Company
After spending most of our careers leading marketing and communications for some of the biggest names in finance and fintech, we saw a gap in the agency landscape. Too often, the agencies we worked with lacked the industry fluency and strategic depth required to move the needle. In 2016, we founded Forefront Communications to fill that need.
Today, Forefront is an award-winning marketing and communications partner for fintech and capital markets firms. We’re a team of former CMOs, journalists and agency leaders who think like industry insiders, bringing an unmatched understanding of the industry and the business models that drive institutional finance.
Part PR, part content, part digital marketing and part design, Forefront scales to meet clients where they are – from startups building their brands from scratch to global firms navigating high-stakes product launches, rebrands and crises. Our approach combines rock-solid foundational messaging and exceptional design with expert strategy and program execution to deliver precise, impactful and measurable results.
Managing Partner
Managing Partner
Vice President
Senior Vice President
Executive Vice President
Vice President
Head of Creative
Ragan
Fintech Marketing North America Awards
PRNEWS
PR Week
Bulldog PR Awards
Bulldog PR Awards
Bulldog PR Awards
Bulldog PR Awards
Bulldog PR Awards
Senior Account Executive
Associate
Account Executive
Forefront’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program reflects our commitment to making an impact beyond the workplace. Grounded in our team members’ individual passions, the program brings us together to support causes that matter – from environmental conservation to community outreach and fundraising initiatives.
Managing Partner
Over his 20+ year career, Mark has worked with a wide swath of institutional fintech brands on projects spanning the marketing and communications spectrum. Prior to founding Forefront, Mark built REDI’s marketing platform following its spinout from Goldman Sachs. Before that, he spent nearly a decade as global head of marketing and communications for Nomura’s Instinet subsidiary, helping reposition its brand from ECN to technology-enabled agency broker. Along the way he also helped launch the firm’s Chi-X exchange businesses globally.
In his free time Mark enjoys hiking throughout the Catskills with his wife and two kids, playing (mostly poorly) Ultimate Frisbee and noodling (entirely poorly) on the guitar.
Managing Partner
Eric brings 25 years of financial services and fintech marketing and communications experience to Forefront Communications. Prior to co-founding Forefront, Eric served as CMO of several industry-leading firms, running the global marketing, PR and communications activities at Macgregor, ClariFI, NYFIX, Trepp, BondDesk Group and Convergex. Eric helped these businesses succeed in highly competitive markets by implementing cost-effective and creative programs that drove revenues, built client loyalty and strengthened brands.
In his free time, Eric enjoys spending time with his wife and two children in addition to playing any competitive game or sport, but mostly tennis, platform tennis and golf.
Vice President
Sam leads Forefront’s content practice area. In this role, he serves as Forefront’s lead writer and editor, helping clients tell their stories through compelling thought leadership, case studies, whitepapers, sales materials, social media, websites, videos, podcasts and beyond. He has worked with firms spanning virtually every corner of the capital markets and institutional fintech space. In addition to client work, Sam serves as the editorial director of the At the Forefront podcast.
Before joining Forefront, Sam was a journalist whose work appeared on Business Insider, Golf.com and a number of other outlets. He has a B.A. from Fordham University, where he double majored in Journalism and History. In his free time, Sam enjoys writing, live music, exploring NYC and tinkering with his fantasy football lineup.
Senior Vice President
Erin is a marketing and communications leader with experience across private and non-profit companies at different stages of maturity in both B2B and B2C. Prior to joining as SVP, Account Management at Forefront Communications, Erin served as the Global Head of Marketing at Visible Alpha, an investment research technology firm that was acquired by S&P Global in 2024. Erin holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her free time, Erin enjoys experimenting with recipes from the New York Times Cooking app and getting her heart rate up at Orangetheory Fitness.
Executive Vice President
Throughout his 20+ year career, Jed has provided strategic counsel and execution across a wide range of marketing and communications disciplines for institutional fintech companies large and small. Jed has a mix of in-house and agency experience, developing and managing a host of comprehensive communications, messaging, marketing, branding and media programs.
