Founder/President
Andy McGowan is a senior-level strategic communications executive with more than 30 years’ experience across several high-profile brands and industries. A lecturer on trust in communications, Andy helps his clients to protect and enhance reputations and build relationships with key audiences.
Before founding Watkins McGowan in 2015, he spent his career in leadership roles at companies including UPS, Qualcomm, Red Bull, and the National Hockey League.
Andy served as the Director of Media Relations and Brand Reputation for UPS, a Fortune 50 company. In his role, he led a team that was responsible for external media relations, financial communications, brand reputation, mergers and acquisition, safety, labor, technology, corporate sustainability, issues management and crisis communications.
Prior to joining UPS, Andy headed communications and marketing for Qualcomm’s Firethorn Mobile unit that developed mobile technology and mobile payment applications.
He also served as the Vice President, Communications and Community Relations for Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer. There he oversaw all aspects of team communications – internal and external communications, television and radio broadcasting, web content and social media – throughout the historic construction and launch of Red Bull Arena, one of the top soccer-specific stadiums in North America.
Andy was also a Clinical Instructor in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University where he lectures on the importance of trust in business for both the MBA and undergraduate business programs. He has also been a faculty member at four other universities: The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, George Washington University, the University of Hartford and Iona College.