Cision CEO Cali Tran takes a new role

Cision CEO Cali Tran has changed roles, moving to the position of chairman less than two years after he was hired as chief executive, the media and communications platform confirmed this week. 

“The transition has occurred, and Cali has moved into his role as chairman,” the company said in a statement. “This reflects our official position on the transition, and we won’t be sharing further details beyond what’s been provided.” 

Cision named CFO Prasant Gondipalli as interim CEO as it searches for a permanent replacement, the spokesperson said.

“The company remains focused on its strategic goals, and Prasant Gondipalli will be stepping in as interim CEO to maintain our momentum while we search for a permanent replacement,” the statement said. 

Tran joined Cision as CEO in January 2023. He was also appointed president and CEO of Brandwatch, a Cision company and media analytics platform. Brandwatch promoted Channing Ferrer to global president as part of leadership changes designed to increase growth last month.

As CEO of Cision, Tran replaced Platinum Equity MD Brandon Crawley, who had served as interim chief executive following the departure of Abel Clark in February 2022.

Private equity firm Platinum Equity completed its $2.7 billion acquisition of Cision in January 2020. 

Platinum Equity revealed to some lenders that it created a new holding company on November 1, Bloomberg reported this week. The decision was interpreted by some lenders as the initial step before an asset sale or collateral transfer, according to Bloomberg. 

Cision is shutting down its Connectively platform, formerly known as HARO or Help A Reporter Out, on December 9, it said on its website.