Thomas Gensemer

Thomas Gensemer joined PPHC after nearly 20 years in the advertising, public affairs and political/advocacy campaigns. From 2005-2013 he served as the CEO and Managing Partner of Blue State Digital (BSD) where he led the agency from its early founding through years of rapid growth and client diversification until its ultimate acquisition by WPP in late 2011. In 2014, Thomas was named Chief Strategy Officer for Burson-Marsteller, one of the world’s largest public relations networks and another WPP company. Here he oversaw a portfolio of global clients and led the firm’s research, analytics, and creative functions. Since departing WPP in 2018, Thomas has focused on private investments and advisory roles within the marketing services, hospitality, real estate and non-profit sectors. He continues professional involvement in organizations including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Kasita, a new hospitality start-up, and Court Avenue, a digital transformation agency. In 2019, he joined PPHC as an advisor and assumed his current role in 2020 Thomas serves on the boards of the Public Goods Projects (PGP), the Purpose Foundation, the It Gets Better Campaign, and is a longtime advisor to the Family Equality Council. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his partner Gabriel and two dogs.