PRovoke Global 2022

Farzana Baduel

CEO, Curzon PR

Farzana is the CEO of Curzon PR. She co-founded it in 2009, having previously run an accountancy firm and serving as Vice-Chair of Business Relations for the UK Conservative Party.

She is a PR expert working across government, corporate, consumer and cultural issues. 

She has particular expertise in strategic communications, and champions the power of PR as a dynamic force for building bridges and unifying the world’s voices into a global narrative. Her other specialisms include crisis communications and public affairs.

She is a media commentator on PR, diversity and female leadership and has written for or contributed to BBC Newsnight, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, the Financial Times, Forbes and PR Week

Farzana lectures around the world, with previous engagements for KPMG, The Guardian Media Summit, the House of Commons, University of Oxford and many others.

An experienced mentor and tutor, she is Resident Public Relations expert and Ambassador for the Oxford Foundry, the University of Oxford’s entrepreneurship centre. She has also delivered talks for Saïd Business School, King’s College London and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations(CIPR). She holds a fellowship at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and is a chartered PR professional with CIPR.

With a strong interest in charitable work and increasing diversity and equality, she is a trustee of the British Asian Trust, a charity that tackles poverty and injustice in South Asia, and an ambassador for the National Black Women’s Network.

Her many awards include Businesswoman of the Year at the Muslim Awards, Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, a PR PRO Globe award and the Media Professional of the Year at the AMA Awards.

Gil Bashe

Managing Partner, Chair Global Health & Purpose, Finn Partners

Where people face life-threatening challenges – from ill health or social disparities that block wellbeing and opportunity – Gil hears and answers their call to action. From battlefield to boardroom, he has been at the forefront in tackling people’s challenges. His experience in medicine, patient advocacy, and ecohealth create unique insight into public and planetary health priorities. Industry’s PM360 has recognized him with its Lifetime Achievement Honor and Inside PR (now PRovoke Media) with one of its earliest “All-Star” Awards.

Julian Boulding

President, thenetworkone

Julian began his career in advertising sales, before working in independent agencies in London. He then joined the DMB&B Group, now part of Publicis, where he spent fourteen years in a succession of senior roles. While with DMB&B, he lived and worked in UK, Europe, USA and Latin America, where he spent 3 years as Regional Client Service Director for Salles DMB&B in Brazil.’ During this time, he directed global advertising campaigns for companies like Procter & Gamble, M&M Mars, Avon and Philips Electronics, rising to be President, International for DMB&B’s sister network, NW Ayer.

In 2003, Julian left the world of traditional agency networks, to co-found thenetworkone.

Frank Bruni

Contributing opinion writer, New York Times

Frank Bruni has been a prominent journalist for more than three decades, including more than 25 years at The New York Times, the last 10 of them as a nationally renowned Op-Ed columnist who appeared frequently as a television commentator on CNN, Real Time with Bill Maher, MSBNC and more. He was previously a White House correspondent for the Times, its Rome bureau chief and, for five years, its chief restaurant critic.

Frank is also the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including, most recently, The Beauty of Dusk, which describes an extraordinary medical and emotional odyssey: He woke up one morning with blurry vision and later discovered that a stroke had destroyed the optic nerve in one of his eyes, leaving the other eye vulnerable to a similar fate and Frank at risk of total blindness. The Beauty of Dusk casts that experience as an inspirational education in vulnerability, resilience and optimism. It reached #5 on both the hardcover nonfiction and the combined print and e-book nonfiction bestseller lists and earned rave reviews from a range of people and publications including Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, People magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In July 2021, Frank became a full professor at Duke University, teaching media-oriented classes in the Sanford School of Public Policy. He continues to write his popular weekly newsletter for the Times and to produce occasional essays as one of the newspaper’s Contributing Opinion Writers. He lives in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Nick Burton

Group Strategy and M&A Director, Enero Group

Nick is a strategy and M&A executive, with experience driving strategic projects and complex M&A deals across a range of industries and geographies. 

Nick leads Corporate Strategy and Corporate Development at Enero Group. Listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, Enero is a global group of specialist marketing services businesses, with deep expertise in high-growth client verticals of Technology, Healthcare and Growth Consumer.

Nick’s strategy work encompasses working with the Enero Board and Executive team to define the Group’s corporate and portfolio strategy, as well as supporting the Group’s agency CEOs to define and execute their own business unit strategy. Nick also is responsible for discovering and negotiating with potential acquisition targets, leading the end-to-end deal and integration processes.

Prior to joining Enero, Nick worked for Bain & Company as a Senior Manager, leading consulting teams focused on strategy development for large corporations and private equity buyouts. His strategy experience covered corporate strategy, commercial strategy, product strategy, innovation strategy and sales GTM strategy, as well as leading operating model, organisational effectiveness and cost reduction programmes. Nick also worked on some of Australia’s largest private equity transactions, supporting clients to assess target markets, complete due diligence on targets and implement post-acquisition value creation plans.

Outside of work, Nick is an avid skier (and former ski instructor), surfer and family man. With 3 children under 5, he is embracing the chaos of family life and the shift to ‘zone defence’.

Kristin Cahill

Global CEO, GCI Health

Jo Carr

Co-Founder and Chief Client Officer, Hope&Glory PR

Jo is a co-founder and managing partner at Hope&Glory. She started the agency with James at the end of 2011 having previously worked with him at Seventy Seven PR, where she was also a managing partner. Jo has over twenty years PR experience, including a long stint at QBO. In recent months, her favourite pieces of work include IKEA’s Dining Club, as well as Deliveroo’s “Fior-egg-tina” – an indulgent, Creme Egg-inspired Pizza. Jo gets a kick out of making sure our clients are happy and ensuring the team are delivering their very best work. She is generally the voice of reason in the office, and is good at keeping everyone calm under pressure, a skill she attributes to having two very boisterous sons at home.

Jenna Clark

Head of Measurement and Insights, Google

Ephraim Cohen

Global Managing Director, Media + Platforms, FleishmanHillard

Ephraim Cohen is the global managing director of FleishmanHillard’s global Media and Platforms (M+P) practice, which brings media, social, digital and editorial content capabilities into a single, integrated global practice. As part of the M+P practice, Ephraim focuses on the business, communications strategy and professional development impact of emerging platforms and technologies, including metaverse platforms and Web3. He also leads the agency's data transformation strategy, designed to put advanced data tools directly in the hands of every counselor at FleishmanHillard. Prior to his current role, Ephraim was the general manager of FleishmanHillard in New York and oversaw the regional social and digital practice.

Prior to FleishmanHillard, Ephraim was the chair of the technology and digital content industry practice and executive vice president of innovation at MWW. He also founded and ran The Fortex Group, an industry community-building firm targeting the media, music, video and marketing industries, which he launched after serving as the executive vice president and general manager of Edelman’s global technology practice as well as running their Boston office.

Ephraim began his career at BusinessWeek as an assistant editor in the executive programs division. He later became the managing director of the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) where he worked on trade policy and served as manager of the Digital Future Coalition, an organization focused on global copyright policy. He holds a master’s degree of public policy in international political economy from Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in political science and dramatic literature from New York University.

Candice Dixon

Coalition Development Director, NPower Command Shift Coalition

Facing the pressing urgencies of health equity, human trafficking, gender equity, and empowering women and girls, Candice champions the national consortium and Fortune 100 companies including Accenture, AWS, Broadridge, Citi, Comcast and more through NPower’s Command Shift Coalition. Diversifying tech is a human rights issue and business imperative. Candice guides business leaders to invest in the nation’s future to ensure young women of color – with a focus on women from underrepresented communities and non-traditional pathways – have equal access to high-performing technology opportunities. 

Brian Ellner

EVP, Growth & Marketing, BCW, U.S. Public Affairs Lead, WPP

Brian Ellner is a business leader who guides prominent corporations and brands through the interconnected worlds of politics, government, media and communications. He was named by City & State New York as one of the top 15 key players in the world of New York politics and government and one of the 50 most powerful New Yorkers in communications.

Brian leads Public Affairs in the U.S. for WPP, the world’s largest creative transformation company, and serves as EVP, corporate communications for BCW, WPP’s premier global corporate communications and public affairs advisory firm.

At WPP Brian focuses on advising senior leadership on corporate affairs matters and on building the company’s reputation in the United States with an emphasis on civic engagement in New York where WPP has three campuses and over 9,000 employees.

At BCW, Brian counsels corporate clients on public affairs, corporate communications and social purpose.

Brian has helped shape the strategy for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and the Equality Act, recruiting American corporations to support their passage. Previously Brian led strategy for Human Right’s Campaigns successful effort to enact marriage equality in New York and he created the Americans for Marriage Equality campaign while providing strategic counsel on the successful ballot marriage wins in Maryland, Minnesota, Maine and Washington State.

Prior to joining WPP and BCW, Brian spent four years at Edelman where he led Public Affairs & Issues Advocacy, advising clients in the finance, government, education, nonprofit, philanthropic, professional sports and transportation spaces. Brian was a senior aide in the administration of Mayor Bloomberg, working with the NYC Department of Education to transform public education. He started his career as an attorney and practiced with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and O'Melveny & Myers. He represented media and fashion clients including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Miramax and Viacom.

Brian currently serves on the Board of Athlete Ally where he helped develop the global Principle 6 campaign in response to Russia’s anti-gay laws during the Sochi Olympics. He is a Founding Board Member of the 5BORO Institute, the newly formed policy think tank dedicated to NYC’s revival and Brian is WPP’s representative to the Partnership for NYC. Brian is also the executive sponsor for WPP Unite in North America, the company’s LGBTQ+ ERG. In 2015, Brian was awarded ADCOLOR’S Advocate of the Year.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Brian is a native New Yorker who grew up in Stuyvesant Town and attended New York City's public schools. 

Peter Finn

Founder and CEO, Finn Partners

Purpose has been a transformational force in the development of FINN Partners. Having served as co-CEO of an iconic public relations agency, Peter knew it was time to introduce a new communications agency into the world – one with a compelling vision and guiding values. FINN Partner was born from the understanding that by being an agency with a heart and a conscience, clients would rally to the idea that social impact and high performance align and belong on the balance sheet of business success. Peter has been credited for his pioneering work with the Catskill Mountain Foundation, uniting arts, culture and rural development to challenge despair and poverty.  

Andrew Flagel

President, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metro Area

Andrew Flagel is President and CEO the organization that fosters collaboration for higher education across the National Capital Region. The Consortium includes public, private and Federal institutions, community colleges, HBCU’s and flagship research universities. Through the Consortium, members coordinate critical work supporting efforts from student success and workforce development to emergency management and campus policing.  The Consortium led COVID testing efforts in area schools, and is now leading national discussions on responses to gun violence. As a Dean at George Mason University, Dr. Flagel created ground-breaking programs for veterans, international, and transfer students. He left Mason to serve as Senior Vice President at Brandeis University, and then as Vice President for Advancement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities before returning to DC to lead the Consortium. 

Chris Foster

CEO, Omnicom Public Relations Group

Chris Foster is the CEO of Omnicom Public Relations Group, overseeing 15 communications, consulting and public affairs firms within Omnicom. In his role, he is focused on talent, innovation and cross-agency collaboration to drive growth.

Chris previously was the President of North America at BCW Group, responsible for managing growth, talent and client relationships in the region. Within his portfolio there were 6 companies rolling up to his regional P&L.  Prior to the BCW merger, he was the Global Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer for Burson-Marsteller, leading both organic growth and new business development across the global operation.  Chris took a break from public relations agencies in 2010 and spent 5 years at the global management consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, where he was Senior Vice President and Partner leading teams and growth across the government and civil business.

Chris has led national and global public awareness and communications campaigns for organizations such as the U.S Department of Defense, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Social Security Administration, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Amgen and Intel. He specializes in working with the federal government and private companies on understanding reputation risk and leveraging communications analytics to drive enterprise wide strategy.

Foster serves on the Board of Directors for The LAGRANT Foundation, The Institute for Public Relations, 4A’s, Public Relations Counsel (Vice Chairman) and the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.  Foster is also a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA) founded in April 2021.  He was named to PR Week’s “U.S. Power List” in 2021 and has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University School of Continuing Studies, the University of Maryland and Western Kentucky University. 

In 2017, Foster published his first book, “Reputation Strategy and Analytics in a Hyper-Connected World,” a cross-disciplinary resource for communication and digital professionals alike.

He earned an M.S. in Applied Behavioral Counseling from The Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Philosophy from The University of Virginia.

Susan Gurley

Executive Director, Anxiety & Depression Association of America 

Danielle Halstrom

Senior Vice President, Head of Global Communications,

Laura Held

Partner, Shamrock Capital Advisors, LLC

Laura is a Partner of Shamrock Capital. She currently serves as a director of VidMob, Adweek, Bayard, EDO and Wpromote. Previously, Laura served on the boards of Mobilitie, RBmedia, and Questex. Prior to joining Shamrock in 2012, Laura worked in the Corporate Strategy group at The Walt Disney Company. She also previously worked at The Carlyle Group and Credit Suisse.

Laura graduated cum laude from Georgetown University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Paul Holmes

Founder & Chair, PRovoke Media

Paul Holmes, founder and chair of PRovoke Media, has been writing about public relations for more than 25 years. Paul began his career in local newspapers in the north of England and also worked for a newspaper group in South London before joining PR Week as news editor in 1985.

In 1987 he moved to New York to launch the short-lived US edition of that publication, and after that project came to an inglorious end worked with Adweek and Adweek’s Marketing Week for a year.

In 1989, he launched his own company, initially publishing Inside PR, and later Reputation Management magazine, both focused on providing analysis of critical trends and issues in the public relations industry. He created the annual Public Relations Agency Report Card, which included profiles of the leading PR firms in the US, and the Creativity in Public Relations Awards, which grew to become the largest in North America.

Early in 2000, Holmes launched The Holmes Group, which provides knowledge and insight to public relations professionals across a variety of platforms, including a website, an e-newsletter, events, printed reports, research and consulting assignments, and the SABRE Awards competition. The group’s flagship title, PRovoke Media (p/k/a The Holmes Report), covers the public relations business in the Americas, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2011, Paul was inducted into the ICCO Hall of Fame.

Perri Irmer

President and CEO, The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

Perri Irmer is President and CEO of The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, the iconic institution founded in 1961 by Dr. Margaret Burroughs. It is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the U.S. She has held this position since September 2015, and her plans for the DuSable include advancing Dr. Burroughs' vision of the museum as a center for African and African American arts and culture, as well as a center for research, thought leadership and community advancement. Ms. Irmer was born and raised in Hyde Park, holds a Professional Bachelor of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology (1981), and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School (1991).

Irmer began her architecture career with Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, and later practiced with Holabird & Root. She then moved into the commercial real estate and construction management fields before pursuing a legal career. Irmer was a litigator in private law practice before enjoying a distinguished tenure in government, having served as the CEO of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority; Assistant General Counsel for Chicago Public Schools; Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Buildings; and Director of Construction Services for the Public Building Commission of Chicago. As a private sector real estate professional, Irmer served as a Vice President of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. and as Senior Vice President of Mesirow Financial. To date, Irmer has administered well over $6 billion in public and private construction projects. She has a strong track record of effective team building and community advocacy.

Irmer serves as President of Museums in the Park and sits on both The Obama Presidential Center Inclusion Council and the After School Matters Advisory Board. In addition, she serves on IIT’s Alumni Board of Directors’ Admissions and International Committees and was a founding member of its African American Alumni Association. Irmer is a member of the Economic Club and the Commercial Club of Chicago as well as The Chicago Network. She has served on the boards of many civic and charitable organizations, including Choose Chicago and the Catholic Theological Union, and was a founding member of the Chicago Sports Commission. Irmer is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her involvement in community and youth services, as well as her longstanding support and advocacy of minority and women-owned businesses and her promotion of international business relationships within Illinois. She has three adult daughters and four grandchildren, all of whom reside in Chicago.

Camille Johnston

Chief Communications Officer, Siemens

Camille Johnston is responsible for developing, leading and implementing an integrated communications, marketing and brand strategy for Siemens across the U.S. She is a member of the board of the Siemens Foundation, which ignites and sustains today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. Camille joined Siemens from The White House, where she served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for First Lady Michelle Obama. Prior to the White House she was a communications consultant for the Entertainment Industry Foundation on the Stand Up To Cancer campaign which raised more than $100 million for cancer research, and was the Senior Vice President of Communications for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A veteran of the Clinton-Gore campaigns, Camille served as Communications Director for Mrs. Tipper Gore, Press Secretary for Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Education Secretary Richard Riley, and Communications Director for OSHA.

