Name: PRovoke Global Summit & SABRE Awards 2022
Start: 24/10/2022 00:00:00
End: 26/10/2022 00:00:00
Location: Washington, D.C.

AbdelHalim AbdAllah

Strategic Communications Consultant,

Rezani Aziz

Chief Executive Officer, Adfactors PR

Rezani Aziz’s career in Public Relations spans over two decades. She is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Adfactors Public Relations Lanka, having started the practice for the parent company in 2014, which now is Sri Lanka’s leading PR consultancy. She has expanded the offering to the region, working closely with Adfactors PR’s leadership to further build the network in South Asia.

Adfactors PR Lanka, under her leadership, has been recognized as a leading and respected brand in the PR industry, managing a portfolio of the Country’s largest diversified conglomerates. The firm has built expertise in managing reputation and image for clients amidst chaos and uncertainty, particularly in export and trade related industries. Their Public Affairs practice works closely with Sri Lanka’s largest exporters in apparel, tea, pharmaceuticals, as well as their member associations and chambers of commerce.

Rezani is a member of several associations and been volunteering her time for women entrepreneurship development for over 30 years. As a former chairperson of the Women’s Chamber of Industry & Commerce, Sri Lanka and member of its policy advocacy committee, she drove the effort in securing a 5% mandatory loan allocation exclusively for women entrepreneurs, from Central Bank. She also headed the task force of the Chamber in forming the SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneur Council (SCWEC). She is a member of Vital Voices Global Partnership, the not-for-profit that steers women entrepreneurship development and was on the steering committee of South Asian Women Entrepreneur Symposium (SAWES), both a part of Hilary Clinton’s Global Women’s Initiative (GWI), in addition to several women’s entrepreneurship forums both globally and in South Asia.

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.

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’.

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.

Tarun Deo

Founder & MD, Progressive Communications

Tarun Deo is Founder and Managing Director of Progressive Communications, a well-capitalised public relations start-up established in 2021. The 18-month-old firm, slated to grow 300% and break even by the end of 2022, counts Dole Sunshine Company, Crestron Electronics Asia, Temus, and Zuno Carbon as some of its progressive clientele.

Tarun has more than 25 years’ experience in public relations across Asia Pacific and has lived and worked in India, Hong Kong, and Singapore. For over two decades he has built a reputation for building profitable businesses and helping his teams achieve the highest standards of client service, deliver award winning work, and embrace a passion for innovation that helps his clients find new ways to meet their public relations and business objectives in a fragmented and disrupted communications environment.

As such he has consulted with a wide array of companies across various sectors working most recently with well-known brands including Dole Sunshine Company, McDonalds, Mastercard, Porsche, Twitter and FairPrice.

Tarun is deeply experienced in working with businesses to nurture their brands and reputation in today’s dynamic, “always on” world. He has conceived and led earned public relations programmes with insights, creativity, and visual storytelling at the core of progressive public relations campaigns that have helped his clients engage with their key stakeholders including media and influencers to remain relevant and keep winning.

He was previously at Golin, serving as Managing Director of Singapore and Southeast Asia. Prior to Golin, Tarun served for more than five years as the Managing Director of Fleishman Hillard focusing on their corporate, technology and digital practice groups working with clients across Asia. Before Fleishman Hillard, he was with Text 100 for 10 years building their business in India and SEA. He started his career at Perfect Relations in New Delhi.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi, and was schooled at

Sherwood College, Naini Tal. He is an avid sports fan and a keen golfer. He lives in Singapore.

Founder & MD Progressive Communications

AnnaMaria DeSalva

Global Chairman and CEO, Hill+Knowlton Strategies

AnnaMaria DeSalva is the Global Chairman and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, one of the world’s leading strategic communications firms, with more than 70 offices across nearly 40 markets globally. Since joining in this role in June 2019, AnnaMaria has led a period of rapid development and renewal as Hill+Knowlton approaches its centennial milestone. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of WPP plc, the world’s largest marketing services company.

Prior to her tenure at H+K, AnnaMaria served as Chief Communications Officer of DuPont, and subsequently as a senior advisor to Ed Breen, the CEO of DowDuPont, as he advanced the separation and launch of new independent public companies. During her tenure, AnnaMaria restructured the communications function, establishing new standards and protocols to reduce reputation risk and improve performance, while ensuring the company successfully navigated a series of special situations demanding highly sensitive and effective public strategies, including a proxy battle with an activist shareholder; a CEO transition; and the $130 billion merger of equals with Dow leading to the subsequent break-up and creation of three new industry-leading companies.

Before joining DuPont, AnnaMaria spent five years as a vice president of corporate affairs at Pfizer, where she was hired in 2009 to help integrate the $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth, with a focus on the newly combined innovation engine. She was a key partner to the executive leadership team of Pfizer in improving R&D productivity as a member of the Portfolio Strategy and Investment Committee, repositioning the company, building investor confidence, and centering the culture on mission and purpose. When she left Pfizer in 2014, she was the head of the corporate affairs effort spanning communications, policy and government affairs for the innovative core of the company.

Earlier, she served as the global practice leader of healthcare at Hill & Knowlton and GCI Group, both WPP companies, delivering significant revenue growth for each firm. At Bristol-Myers Squibb, she led international public affairs in oncology, working principally in Europe, and later became director of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.

AnnaMaria is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of XPO Logistics, a leading provider and innovator in freight transportation. For the XPO board, she chairs the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee and serves on the Audit Committee. AnnaMaria is a Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board, a member of the Partnership for New York City, and The Economic Club of New York. She also serves on the board of the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary, her alma mater.

Licy Do Canto

Managing Director, Washington, D.C., APCO Worldwide

Licy Do Canto, a veteran of public policy, corporate strategy, health care communications and diversity and inclusion, is managing director of APCO Worldwide’s Washington, D.C., headquarters office and mid-Atlantic region lead.

A well respected expert in public health and health care policy, with nearly three decades of experience at the international, national, state and local levels across the nonprofit, philanthropic, corporate and government sectors, Mr. Do Canto is an accomplished, values-driven leader with unparalleled experience in developing and leading integrated public affairs campaigns combining strategic communications, public relations, political/legislative initiatives, policy, coalition building, grassroots efforts and advocacy.

Mr. Do Canto has held a wide range of positions and has worked across diverse sectors and industries over the course of his successful career, making him uniquely qualified to understand and support leaders and organization to successfully navigate both the opportunities and the diplomatic, technical, and multifaceted industry challenges with which they are confronted.

Mr. Do Canto has vast inside knowledge of the Washington political process, and deep substantive experience on a wide range of public policy issues from public health, health care and social impact to immigration, trade and economic development. Over the years, his expertise has been sought out by policymakers, lawmakers, c-suite executives, advocates and other leaders on international, national and state issues from economic inclusion, equity and diversity, and medical supply chain to environmental protection, fisheries and sustainable development.

Prior to joining APCO, Mr. Do Canto served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director in Burson Cohn & Wolfe’s Public Affairs and Crisis practice, overseeing BCW’s North America Health Care Policy team in Washington, D.C, where he drove healthcare and social impact policy and strategy, and diversity and inclusion, supporting clients in public and corporate affairs, government relations, communications, crisis and reputation management.

Mr. Do Canto also founded and lead a nationally recognized strategic public affairs and communications firm, served as Health Practice Chair and Principal at The Raben Group, was the Chief Executive Officer of The AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, and managed and helped set the leadership direction for strategic policy, communications, and advocacy investments in executive and senior government affairs roles for the American Cancer Society and the nation’s Community Health Centers.

Before joining the private sector, Mr. Do Canto served as health care policy advisor to U.S. Congressman Barney Frank and served in several positions in the Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Over the course of his extensive tenure in Washington, D.C., Mr. Do Canto has played a leading role in efforts to draft, shape and enact legislation and policy impacting socio-economic and public health, the health care safety net and the health and well-being of the nation’s disadvantaged and underserved communities.

Mr. Do Canto lectures on healthcare quality and policy; diversity, equity and inclusion; crisis management and preparedness; congressional advocacy, and media relations and diversity in communications. His perspectives and views also have been featured in Reuters, The Financial Times, Politico, The Hill, CQ Roll Call, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, Corporate Counsel Business Journal, among others, and he is co-founder and co-host of the upcoming podcast, Crisis and Coffee, which highlights crisis management and preparedness through the stories of challenge confronting today’s world.

Mr. Do Canto is a graduate of Duke University and holds a certificate in public health leadership in epidemic preparedness and management from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Public Health and Kenan Flagler Business School. He is the recipient of multiple industry awards and citations for his leadership, policy and public affairs acumen, including being named to The Hill Newspaper list of most influential leaders in Washington, D.C., consecutively over the last eleven years, and being described as an expert and influencer that “the nation’s biggest companies…turn to when they want their voices heard in the nation’s capital.”

As a global citizen, Mr. Do Canto has lived in Turkey and Spain, traveled broadly to several regions of the world, and is fluent in Spanish and Cape Verdean Portuguese.

Brandon Drew

VP & Head, US Insights to Impact, UCB

Brandon Drew is Head of U.S. Insights to Impact at UCB, leading a team across finance, strategy, and operations across UCB’s U.S. business to leverage insights and align our resources to have the greatest impact for patients.

Brandon most recently served as global Head of the Bone Health Mission focused on UCB’s work to deliver solutions for people living with post-fracture osteoporosis. In 2017, he created and led the Fracture Demands Action mission focused on efforts to close the treatment gap for osteoporosis patients after fracture. Prior to that, he led UCB’s alliance with Amgen to develop the commercial collaboration model for the launch of Evenity. Today, UCB’s teams have impacted more than 300 hospital systems treating more than 150,000 fracture patients (2021 data).

Brandon joined UCB in 2007, serving in commercial operations, global business development, and leading several teams in U.S. market access and pricing before joining the Bone team. Prior to joining UCB, Brandon was a management consultant with ZS Associates in Chicago, leading projects ranging from market research and field force analytics to incentive compensation and marketing strategy. He has held previous roles in marketing, business development, consulting and engineering in the healthcare, technology and energy industries.

He holds a bachelor of chemical engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master of business administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Richard Edelman

CEO, Edelman

Richard Edelman is the CEO of Edelman, a global communications firm, and Chairman of Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, the firm’s holding company. Founded in 1952 by his father Dan, Edelman remains independent and family owned with more than 6,000 employees in 66 offices across 28 countries.

The firm was named to Advertising Age’s A-List in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2019 and was honored as “PR Agency of the Decade” by both Advertising Age and PRovoke. At the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Edelman became the first PR Agency to win a Grand Prix as lead agency in the Entertainment Lions for Sport and was named Independent Agency of the Year in the Entertainment Track.

Richard was named CEO in 1996 taking over for his father, who remained Chairman until he passed away in 2013. Now in his 26th year as CEO, Richard is one of the longest tenured agency leaders in the marketing services industry. During that time, he’s guided the firm’s entry into Digital, Creative, Performance Marketing and Advisory. Under Richard’s leadership, Edelman’s revenue increased 11.5 times enabling it to become the largest communications firm in the world surpassing $1 billion in revenue. DJE Holdings’ revenue increased 14 times during that same period making it the largest independent communications holding company. He also serves as Chair of Edelman’s sister agency Zeno, which was named large agency of the year in 2021 and 2022 by PRWeek. Zeno employs 730+ people across 18 offices.

Richard has extensive experience in marketing and reputation management, having led assignments with major corporations, NGOs and family businesses. He has advised senior executives through significant disruptions within their organizations, including Samsung, Starbucks and United Airlines, and worked on the largest professional services merger in history of Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young & Co. Richard works with numerous clients including Unilever, Dairy Management Inc. and Chobani. He has counseled countries in every region of the world on economic development programs. As the creator of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, Richard has become one of the foremost authorities on trust in business, government, media and NGOs. Now in its 22nd year, the Edelman Trust Barometer is widely recognized as the leading piece of research on trust with its cross-cultural insights regularly cited in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Fortune, Forbes and other media. The survey also informs academic studies on trust and provides insights to thought-leaders and opinion-shapers around the world.

In 2022, Richard was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame, the first PR executive to ever earn this honor. In 2019, Richard was named the PR Agency Professional of the Past 20 Years by PRWeek and was inducted into the publication’s Hall of Fame; in 2014, Richard was inducted into the Arthur W. Page Society’s Hall of Fame; Advertising Age named him Agency Executive of the Year in 2008. Richard is regarded as an industry thought leader and has posted weekly to his blog since 2004.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Ad Council, the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), the Atlantic Council, Project HOOD, P33, the Gettysburg Foundation, the 9/11 Museum and the National Committee on U.S. China Relations. He is a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, World Economic Forum and PR Seminar.

Richard earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1978 and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1976. He and his wife Claudia live in New York City, and he has three daughters, Margot, Tory and Amanda.

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.

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.

Dan Glickman

Former U.S. secretary of agriculture, Chair of APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council

Dan Glickman, former U.S. secretary of agriculture and chair of APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council, is the former executive director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. Secretary Glickman also serves as a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C., formed by former Senate majority leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, to develop and promote bipartisan solutions to the country’s problems and to promote civility in government.

Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, Secretary Glickman was chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) and director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

From 1995 to 2001, Secretary Glickman served as U.S. secretary of agriculture, where he led the department in administering farm and conservation programs; modernizing food safety regulations; forging international trade agreements to expand U.S. markets; and improving its commitment to fairness and equality in civil rights.

Before his appointment as secretary, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years, representing the 4th congressional district of Kansas. During that time, he was a member of the House Agriculture Committee, including six years as chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over federal farm policy issues. He was also an active member of the House Judiciary Committee; chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and a leading congressional expert on general aviation policy.

Earlier in his career, Secretary Glickman was president of the Wichita School Board; partner in the law firm of Sargent, Klenda and Glickman; and trial attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Secretary Glickman is currently a member of the Kansas and District of Columbia Bars, Council on Foreign Relations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Council on American Politics at The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University; is a senior fellow of the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism; and is vice-chair of the World Food Program-USA.

He is also on the board of directors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Food Research and Action Center, a domestic anti-hunger organization; Issue One, an organization promoting democratic institutions in America; and the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, where he is chair of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Additionally, he co-chairs the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ global agricultural development initiative, as well as an initiative of eight foundations administered by the Meridian Institute that looks at long-term implications of food and agricultural policy. Secretary Glickman is also adjunct professor of food and nutrition at the Tufts University School of Nutrition.

Secretary Glickman received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University.

Ed Harnaga

SVP, Head of External Communications & Enterprise Reputation, Pfizer Inc

Ed is responsible for all external communications activities across Pfizer including corporate reputation, media relations, digital and social media, executive positioning, with a focus on supporting Pfizer’s Commercial, Research and Development and Manufacturing organizations. Ed leads a team of close to 160 Communications professionals from across the globe, all focused on improving and protecting Pfizer’s reputation and positioning the company as a patient-focused, science-based organization across all stakeholder groups. Ed sits on the Corporate Affairs Leadership Team and he works closely with Pfizer’s entire Executive Committee.

Prior to joining Pfizer, Ed led practices at a number of consulting firms and was most recently Senior Managing Director and Head of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Sector at FTI Consulting’s Strategic Communications Unit. In this role, he was responsible for strategic planning, thought leadership, and new business development. As key account lead for a number of multi-national pharmaceutical and biotech clients, Ed managed a team of professionals across a variety of functions including corporate and executive communications, scientific and pipeline communications, internal communications and change management, issues and reputation management, corporate branding, investor relations and public affairs.

Ed has over 30 years of experience advising Fortune 500 CEOs and corporations on a variety of communications challenges and he has worked with a wide range of healthcare companies including Novartis, Eli Lilly, Baxter, Daiichi Sankyo, Shire, Covance, Astellas and GE Healthcare. Ed’s broader communications work has included highly recognizable brands such as Gerber, Starbucks, Sun Microsystems, Kellogg’s and AARP.

Ed has taken part in numerous global task forces in the public affairs arena including the Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force on Improving U.S. Public Diplomacy and the East-West Institute’s US-Russian Task Force against HIV/AIDS. Ed holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York at Albany.

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.

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.

Greg Kihlstorm

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

Greg is an advisor and consultant to top companies on customer experience, employee experience, and digital transformation initiatives. He is also the host of The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. He is a two-time CEO and Co-Founder, leading both to be acquired. As a strategist, digital transformation, and customer experience advisor, he has worked with some of the world’s top brands, including Adidas, Coca-Cola, Dell, FedEx, GEICO, HP, Marriott, Toyota, and VMware.

He is a member of the School of Marketing Faculty at the Association of National Advertisers, and currently serves on the University of Richmond’s Customer Experience Advisory Board. Greg is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, is an Agile Certified Coach (ICP-ACC) and holds a certification in Business Agility (ICP-BAF).

Meaningful Measurement of the Customer Experience, Greg’s eighth and latest book provides guidance on how to create a customer-centric culture that prioritizes customer needs while aligning internal teams around a common goal. Greg is a regular contributing writer to Forbes and CMSWire, and has been featured in publications such as Advertising Age, SmartCEO, Website Magazine, and The Washington Post. Greg was named one of ICMI’s Top 25 CX Thought Leaders of 2022, and a DC Inno 2018 50 on Fire winner as a DC trendsetter in Marketing.

Aaron Kwittken

Founder and CEO, PRophet

Aaron (he/him) is founder and CEO of PRophet, the first-ever AI-driven platform, built by and for PR professionals, to use a proprietary combination of natural language processing and machine learning to predict media interest and story sentiment before sending a pitch He is also President of the New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-NY) and founder and chairman of KWT Global, a highly acclaimed PR and brand strategy firm with offices in New York, London and LA. He’s also

A proud George Washington University alum, Aaron serves on GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs advisory committee. He’s past president of the Americas for the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO), a former Board member of the PR Council, a former adjunct professor at NYU, has written for Forbes and The Drum and is the creator and host of the popular Brand on Purpose podcast that features companies that do well by doing good. He’s also the recipient of several prominent industry recognitions, including being named a member of the 2022 PR Week Dashboard 25 and Provoke Innovator 25. He has deep expertise in marketing technology, brand strategy, reputation management, crisis management and purpose-driven marketing. An endurance sports enthusiast, Aaron puts social impact at the center of everything he does personally and professionally.

Katharine Manning

Author, The Empathetic Workplace

Katharine Manning is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job (HarperCollins Leadership 2021) and the President of Blackbird DC. She has worked on issues of trauma and victimization for more than 25 years.

As a Senior Attorney Advisor with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, for fifteen years Manning guided the Justice Department through its response to victims in cases ranging from terrorism to large-scale financial fraud to child exploitation. Some of the cases she advised on include the Boston Marathon bombing, the Pulse nightclub and South Carolina AME church shootings, the uprising in Charlottesville, the Madoff investment fraud, and the federal case against Larry Nassar, doctor for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team.

Manning now uses her expertise to help organizations prepare for and respond to the challenges they face involving employees and clients who may be in trauma. A member of the bar in Washington, D.C. and California, Manning also served as an attorney with the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop in San Francisco, where she represented Fortune 500 companies in class actions, insurance, and media cases. She is a graduate of Smith College and the University of Virginia School of Law and teaches at American University and in the Master’s in Trauma-Informed Leadership Program at Dominican University.

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 has 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.

Elizabeth Owen

Corporate Communications, Levi Strauss

Elizabeth Owen is the vice president of business performance and internal communication for Levi Strauss & Co. She leads the teams that are responsible for business and financial communications and storytelling in support of the company’s digital transformation. She is also responsible for creating internal and executive communications programs to drive employee engagement.

Ms. Owen has broad corporate communications experience – corporate reputation, issues management, branding, executive communications and product launches – and deep internal communications know-how – leadership transitions, employee engagement, brand and product activations, mergers/acquisitions and change communications.

Prior to joining LS&Co., she spent two years as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for a private school, where she modernized the school’s communications and marketing program and served as a strategic advisor to the Board of Trustees. Ms. Owen served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Manager at WPP Team Dell (now AxiCom), where she oversaw U.S. staff and operations, and led the agency team responsible for driving global employee communications programs for Dell. Ms. Owen’s previous agency experience includes Fleishman-Hillard and PainePR (now Citizen PR). She started her career at Levi Strauss & Co. and is proud to be back working at a company known for its iconic brands and values.

Emily Poe

Group President, Integrated Communications, Real Chemistry

Emily Poe brings more than two decades of healthcare and scientific communications to the Real Chemistry. Her expertise spans US, global, corporate and product communications, social media, advocacy relations and digital marketing initiatives that help clients achieve their business objectives. Emily oversees Real Chemistry’s Integrated Communications business.

In her role, she teams with senior leaders to strategically bring together Real Chemistry’s integrated services to create unique and impactful solutions across Real Chemistry’s healthcare communications clients. One area of focus is applying Real Chemistry’s differentiated AI platform to help inform strategies, support communication ideation and how and where to best reach priority audiences.

Emily has extensive experience working across the healthcare industry, with deep experience
in key therapeutic areas such as oncology, neurodegenerative disorders, pain, mental health, immunology, rare diseases and
infectious diseases.

Prior her position at Real Chemistry, Emily was Executive Vice President for the Healthcare practice at Cohn & Wolfe, where she oversaw communications for global and US franchises,
as well as other scientifically focused programming. She has also held leadership positions at Euro RSCG Life PR and Noonan Russo Communications.

Emily began her career as an Assistant Editor at Nature Publishing Group. She has a degree in biological sciences from Cornell University, where she published a paper on genetic implications of insect neurobehavior in the journal Nature.

Aubrey Quinn

Senior communications executive,

Aubrey Quinn is a senior communications executive with nearly 20 years of public affairs, corporate communications, and crisis communications experience. Most recently she was the COO of Clyde Group, responsible for guiding the agency through its rapid growth after joining as the firm's first senior hire in 2016.

At Clyde Group she was responsible for the communications strategy for the firm’s largest corporate communications and public affairs accounts, working with clients across the healthcare, DE&I, financial services, technology, government, and non-profit spaces. She is especially drawn to opportunities to guide initiatives and communications campaigns at the intersection of these industry areas, and was the lead strategist behind many of the firm's award winning projects.

In addition to managing the firm’s client work, she also imagined and implemented the operations and organizational structures. She led early investments in data and business analytics, and created the firm’s proprietary POWER Score in order to better quantify the quality of earned media placements. In 2019 she took responsibility for the firm’s formalized IDEA (inclusivity, diversity, equity & accountability) efforts, building on Clyde Group’s legacy as a LGBTQ-owned small business.

Aubrey started her career with boutique public relations firms in Salt Lake City, where she specialized in national media relations and crisis communications, including work with the PR team that represented the Elizabeth Smart family. Over the course of her career, she has consulted on live shooter attacks, advised law firms, managed various crises for nonprofits and children’s hospitals, and oversaw response to FDA inquiries on medical devices.

Prior to joining Clyde Group, Aubrey served as Vice President of Communications for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, where she worked on a complete rebrand of the charity, launched all social media channels, and supported major partners including Walmart, Delta Air Lines, Marriott, and Microsoft Xbox. She worked closely with the charity’s 170 partner children’s hospitals, supporting everything from celebrity partnerships to grassroots fundraising campaigns to national media blitzes.

