5W appoints Santos Goni as CFO ahead of agency’s 25th anniversary
5W has appointed Santos Goni as chief financial officer as the independent PR, creative and AI Visibility agency approaches its 25th anniversary. The agency says Goni will support its next phase of growth as more brands seek to appear in AI-generated recommendations, which 5W calls “the chatbox.”
- Santos Goni is joining 5W as chief financial officer.
- He most recently served as CFO for Latin America and the Caribbean at WPP Media.
- 5W says it helps brands appear in AI answers where customers seek recommendations.
- The agency is approaching its 25th anniversary and was founded in 2003.
- Goni studied at Florida International University and speaks four languages.
Goni brings media and communications finance experience
Goni joins 5W with more than two decades of financial and operational leadership experience across global media, communications and multinational businesses. He most recently served as chief financial officer for Latin America and the Caribbean at WPP Media, where his responsibilities included finance, human resources, information technology, legal and commercial finance.
Earlier in his career, Goni held finance, audit and compliance leadership roles at Willis Towers Watson, Kimberly-Clark, LVMH and British American Tobacco. According to 5W, he has led complex business transformations and strategic acquisitions, built high-performing teams and strengthened business operations.
Goni studied economics and business administration at Florida International University. He is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
5W links appointment to AI Visibility growth
5W said the appointment comes as the agency celebrates 25 years in business and expands its PR, creative and AI Visibility practices. The company describes AI Visibility as work designed to help clients get into “the chatbox,” meaning the AI answers where customers now ask for recommendations.
Ronn Torossian, 5W’s founder and chairman, said in the company announcement: “We get clients into the chatbox.” He added that Goni understands “the economics of media and communications from the inside” and said his experience and entrepreneurial mindset would benefit the agency’s clients and team.
Goni said in the announcement that helping clients win in the chatbox is “one of the biggest growth opportunities in our industry.” He said he plans to work with the leadership team to support 5W’s people, strengthen its financial foundation and help the agency continue growing.
An expanded finance role at an independent agency
5W presents Goni’s role as part of its effort to build the financial and operational foundation for its next stage. The company describes his leadership style as strategic and hands-on, with a focus on working with chief executives and business leaders to drive growth, improve profitability and build long-term foundations.
Founded in 2003, 5W is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has offices in New York, Miami and Tampa. The agency works with Fortune 500, Fortune 1000 and Inc. 500 companies, and has itself been named to the Inc. 500.
5W says it performs its work in-house, including media relations, creative, video production, social media and content, supported by proprietary technology. Goni’s appointment gives that expanding service mix a finance executive with experience across media, communications and multinational operations, according to the company.
