirations continues to gain momentum at leading corporations and cities across the globe. After a lifetime of NYC winters, Richard finally defected to Santa Cruz, CA. where he plays bass in his new Surf band.

Christine Osekoski

Sr. Consultant, Media & Entertainment

Christine established and is currently leading Live Nation’s first Agency Partnerships practice to advocate and create excitement for live music and the innovative ways brands can leverage the intimacy of music at scale.  Christine is building Live Nation on a career spanning agency account management, Fast Company Publisher and iHeartMedia agency and industry partnerships. Christine serves as an Advisor to the founder of BRANDthro innovating at the intersection of emotional data and consumer insights.

Prior to joining iHeartMedia, Christine was the groundbreaking and award-winning Publisher at Fast Company. She was responsible for driving the Fast Company brand while leading its advertising sales, marketing and promotions. Christine’s roles at Fast Company evolved since her joining, serving progressively as National Sales Director and Publisher. She was instrumental in the title’s remarkable reinvention following the purchase by Morningstar’s Founder and CEO Joe Mansueto. During Christine’s time as Publisher, Fast Company’s revenue quadrupled and its media franchise expanded to five advertising supported content streams, and across all devices. The rapid succession of innovative steps culminated in Fast Company being named “Magazine of the Year” by ASME and named to AdWeek’s Hot list three consecutive years (2008 –- 2010) and to AdAge’s A List in 2008. Personally, Christine was named one of Media Industry News’ 21 Most Intriguing People.

Before joining Fast Company, Christine was a leading sales executive at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (Car and Driver and Road & Track). Christine broke into media at Parade Magazine.

A lifetime Girl Scout (literally), being one of the first Gold Award recipients in the State of New York she continues to be supportive of the organization. An avid environmentalist and animal activist, she was a member of the governing board of Chicago’s Anti-Cruelty Society (working with the Chicago Police Department and the Anti-Cruelty Society, responsible for the establishment Anti-Dog-Fighting crime units in all police precincts). She sits on the board of trustees for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Russel Wohlwerth

Sr. Consultant & Partner, RRH 

For more than 20 years, Russel has been advising companies around the world on all aspects of marketing agency supplier management. He is a serial entrepreneur who was an owner of Select Resources, a founding partner of Ark Advisors, and founder of External View.

 Russel started his career as a copywriter but discovered his true calling was in account management. His first job was with McCann Erickson, but he spent the majority of his advertising career at DDB where he was a Senior Vice President, Group Account Director.

 Russel’s consulting approach was profoundly shaped by his experience working with marketers that were in the throes of deregulation and structural change – airlines, healthcare, telecommunications, banking, and energy. Working in uncharted territory and creating solutions for never-seen-before problems has proven to be a great foundation for helping companies cope with the volatility of modern marketing.

 While best known as a “search consultant” because of the 250+ searches he has conducted, Russel sees marketing agency supplier management as a complex system involving much more than just firing and hiring agencies. Although he has conducted searches accounting for billions of dollars in billings, Russel’s greatest achievements have been revitalizing client-agency relationships, reengineering marketing departments and agency rosters, and bringing sanity to the marketing procurement discipline.

 Russel’s clients include Activision Blizzard, Adobe, BMW, CFA Institute, GSK, Hallmark, HP, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Major League Soccer, Nintendo, National Football League, Oracle, Porsche, Pringles, Sanofi, SAP, Charles Schwab, Sunkist, Toyota, Visa, VW, Wells Fargo Bank, and many others. Russel has conducted more than 30 complex global consulting assignments and searches including several prominent international media reviews.

 Russel is an active supporter of industry trade associations. In addition to his involvement with the 4A’s, he also works with the American Marketing Association (AMA), Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), and the World Advertising Federation (WAF).