Brian J. Kennedy is a senior managing director in the
FTI Consulting Strategic Communications practice and is based in Washington, DC. He serves as the global head of the Energy & Natural Resources sector.
Experience
Mr. Kennedy has driven strategic communications initiatives across the globe, overseeing energy-focused teams in financial communications, public affairs, crisis management, and corporate communications. Under his leadership the Energy & Natural Resources sector in the U.S. has grown to be a market leader in oil and gas consulting.
Mr. Kennedy has been key in the development of comprehensive communications platforms for influential players in the energy industry, integrating a cross-practice, multi-disciplinary approach to address issues of growth, change, and regulatory challenges facing the sector. Mr. Kennedy has notably applied his expertise on behalf of drilling contractor Transocean as a key spokesman and leader in the development of a communications platform following the April 2010 Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Kennedy has also worked closely with Energy in Depth, Noble Energy, Shell Oil Company, Halliburton and the Independence Petroleum Association of America, among other leading energy companies.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Kennedy was a founding member of the Washington, D.C. office of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), a not-for-profit foundation focused on the advancement of free market energy policy. Before that, Mr. Kennedy filled several senior positions on Capitol Hill as advisor and spokesman for both Members of Congress and committees with a focus on energy policy. After spending six years in the office of U.S. Representative George Radanovich (R-CA) serving as communications director, Mr. Kennedy spent the latter years of his career on Capitol Hill as deputy chief of staff and communications director for the House Committee on Resources and as press secretary for the current Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-OH).
At the Committee on Resources, Mr. Kennedy fulfilled the role of senior advisor to the committee chairman on all matters of policy, personnel, budget, communications, and strategy. He also led strategic communications efforts for the Speaker’s Task force For Affordable Natural Gas and the House Energy Action Team (HEAT). In the office of the House Republican Leader, Mr. Kennedy served as chief spokesman and liaison to the national media for the House Minority Leader and oversaw messaging initiatives on national priorities such as the War on Terror, energy, budget and tax policies.
In 2010, Mr. Kennedy was named one of Washington’s 20 “New Power Players” by National Journal, and is currently listed as an “Energy Insider.” Mr. Kennedy holds a B.A. in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross.