Independently owned marketing communications agency The Brandware Group has appointed former Cox Automotive public relations executive Lou Laste as agency chief executive officer.

Laste, whose appointment is effective Sept. 9, will lead all agency strategy and operations at The Brandware Group, which is headquartered in Atlanta and provides public relations, social media, digital marketing, and content and marketing services.

Laste’s areas of oversight will include talent development, agency culture, client business, service innovation and business development.

His 25 years of experience has involved creation and management of communications teams, and he has helped build public relations, digital and marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 and automotive, technology and media brands.

He most recently started and grew a boutique communications firm, and the company specialized in B2B technology and automotive clients. Those clients will now join Brandware’s consumer and B2B client community.

Before he created the communications company, Laste worked in executive marketing communications positions at companies such as Cox and Verizon.

“Brandware’s unique in-house analytics and insights expertise, world-class clients, and highly responsive team were just a few reasons that made the choice to join the agency an easy one,” Laste said in a news release. “Brandware has the right resources to help marketers authentically differentiate their brand and product stories, and that's a foundation that I'm excited to build on.”

Elke Martin, who co-founded Brandware in 2002, said, “Lou's track record of building high-impact, multi-channel campaigns that are grounded in brand truth aligns perfectly with Brandware’s agency vision for creating client success. His reputation for creating a best-in-class workplace culture and developing top talent is also a critical asset as we continue to grow.”  

Brandware co-founder and partner David Krysiek added, “We’re absolutely confident that Lou is the right person to lead Brandware well into the next decade, adding a new chapter to our nearly 20 years of success.”