Chris Winans joined Kimball Hughes Public Relations as a consultant in October.

Kimball Hughes Public Relations, specializing in insurance, real estate, law, trade associations and other niche industry communications, today announces Chris Winans has joined the organization as a consultant. Winans most recently led Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ U.S. financial services communications practice.

Winans has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist, a Wall Street financial analyst, a corporate and crisis communications advisor, and a C-suite thought-leadership strategist. He has advised financial services companies – including global life and non-life insurers, banks, asset managers and management consultants, among others – in both in-house and agency roles.

“We’ve built a strong insurance practice over the past two decades, and Chris’s reputation as a leader in corporate and crisis communications in the insurance and financial sectors will help us expand the scope of our services,” said Gary Kimball, agency president and founder. “Chris has helped firms manage reputation risk through the turmoil of deregulation, the dot.com and real-estate busts, the Great Recession and sweeping re-regulation. We look forward to adding this experience and expertise to our financial services team.”

Winans spent more than two decades as a journalist, including 10 years at The Wall Street Journal, and 12 years in corporate and crisis communications, including senior roles at AIG and AXA. He also spent five years as an insurance industry equity analyst, including Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers, and nine years in financial regulation, including A.M. Best Company and Promontory Financial Group.

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Kimball Hughes PR,” Winans said. “The firm’s expertise and decades of specialization is a rare find in the PR arena. Together, I’m sure we’ll be able to deliver exceptional value that just doesn’t exist elsewhere.”