AJ Jones II

Chief Communications Officer & EVP, Public Affairs, Starbucks

Aranthan “AJ” Jones II is executive vice president and chief communications officer, Public Affairs for Starbucks. In this role, AJ is responsible for leading Starbucks global communications, international communications, partner communications, Starbucks Stories, entertainment and more.

Before joining Starbucks, AJ was the Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer for Vanda Pharmaceuticals, where he led the communications, investor relations, government affairs, corporate branding, ESG (environmental, social and governance), corporate philanthropy, and advocacy functions as a named executive officer. He also served as an executive member of the company’s corporate development and licensing review committee.

Prior to serving in this position, AJ held several executive roles at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, leading the organization’s internal and external communications, thought leadership and public policy initiatives and celebrity entertainment partnerships. Reporting directly to the President and CEO, he served as a lead spokesperson and as a senior implementation strategist on behalf of the organization’s domestic and international investments and social enterprises.

Prior to his corporate and philanthropic roles, AJ was the policy director for Rep. James Clyburn, U.S. Congressional majority whip. While there, he was directly responsible for crafting more than 214 pieces of legislation, 142 of which became law, and was a lead policy negotiator and external communicator for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act which created the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).

AJ has worked extensively internationally in Hong Kong, South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and France. Additionally, he can speak Yoruba and is currently learning conversational Hebrew.

He is an avid world traveler, a devoted jazz fan, an art and horology enthusiast, and a budding gastronome. AJ is a standing guest lecturer at Harvard University and a member of the Forbes Communications Council. His favorite Starbucks beverages are Iced White Tea, White Hot Chocolate, and Caramel Apple Spice.

AJ holds a B.S. in sociology and anthropology from Iowa State University. He received his graduate training in global health policy with concentrations in economic development and finance from George Washington University. Additionally, he is completing an MBA at Cornell University as an Emerging Markets Fellow.

Jim Joseph

CEO, U.S. and Global Chief Marketing and Integration Officer, Ketchum

Greg Kihlstorm

Principal, Chief Strategist and podcast host, GK5A; The Agile World podcast

Michael C. Lasky

Partner/Chair, Public Relations Law Practice and Co-Chair, Litigation + Dispute Resolution Practice Group, Davis+Gilbert LLP

Michael is co-chair of the firm’s Litigation + Dispute Resolution Group and founder and chair of the firm’s Public Relations Law Practice. He is best known for advising fast growing companies whose key assets are people and ideas.

Michael and his colleagues work closely with their clients to design strategies, programs, and agreements to enhance profitability and growth.  He prides himself on his ability to counsel clients to help them achieve their business objectives and implement best practices in legal and risk management.

Michael is also co-chair of Davis+Gilbert’s litigation department, where he devotes a significant portion of his practice to advising executives and owners of service sector companies on their employment, shareholder and incentive compensation arrangements and disputes. He is also regarded as an expert in the areas of restrictive covenants and the movement of talent between competitive organizations.

Michael often collaborates with leading industry trade associations, including The Arthur Page Society (for which he serves as legal counsel), the American Marketing Association and the Public Relations Society of America. He serves as legal counsel to the PR Council and has done so since its inception over 20 years ago. In addition, Michael is widely recognized as a thought leader in the marketing communications and public relations industry, working with clients to implement best practices throughout their organizations, both anticipating and responding to the legal and business changes affecting the industry. 

Michael is an honors graduate of Rutgers College and Rutgers University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of Rutgers University Law Review.  He also serves on boards of a host of professional, educational and charitable organizations, including Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, the leading legal aid and education organization dedicated to New York artists, and cultural institutions.

Dr. Nneka Logan

Associate Professor, Virginia Tech

Katharine Manning

Author, The Empathetic Workplace

Diana Marszalek

Senior Reporter, PRovoke Media

Tanya Meck

Partner and Managing Director , Global Strategy Group

Tanya Meck is a seasoned business leader and communications strategist bringing over 20 years of experience at the high-stakes intersection of media, business, and politics.

Tanya leads Global Strategy Group’s global communications and public affairs business. As a member of the company’s five-person executive team, Tanya has helped lead and manage its unprecedented growth in recent years. 2021 was among the firm’s highest-grossing revenue years and the employee base grew alongside it, up from 95 employees to more than 150 today.

