Abernathy MacGregor, a leading strategic communications firm, today announced that Carl D. Folta has joined the firm as senior counselor. Mr. Folta most recently served as the Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications for Viacom Inc., where he worked in various communications roles for more than two decades.

"Carl's extraordinary knowledge, expertise and relationships throughout the corporate community are very additive to our own, and will reinforce our firm's position at the forefront of strategic communications for global and U.S. companies," said Tom Johnson, chief executive officer of Abernathy MacGregor. "Our clients will benefit from his decades of experience in all facets of public relations, and especially from his intricate knowledge of the media industry and issues facing those companies in the current environment."

"Abernathy MacGregor advises corporate leaders during some of their companies' critical moments – from mergers and acquisitions and shareholder activism to crises and litigation – and I'm pleased to be joining the firm, which I have long admired," said Mr. Folta. "I am excited about working with the outstanding team at Abernathy MacGregor and I look forward to using my skills, experience and insight to benefit the firm and its clients."

During his tenure at Viacom from 1994 to 2016, Mr. Folta served as the company's chief public relations strategist and spokesperson, responsible for overall communications activities, both internally and externally, as well as the coordination of communications at its global operations, which include a diverse television network portfolio and its film studio, Paramount Pictures. He oversaw all financial communications, media relations activities for industry issues and public affairs, communications in support of regulatory and legal affairs, and programs in support of Viacom's overall corporate and digital marketing efforts.

Mr. Folta also was responsible for the company's philanthropic activities and corporate social responsibility programs. He was the architect of the groundbreaking KNOW HIV/Aids campaign, a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning cross-platform public education partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, which he helped launch in 2003. In addition, Mr. Folta created and oversaw Viacom's partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Get Schooled, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to renewing the promise of education in America, which builds awareness about public education reform and works to raise lagging high school and college graduation rates.

Mr. Folta joined Viacom in April 1994 from Paramount Communications, Inc., where he had been since 1984 with progressively increasing responsibility for corporate communications. He began his career at Ruder & Finn, an independent PR firm, in 1979. A graduate of Boston University's College of Communication, Mr. Folta was presented with the school's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998. He teaches graduate-level classes in Communication as an Adjunct Professor at the New York University School of Professional Studies. Mr. Folta serves on the Boards of several non-profit organizations, including Literacy Inc. and Staying Alive Foundation and is a Trustee of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

About Abernathy MacGregor

Abernathy MacGregor (AMG) (abmac.com) is a leading strategic communications firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston. It provides strategic communications counsel and services to companies large and small, public and private, typically in times of transition. Since 1984, AMG has brought to every engagement superior, customized communications planning, 24/7 hands-on implementation and an intensely collaborative and high-energy commitment to our clients. Abernathy MacGregor is a founding member of AMO (amo-global.com), the leading global partnership of corporate and financial communications consultancies.