President and CEO
Ben Brugler is a strategic communications advisor and agency leader with more than 25 years of experience helping companies navigate complex business, reputation and communication challenges. As president and CEO of Akhia, Ben works primarily with manufacturing organizations and their leaders, helping them make better decisions, communicate with greater confidence and turn business challenges into clear, actionable strategies.
Ben is known for bringing a business-first perspective to communications. His work extends well beyond traditional marketing and public relations, often helping executive teams address challenges involving reputation, organizational change, crisis preparedness and response, cybersecurity incidents, market positioning, stakeholder communications and emerging business risks. His ability to quickly understand a complicated situation, identify what matters most and create a path forward has made him a trusted advisor to executives across a wide range of manufacturing industries.
Crisis communication has become an increasingly important part of Ben’s work. He has counseled organizations through cybersecurity incidents, operational disruptions, sensitive employee and stakeholder issues, product and reputational challenges, helping leadership teams prepare for difficult scenarios and communicate effectively when the stakes are highest. His approach centers on creating clarity before, during and after a crisis—ensuring organizations understand not only what to say, but what decisions need to be made, who needs to be involved and how communication can protect trust.
Throughout his career, Ben has helped evolve Akhia from a traditional communications agency into a strategic resource for manufacturing companies facing increasingly interconnected business and marketing challenges. Today, his work includes advising organizations on growth strategy, sales enablement, AI and the future of communications, executive positioning, organizational communications and the changing ways customers discover, evaluate and trust companies.