Aubrey also led marketing and communications efforts for Lansinoh, where she used a variety of creative tactics to recharge the 30-year-old brand. In addition to launching a high-profile celebrity relations campaign and making a mark at prominent blogger events, she advocated for family leave policies, coordinated international campaigns to normalize breastfeeding, and was responsible for opening the Lansinoh Nursing Lounge—the first dedicated natural feeding space at Nationals Park.

Aubrey has been named to Washington Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list (2020), the PRovoke Innovator 25 (2020), PRWeek’s Top Women in PR (2020), and PRWeek’s Hall of Femme (2018).

Aubrey studied public relations and political science at Brigham Young University, and now lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and three children.

Marc Rogers

Partner, Davis+Gilbert LLP

When companies pursue transformative next steps for their businesses, they know Marc Rogers is invested in their success. In every M&A or debt financing transaction he handles, Marc focuses on getting his clients closer to their overarching business goals with solutions tailored to their unique growth strategies.

Along with staying up to date on industry trends that affect his clients, Marc provides useful insight into economic and government developments that may impact a transaction or the way in which clients operate their businesses. He understands their objectives, how they run their business, where they want to go strategically and how each transaction fits into their big picture.

Marc works with businesses of every size and in every stage of the growth cycle. Clients value his ability to explain complex deal terms in plain English and help them stay focused on the issues that really matter. His pragmatic and practical advice keeps deals moving forward to close. Marc also represents the management stakeholders and senior executives of privately held companies in connection with strategic M&A transactions involving their companies.

In his many long-term client relationships, Marc is a loyal and trusted advisor who keeps his client’s long-term goals and ultimate legacy at the forefront. When selling their company, clients rely on his counsel to ensure a smooth path to closing, mitigate post-closing risks and negotiate transaction terms that protect client interests while balancing the operational and financial needs of the company to promote its long-term success.

“In my work, it is most rewarding to develop long-term relationships with clients who trust my advice in the strategic transactions that shape their future and preserve the legacy of the businesses they have built.”

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.

Lisa Ross

President & Partner, rbb Communications

Lisa is a strategic marketer with more than 25 years’ experience in developing breakout brands. She co-founded rbb and serves as its Chief Growth Officer overseeing new client relationships and strategic alliances as well as the firm’s Hospitality Practice.

Lisa has counseled numerous consumer brands such as Allegro Resorts, Cleveland Clinic, Hilton, Virgin Voyages and Zumba Fitness on breakout strategies that led to increased brand loyalty, sales and market share. She connects complimentary and unlikely partners, and transforms smart, fresh ideas into award-winning campaigns which in turn has earned her the gratitude and friendship of many who are now long-term rbb clients and firm ambassadors.

Lisa believes in giving back and has been active in industry and business organizations. Recently, she completed her term as a board member of PROI, the largest global partnership of independent communications agencies and co-chair of its America’s Region, is former board chair of The Strategic Forum and a past board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami. She is a member of PRCouncil, WPO (Women Presidents Organization) and HSMAI (Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International) and has served on its Marketing Advisory Council and as a Platinum judge of its highly regarded Adrian Awards. She also received designation from the organization as one of Top 25 Minds in Hospitality Sales & Marketing.

Lisa‘s career success, creativity and entrepreneurialism have gained her recognition in Who’s Who in Communications; Enterprising Women’s Top 100 Female Executives and South Florida Business Journal’s Most Influential Business Women. She graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and attended Columbia University’s Executive Education Leadership Program. She currently resides in Aventura, Florida and enjoys traveling, exercising, discovering new restaurants and wines with friends and especially spending time with her sons, Alec, 23, and Cameron, 21.