From time spent in government, non-profits, and corporations, Tanya has a deep and diverse professional background — one which gives her unique visibility into client and stakeholder needs. Her focus on executable approaches to business challenges and her expertise in highly regulated industries has earned her a portfolio of clients including Apollo, Nestlé Waters North America, Google, Brookfield Asset Management, and MGM Resorts as well as an expansive roster of energy, healthcare, and financial services clients. Her work with non-profits such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Black Economic Alliance and Teach for America round out her portfolio.

Joining GSG in 2011 and elevated to partner in 2016, Tanya have been central in shepherding the expansion of the firm’s Communications and Public Affairs practice, with an almost 300 percent annual revenue growth over the past ten years. During this time, she also established the Corporate Impact and Employee Communications Practices; was an instrumental partner in conceiving and launching GSG’s annual Business and Politics report, an authoritative study on the role companies play in political and social discourse; and a key player in bringing Madison Avenue level creative offerings to the public affairs world by launching THE L@B, an in-house creative agency offering a full suite of video production, design, animation, and digital strategy.

Tanya is an output-driven business leader with proven successes in expanding the firm’s reach. GSG recently partnered with SEC Newgate, a global network of agencies, and Tanya is playing a critical role in the firms’ massive integration efforts as a liaison for heads of offices around the world.

Tanya graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where she was an All-American athlete. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where she focused on the intersection of gender and policy and also coached the women’s field hockey and lacrosse teams. 

Greg Mondshein

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, SourceCode Communications

Known for his no ego, no excuses approach, Greg has an unparalleled ability to build trusted
relationships with clients and teams. For 15 years, he has launched consumer tech companies
with bold, creative campaigns and grown some of the world’s most notable technology PR firms.
Co-chair of the PR Council’s Next Board, Greg is a PRovoke Top 25 Innovator in PR in North
America and a member of the University of Florida’s PR Advisory Council.

Maja Pawinska Sims

Associate Editor, PRovoke Media

Maja Pawinska Sims has been the EMEA editor of PRovoke Media since January 2018. She has been writing about public relations and communications for 22 years, first as features editor of PRWeek and then as a freelance writer and editor for PR agencies and their clients around the world, including three years as Weber Shandwick’s EMEA editor. She was named Journalist of the Year at the Global Women in Marketing Awards in 2019, where the judges noted: “Maja proves how empathy can drive brilliant editorial thinking. She is clearly an absolute expert in her field and proves that you can challenge an industry while also championing it.”

Jen Psaki

Host/Commentator, MSNBC

Paul Quigley

CEO & Cofounder, NewsWhip

Aaron Radelet

Senior Vice President, Global Communication Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance

Aaron Radelet oversees all communications globally across the organization – externally, internally and for every brand. His team’s responsibilities include media relations, employee communications, executive communications, financial communications, digital communications, corporate-responsibility communications and corporate events.

Previously, Radelet served as Hilton Worldwide’s Chief Communications Officer and Senior Vice President, as well as Vice President of Global Communications. He headed communications at the corporate level across Hilton’s 14 brands and 5,000 properties in 105 countries during the company’s unprecedented growth. At Sprint Nextel, he led the communications for the entertainment division, and at AOL Time Warner, Radelet successfully announced the new AOL for Mac OS X, as well as initiatives with other AOL Time Warner divisions such as HBO, TNT and Time Warner Cable.

Radelet received his Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations at Grand Valley State University, and completed executive leadership programs at Cornell University and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Andréa Richardson

Executive Vice President-Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Zeno Group

Andréa Richardson is EVP of DEI at Zeno Group. Over the last two decades, Andréa has provided strategic counsel to top global corporations, nonprofits and public entities on DEI strategies, multicultural marketing, crisis management, reputation management and corporate social responsibility. Prior to her time at Zeno, Andréa co-led the DEI practice as a Managing Director of Strategic Communication at Finsbury Glover Herring.  

