Greenough Communications, a leading independent marketing and PR firm, today announced that Ben Godley has joined the company as President. Godley brings more than 30 years of executive management and marketing experience to the newly created role to help support Greenough’s growing portfolio of national clients in the healthcare, life sciences, technology, professional services, consumer and non-profit sectors.
Godley was previously the CEO and co-founder of CDP, a WGBH-owned public benefit corporation providing marketing, technology, data analytics and fundraising services to 230 public media stations and managing $110M in annual donations. For ten years prior, Godley was the COO of WGBH, the country’s largest public television content producer.
“I’ve known Ben well as a client and former colleague and I am thrilled to bring his experience and skills in business strategy, brand-building, service innovation and problem solving to our roster of leading clients,” said Phil Greenough, founder and CEO of Greenough Communications. “Ben will help us grow the agency and deepen our value to the clients who entrust us as storytellers and stewards of their brands.”
“I’m delighted to work again with Phil and his incredibly talented team in helping a diverse set of powerhouse clients achieve ambitious outcomes,” said Godley. “Returning to my roots in public relations, corporate strategy and marketing counsel has been a goal for some time and joining Greenough was the ideal environment.”
During his 10 years as COO of WGBH, Godley was responsible for corporate strategy and day-to-day operational management of the $240M, 900 employee educational non-profit. Under his leadership, WGBH increased its operating revenue and endowment to record levels and created new initiatives and businesses to strengthen the company and overall public media system. As COO, Godley oversaw WGBH’s regional television, radio and digital services and led the investment and significant expansion of their local newsroom and broadcast journalism services.
He joined WGBH in 2008 as Executive Vice President, was named COO in 2010 and was additionally named President of Business Services in 2017. Godley led the organization’s participation in the 2017 FCC spectrum auction and negotiated a local channel sharing partnership with a national broadcast network. These activities resulted in nearly $300M in new capital to the WGBH endowment. He oversaw the acquisition of radio station WCRB, initiated partnerships such as a model outsourcing alliance with New Hampshire PBS, a corporate affiliation with PRI and PRX, and the acquisition of GlobalPost. Godley also extended WGBH’s community presence by negotiating a first-ever broadcast facility inside the Boston Public Library.
Prior to joining WGBH, Godley served as Senior Advisor and Deputy National Finance Director with Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign and on the senior staff of the governor as the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Commonwealth. He was co-founder and CEO of the award-winning agency CGN Marketing & Creative Services (Cohn Godley Norwood), later sold to Epsilon.
Godley has served in a variety of capacities on several boards including the Massachusetts Children's Trust, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boston Medical Center, roundCorner and RadioPublic. He currently serves on the board of Rand Capital Corporation (Nasdaq: RAND).
About Greenough
Greenough Communications is a Boston-based strategic communications firm that builds and strengthens brands through the power of storytelling. Since 1999, the award-winning agency has helped clients better connect with their customers, channels and partners to more cost-effectively achieve their marketing and business goals. Greenough’s integrated marketing approach leverages earned, paid, owned and shared content across a range of communications disciplines, including media and influencer relations, reputation management, social media, digital marketing, and demand generation. To learn about our services, visit http://www.greenough.biz.
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Contacts:
cwilliamson@greenough.biz