David Sánchez Carmona

Director, APCO Worldwide

David Sánchez Carmona is a highly experienced polymath who genuinely believes that working hard on complex problems for the world's largest organizations is its reward. With over 24 years of experience in many industries, David takes a hands-on approach to the work, keeping up with policy, consumer, and stakeholder change, the craftsmanship of output, providing thought leadership, understanding business objectives, and bringing clarity to create and enable value. His experience includes Advertising, marketing public affairs, strategic and crisis communications, data science, machine learning, AI, and business analytics, and he is constantly searching for ways to improve business outcomes, elevate best practices, and work collaboratively with colleagues. David has a proven track record in driving successful news media analytics for all the clients he serves at APCO Worldwide. Most recently, David has been working with the data team at APCO Worldwide to help clients understand and use data to drive their business outcomes. In particular, David has been focusing on how data can be used to understand media and public interest in real-time. David has also been working on a number of other data-related projects, including helping to apply AI and machine-learning platforms to strategic corporate communications and business strategy.

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.

Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld

Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies & Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld served as full tenured professor at Emory's Goizueta Business School for a decade and a professor at the Harvard Business School for a decade, and is currently the senior associate dean of leadership programs as well as the Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management for the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, a nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance.

Professor Sonnenfeld's related research has been published in 100 scholarly articles which appeared in the leading academic journals in management such as Administrative Sciences Quarterly, the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Review, the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Social Forces, Human Relations, and Human Resource Management. He has also authored eight books, including The Hero's Farewell, an award-winning study of CEO succession, and another best seller, Firing Back, a study on leadership resilience in the face of adversity.

Professor Sonnenfeld earned the 2018 Ellis Island award from the US Ellis Island Foundation. He was Harvard’s first John Whitehead Faculty Fellow and won outstanding educator awards at Yale, Emory and the American Society for Training and Development. His work is regularly cited by the general media in such outlets as: BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, the Economist, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, CBS (60 Minutes), NBC (The Today Show), ABC (Nightline, Good Morning America), CNN, and Fox News, as well as PBS, where he is a regular commentator for FORTUNE and CNBC. BusinessWeek listed Sonnenfeld as one of the world’s 10 most influential business school professors and Directorship magazine has listed him among the 100 most influential figures in corporate governance. He is the first academician to have rung the opening bells of both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.

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.

Richard Tsang

Chairman, SPRG

Richard Tsang founded Strategic Public Relations Group (“SPRG”) in 1995. Through his guidance and foresight, SPRG is today among the largest integrated PR networks in Asia Pacific and the largest PR consultancy in Hong Kong.

Richard is also heavily involved in the PR industry, as well as community services, holding over 80 board, committee and advisory positions in over 40 business, religious, education, government and non-governmental organisations. In 2016, Richard was named Global Chairman of PROI Worldwide – the world’s largest and leading partnership of independent integrated communications agencies, thus becoming the first Asian to hold such a position since the organisation was founded in 1970.

He is also the Deputy Chairman of The Hong Kong Institute of Directors (HKIoD); President of Enterprise Asia; Member of the Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene; Member of the Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases; Member of Telecommunications Users and Consumers Advisory Committee (TUCAC), Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA); Honorary Adviser of Financial Reporting Council (FRC); Trustee of Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong; and Council Member of UNICEF Hong Kong. In China, Richard is the Permanent Vice Board Chairman, “China Business Update”, China Shippers’ Association of Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China; Vice Board Chairman, Council of “World Market”, Shanghai Foreign Economic Relations & Trade Commission; and Special Researcher at China International Economic Development Research Centre.

Richard is a true philanthropist as well, as reflected by the establishment of Strategic CSR Network Limited in late 2014, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to linking different parties, including corporations, NGOs/charities and volunteers together to help underprivileged communities in Hong Kong.

A graduate of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Richard majored in Journalism and Communication. As an avid supporter of education, he has been a part-time lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, since 1994, covering such subjects as Financial Public Relations and Investor Relations, which are part of the undergraduate and master degree curriculums. He is also an Adjunct Professor at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and an advisor to the communication schools of four universities. Richard is also the co-author of Public Relations Theory, published by Commercial Press Hong Kong Limited.