One of her most notable appointments include her role at Hilton as their head of multicultural & diversity engagement. Over the course of her career, Andréa has been named Out & Equal’s Outstanding Champion, Black Enterprise Magazine’s Top Female Executive in Advertising & Marketing and was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Persons of African Descent in Business and Entrepreneurship as proclaimed by United Nation’s General Assembly. Andréa received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Media Studies from Pace University and an MBA with a concentration in Media Management from Metropolitan College of New York. 

Josh Rosenberg

Co-Founder & CEO, Day One Agency

Fresh thinking and innovation in the digital age: It’s what Josh infuses into every facet of Day One Agency’s business as CEO. Recognizing the need for an agency built for the next 10 years and 24 hours, Josh co-founded Day One in 2014 with the ambition to move the world by stopping it in its scroll with stories that earn a place in culture.

Under Josh’s leadership, Day One’s creativity and culture-first approach has attracted some of the world’s foremost brands including American Express, Beam Suntory, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Ferrara, Ferrero, Nike, Walmart among others. In 2022, Day One was awarded both PRovoke Media’s Digital Agency of the Year and Ad Age’s Social Media and Influencer Agency of the Year. Since its founding, Day One has consistently been recognized as one of the industry’s fastest growing agencies.

Prior to co-founding Day One, Josh spent 12 years at New York-based PR agency M Booth, where he established and led the award-winning digital practice, helping the agency and its clients transition into the digital world. Josh began his career in the New York office of Boston-based PR and marketing agency Cone, Inc.

A PRovoke Innovator 25 honoree, Josh’s industry accolades are extensive and include distinctions from Campaign Magazine, Ad Age, Adweek, PR Week, The One Show for Creativity, Webby’s, Digiday and the Shorty Awards among others.

Josh serves on the Board of Advisors to the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations and is a member of the PR Council’s Board of Directors. He graduated with a B.A. in communications from the University of Pennsylvania where he received the Walter Annenberg Award for Service.

Day One has 170 team members across creative hubs in NYC, LA, Chicago and Portland.

You can find Day One Agency at www.D1A.com.

Marian Salzman

Communications Professional, Author

A globally recognized communications pro, Marian Salzman has built a career on ferreting out trends—from metrosexualism to local as the new global—and helping brands optimize their impact through strategic planning and newscrafting. In 2018, she left the agency world and her position as CEO of the Havas PR Global Collective to help Philip Morris International deliver a smoke-free future.

Brad J. Schwartzberg

Partner/Co-Chair Corporate + Transactions Practice Group, Davis+Gilbert LLP

Brad J. Schwartzberg is co-chair of the Corporate Practice Group of Davis+Gilbert LLP. Brad’s practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, minority and majority investments, commercial financings, and incentive compensation arrangements. He is a business-minded attorney who believes that understanding your operational and economic objectives as well as your legal posture is crucial to achieving the best outcome. 

Over the past 30 years, Brad has successfully closed hundreds of transactions (on both the buy and sell sides). He knows how to creatively solve problems and efficiently bring transactions over the finish line. Given the sheer volume of deals Brad has handled, there is rarely an issue he hasn’t seen.

Stakeholders, founders and chief executive officers regularly seek his counsel in developing their long-term goals. Whether the goal is to prepare for an ultimate sale or to facilitate growth through a strategic M&A initiative, Brad helps clients develop, implement and execute their M&A strategies.

Brad often says that “economics drive behavior,” and he is intimately familiar with earn-out and incentive-based arrangements. He draws on his strong mathematical background and understanding of market conditions to develop realistic pricing targets and deal structures that create value. Brad’s clients appreciate his ability to explain complicated deal terms in a straightforward and understandable manner.

Just as Brad helps companies achieve their M&A goals, he also helps employers attract and retain the best talent in a highly competitive landscape. He designs compensation arrangements that incentivize executives to increase productivity and reach revenue and profitability targets. He also counsels executives in negotiating compensation and departure packages.

Brad counts many international marketing communication, media and technology companies among his long-term clients. He possesses strong Japanese language skills that were gained while he was earning a master’s degree in Japanese from Sophia University in Japan.

Arun Sudhaman

CEO/Editor-in-Chief, Provoke Media

Arun Sudhaman is CEO and editor-in-chief at PRovoke Media.

