Sydney, Australia — Hotwire Global has appointed Grant Toups as its new global chief executive officer, as the communications and marketing consultancy marks its 25th anniversary. Toups will take up the position in January 2026.
Toups brings with him more than 20 years of experience in public relations, marketing, and executive leadership, aligning with Hotwire’s focus on innovation.
The company has built a 25-year track record working with leading technology brands on reputation management and revenue growth, supported by capabilities in generative AI and predictive data intelligence to enhance campaign performance.
Toups commented, “AI is here to stay, and it’s forcing every client to transform, to innovate, and to communicate a compelling tech-powered value prop. This transition demands that every company learn how to navigate this complex and dynamic tech reality. Hotwire and ROI·DNA’s heritage connecting innovation with storytelling for some of the world’s most notable technology brands positions it perfectly to be the partner of choice for this new era.”
“I couldn’t be more proud or excited to join this exceptional team of professionals as we strive to unlock exponentially more value for clients through creativity, innovation, and intelligence,” he added.
Moreover, Ian Ball, CEO of Enero Group, welcomed the appointment, stating, “Grant is a proven international leader at the forefront of comms-tech, AI, and marketing transformation. He brings the perfect blend of strategic vision, deep sector expertise, and operational leadership to accelerate Hotwire and ROI·DNA’s growth. His appointment marks an exciting next chapter for the business; strengthening our momentum, expanding capabilities, and driving the next wave of innovation for clients navigating an increasingly complex, tech-driven world.”
The announcement follows a period of growth for Hotwire Global, including ROI·DNA securing its largest client win to date with Qualtrics, and the recent appointment of Charlotte Harvey as managing director of Hotwire UK.
The consultancy has also seen rising demand for its proprietary AI-driven tools, Hotwire Spark and Hotwire Ignite, designed to help brands understand and influence their visibility across AI ecosystems and generate data-led insights for strategic decision-making.
Toups joins Hotwire from Burson, where he served as global chief digital & intelligence officer, overseeing social and digital media, paid and performance media, and data and intelligence teams across more than 40 countries. During his time there, he developed new methods for measuring the financial impact of reputation, advanced monitoring technologies, redefined crisis preparedness, and modernised predictive measurement capabilities.
Before joining Burson, Toups held the role of global chief technology officer at Hill & Knowlton. There, he established global centres of excellence in seven cities and introduced data-driven tools for risk prediction, reputation measurement, and performance insight, while contributing to WPP’s PR-segment AI strategy.
