PRA Taps Sharon Crichton as COO in Strategic Push for Innovation

CHICAGO, IL – February 10, 2026 – In a significant move underscoring a commitment to operational excellence and creative innovation, PRA, a leader in the U.S. business events industry, today announced the appointment of Sharon Crichton as its new Chief Operating Officer. Crichton, an industry heavyweight with over three decades of global experience, joins PRA from Jack Morton Worldwide, where she served as COO for one of the world's premier brand experience agencies. Her appointment is a clear signal of PRA's strategy to fortify its leadership and enhance its service capabilities nationwide.

This high-profile hire is more than a simple change in the C-suite; it represents a deliberate investment in a leader known for seamlessly integrating creative vision with rigorous operational discipline. As the business events landscape continues its rapid evolution, Crichton's arrival suggests PRA is positioning itself not just to adapt, but to lead the charge in defining the future of corporate and brand experiences.

A Strategic Play for Operational Dominance

For over 40 years, PRA has built a reputation as a trusted destination management partner, growing its footprint across the U.S. through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, such as its 2018 acquisition of creative agency One Smooth Stone. Such growth often brings the challenge of integrating diverse services and cultures into a cohesive, efficient whole. Crichton’s mandate directly addresses this, placing her at the helm of operational strategy across PRA's key service lines: Destination, Creative, Production, and Digital.

Her primary focus will be to enhance efficiencies, drive profitability, and foster innovation across the organization. This involves building scalable systems, implementing disciplined financial planning, and ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for clients from coast to coast. By tasking Crichton with strengthening the integration of its service lines, PRA is aiming to create a more powerful, streamlined engine capable of delivering complex, multi-faceted event solutions at scale. This move is designed to translate the company's broad capabilities into unified, impactful client outcomes.

PRA Chief Executive Officer, Ariane Coldiron, emphasized the strategic value of Crichton's expertise. "Sharon's depth of experience in experiential marketing and her proven ability to scale operations globally bring tremendous value to PRA," Coldiron shared. "She has a remarkable talent for turning insights into action and for building systems that support both creativity and value. Her global perspective, operational strength, and people-first leadership style are instrumental as we continue to expand service capabilities that elevate our entire organization."

Redefining the Experiential Landscape

Crichton's extensive background at Jack Morton Worldwide places her at the forefront of experiential marketing, a field that has become central to brand engagement. Her arrival at PRA signals a deeper infusion of this discipline into the core of business events. In an era where audiences demand more than just logistical perfection, the focus is shifting toward creating memorable, immersive, and personalized moments. This is precisely where Crichton's experience becomes a transformative asset.

The modern events industry is being reshaped by powerful trends, including the normalization of hybrid events, the integration of AI for personalization, and the use of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) to create immersive experiences. Crichton’s track record involves leading teams that delivered award-winning results by uniting data-driven insights with high-impact creative. Her new role will involve championing new approaches in experiential, production, and digital capabilities, directly aligning PRA with these forward-looking industry shifts.

Her appointment suggests PRA is looking to move beyond traditional destination management and become a full-service partner in crafting holistic brand narratives. By leveraging technology and creative storytelling, the company is poised to help clients create events that not only run smoothly but also resonate deeply with attendees, drive engagement, and deliver measurable business impact. Crichton herself noted this potential, stating, "PRA has long been a trusted partner to leading brands, creating experiences that connect people and drive real business impact. Together, we'll build on PRA's strong foundation, elevate our capabilities, and continue delivering work that inspires and delivers strong business results."

The 'Power Hire' and a People-First Vision

Attracting a leader of Crichton's stature is also a significant statement about a company's culture and ambition. In an industry reliant on talent, creativity, and collaboration, leadership is a key differentiator. The press release highlights Crichton’s “collaborative leadership style” and her ability to build environments where teams feel “empowered, aligned, and supported.”

This “people-first” approach is critical for fostering the innovation PRA seeks. By championing workforce development and expanding professional networks in key markets, Crichton is tasked not only with optimizing systems but also with cultivating the human talent that powers them. Creating a cohesive and motivated culture is essential for retaining top-tier event professionals and creatives, which in turn translates to superior service and more innovative solutions for clients.

This focus on talent and culture signals that PRA understands that operational excellence and creative breakthroughs are not mutually exclusive but are, in fact, deeply intertwined. An empowered and aligned team is more agile, more creative, and better equipped to tackle the complex challenges of modern event production. Crichton’s reputation for fostering such environments aligns perfectly with PRA's stated values and its long-term growth strategy.

A Broader Industry Shift Toward Integrated Leadership

PRA’s decision to hire a COO with deep roots in both operations and creative brand experience is reflective of a wider trend across multiple industries. Companies are increasingly recognizing that the modern COO role extends beyond traditional logistics and efficiency. In sectors from digital media to technology, leaders are appointing COOs who can bridge the gap between platforms, content, and operations.

These new-era COOs are tasked with scaling integrated business models where digital services, creative content, and experiential platforms converge. Crichton’s appointment places PRA squarely within this strategic vanguard. Her role is designed to ensure that as the company’s creative, digital, and production capabilities expand, its operational backbone is strong and flexible enough to support them. This holistic approach is essential for competing in a market where clients expect seamless, end-to-end solutions.

By bringing in Crichton, PRA is not just filling a position but making a strategic declaration about its future. The move indicates a commitment to building a resilient, integrated, and forward-thinking organization capable of navigating the complexities of the modern business events industry. With this new leadership in place, PRA is well-positioned to enhance its market leadership by delivering events that are not only flawlessly executed but also strategically insightful and creatively inspiring.