In this role Arun oversees PRovoke Media's global content offering, including its analysis and insight into reputation, public relations and communications trends and issues. Since joining PRovoke Media in 2010, Arun has comprehensively redefined the title’s content platform, which includes its digital presence and new products such as the Influence 100 compendium of key global influencers, the Global PR Agency Rankings, the Global Creative Index, and the PRovoke Media podcast. He also led the rebrand of the Holmes Report to PRovoke Media in 2020.

Arun has also played a pivotal role expanding PRovoke Media's coverage into Asia-Pacific and other emerging markets, and has helped steer the company’s international events programme, particularly the Global Public Relations Summit — which has featured such luminaries as Sir Martin Sorrell, P&G’s Marc Pritchard, Chuck Porter and IBM’s Jon Iwata. 

He brings to the position more than a decade’s experience as a journalist and digital content specialist, most of which has been spent analysing the media, marketing and communications industries. His career has encompassed coverage and analysis of reputation and leadership issues in numerous countries across the world, including the US and UK, Russia, China, India and South Africa. 

Prior to joining the Holmes Report, Arun spent more than seven years with Haymarket Media in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. He joined Haymarket title PRWeek UK in January 2009, after covering Asia’s media and marketing landscape at sister Haymarket title Campaign Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Before Haymarket, Arun spent one year at public relations firm Weber Shandwick during its tumultuous mergers with Weber and BSMG. During his career as a journalist he has appeared on BBC News and has also contributed to The Guardian and the South China Morning Post, where he began his career as a business reporter.

In 2015, Arun became the youngest-ever inductee into the ICCO Hall of Fame.

Dan Webber

President, Washington D.C., Edelman

Jim Weiss

Founder & Chairman, Real Chemistry

Jim Weiss, Chairman and Founder of Real Chemistry, is a health care, biopharma and medical tech visionary, entrepreneur, business leader, investor, citizen advocate and digital health pioneer. Over the past 20 years, he evolved Real Chemistry from a one-person consultancy to a global health innovation company that uses real-world data, proprietary technologies and analytical insights to solve the health care industry’s most significant challenges.

As Chairman, Jim actively serves as a mentor and strategic advisor to Real Chemistry’s people and clients, including opening up new pathways for growth through M&A, partnership and expanded capabilities. In addition, he serves as an Executive Advisor to New Mountain Capital, Real Chemistry’s investment partner. In that role, he focuses on identifying and integrating opportunities at the intersection of technology and life sciences.

Jim built Real Chemistry through a #MakeItHappen work ethic, deep values and a relentless pursuit of innovation. He started his corporate career at biotechnology bellwether Genentech during its formative years where he learned to follow the data to get to the right outcome. Jim is a pioneer in the application of analytics, data and precision targeting to the biopharma and health care industry. He is an action-oriented driver to advance diversity, inclusion and health equity to make the world a healthier place for all. 

Jim and his wife Audra founded the Weiss Center for Social Commerce at his alma mater, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Jim and Real Chemistry also sponsor the Real Chemistry Emerging Insights Lab, an innovative learning experience focused on data, technology and audience engagement.

He is often recognized as one of the most influential people in the health care industry. Recent accolades include being named Agency Entrepreneur of the Year (2021), a Top 50 Health Influencer (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and Innovator of the Year (2020). He was inducted into the Newhouse School’s 50 Forward as one of its most accomplished graduates of the last 50 years.

Jim is a Board member and investor in Indapta Therapeutics and a business advisor to IMIDomics. He is also a Board member and contributor to several nonprofits, including the LAGRANT Foundation, the Cancer Research Institute, the Commons Project and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.

Jim resides with his wife and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

James Wright

Global Chairman, Havas PR Global Collective, CEO of Red Havas Group

James Wright is one of the most recognized agency heads in the world, and today serves as global chairman of the Havas PR Global Collective and CEO of Red Havas Group, a global Merged Media agency network within the Havas Group. He has advised brands including AWS, Capgemini, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Jaguar Land Rover, ManpowerGroup, Mondelez, Novartis, Toyota and the UK And Australian governments. James has won numerous awards, including PR Asia 2017 Agency Head of Year, PR Awards Asia 2017 Asia-Pacific PR Agency Head of the Year, PRCA’s 2008 Consultant of the Year (at age 28), and PR News USA 2008 International CSR Leader. In 2016, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, one of the youngest ever admitted.