Through the years, Jed has worked with some of the most recognizable brands in fintech, including Tradeweb, Fidessa, FIS, NEX/CME, Nasdaq, ITG, NICE Actimize, Sungard and TP ICAP. Early in his career, Jed spent time as a journalist, writing and editing for Waters Technology.
A native of Seattle, Jed has spent the past two decades living in Brooklyn, where he spends most of his free time in Prospect Park, roaming the trails and playing baseball with his son.
Vice President
Amanda leads Forefront’s digital marketing practice with a strong focus on HubSpot, organic/paid social and Forefront’s brand projects. She plays an active role in expanding the Forefront brand, which includes the firm’s marketing efforts, digital presence and overall team growth.
Prior to Forefront, Amanda worked at Aspectus Group, where she executed media relations campaigns, managed clients’ social media platforms and developed thought leadership content. Amanda is a proud alumna of the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She also holds a Master of Corporate and Marketing Communications degree from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.
Outside of the office, Amanda can be found doing absolutely everything with her rescue dog, Luna (also known as Tuna). She loves Spain, Alabama football and anything with sugar in it.
Head of Creative
Thomas brings nearly two decades of professional experience in the areas of creative direction, visual design and consumer communication, working with Fortune 500 brands including Amazon, Procter & Gamble, 3M, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Verizon, Target, T-Mobile, TDBank, Mercedes-Benz and Ducati. In the fintech world, Thomas has led the visual components of rebranding efforts for Forefront client’s Broadway Technology, Broadridge, Castle Island Ventures, Dash Financial, EDX Markets, HiddenRoad, LiquidityBook, MayStreet, Talos, Tower Research, Trillium and Versana, among others.
Senior Account Executive
A graduate of the City College of New York with a degree in Communications, Minhaaj is a Senior Account Executive on the Forefront team, supporting the media relations practice. He brings a broad media relations skillset from his previous agency experience, where he led media outreach for corporate and financial clients securing news coverage and executive broadcast interviews. In his free time, he enjoys exploring NYC for the latest trending food spots.
Favorite hobbies?
Cooking TikTok recipes and binge-watching Netflix.
Why do I love NYC?
You never know who or what you’ll encounter while out exploring.
Where to find me when I’m not in the office or #WFH?
Dining at K-Town.
Vanilla or Chocolate?
Both with plenty of mix-ins!
Plan It or Wing It?
Plan to wing it.
Call or Text?
Text – embrace the green bubbles!
Associate
Sam brings both journalism and marketing experience to the Associate position, where he primarily contributes to the content and digital teams. Prior to Forefront, he spent time covering the Knicks for Vox Media/SB Nation, and was a marketing intern at a payments-focused fintech. He holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In his free time, he enjoys commiserating about New York sports teams, reading, and spending time outside.
First Job?
Counselor at a sleepaway camp in Ontario. Including my time as a camper, I spent seven summers up north.
Death Row Last Meal?
Annie’s Mac and Cheese. Shells and White Cheddar. You can’t go wrong.
Guilty Pleasure?
Early 2010s pop music.
Early Bird or Night Owl?
Night owl. Let’s remove the stigma around getting things done late at night.
Vanilla or Chocolate?
Anything with chocolate chips in it.
Summer or Winter?
As long as the sun is out, it doesn’t matter.
Account Executive
Piper is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, holding a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in creative technology and design. She brings agency experience, a passion for brand strategy and web design and development skills to the Forefront digital marketing team. In her free time, you can find Piper exploring NYC, running, biking or getting immersed in sci-fi and fantasy media and books.
First concert?
Hannah Montana
Worst job?
4 am shifts at the bakery
Favorite movie?
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate
Mountains or Beach?
Mountains (on a powder day)
Plan it or wing it?
Plan it with a side of wing it
