Speakers

Bradley Akubuiro

Partner, Bully Pulpit International

Bradley Akubuiro is a nationally recognized expert on corporate reputation. As a partner at Bully Pulpit International, he focuses on change communications, high visibility crisis management and media relations efforts, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion counsel for clients, which span a range of organizations from the NFL to Goldman Sachs. Previously, Bradley was the Chief Spokesperson and Head of Global Media Relations for The Boeing Company. He is an adjunct lecturer at the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University where he currently serves on the Board of Advisors. He serves on the board of directors for The 19th News — an award-winning newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics, and policy — as well as for the Institute for Public Relations, and the Medill School of Journalism at his Alma Mater, Northwestern University, where he is also a member of the faculty. Named to 40 Under 40 lists by both PR Week and Crain’s Chicago Business, Bradley has contributed insights to outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and The Washington Post, and his columns have been featured in Business Insider, Forbes and Inc. Magazine where he has a regular column.

Kristine Boyden

CEO, Americas, Burson

JJ Carter

Global President and CEO, FleishmanHillard

Rod Cartwright

Founder, Rod Cartwright Consulting

Rod Cartwright is a highly-regarded independent, board-level advisor specialising in issues, crisis, reputation, risk and resilience.

He went independent in 2019, following an acclaimed 25-year global PR agency career, which encompassed UK, European and global leadership roles at agencies including GCI, Text100, Hill & Knowlton and Ketchum.

His frontline crisis experience includes advising the leadership of Malaysia Airlines following the disappearance of Flight MH370 in 2014.

He is also a Visiting Fellow at Cardiff University’s Centre for Media & Public Communication, Special Advisor to the CIPR Crisis Communications Network and CIPR Independent PR Practitioner of the Year 2025.

Russell Dubner

Global Chief Communications Officer, Boston Consulting Group

Russell Dubner is the Global Leader of the Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Trust & Stakeholder Strategies business and the firm’s Global Chief Communications Officer. Russell's approach to client engagements includes a proprietary, diagnostic-led approach that positions trust not only as a risk-mitigation tool but as a source of competitive advantage.

In addition to his leadership in trust and stakeholder engagement, Russell also advices communications and corporate affairs functions in their GenAI transformation journey —helping leaders reimagine capabilities, processes, and impact through emerging technologies.

BCG’s Trust & Stakeholder Strategies leverages advanced diagnostics to assess trust health, prioritize risk, and align stakeholder engagement strategies across investors, employees, customers, lawmakers, media, and more. Russell has been instrumental in embedding this multi-stakeholder approach into clients’ enterprise agendas and value creation strategies.

He advises global CEOs and leadership teams at critical inflection points — from brand repositioning to operational transformation — guiding them on how to engage stakeholders with strategic precision.

Russell holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Franklin & Marshall College.

He currently sits on the boards of the Center for an Urban Future and is a member of YPO’s Gotham Chapter. Outside of work, Russell enjoys tennis, judo, and spending time with his family of five, including his wife of twenty years, Jessica.

Corey duBrowa

CEO, Burson

Corey duBrowa is the global CEO of Burson, the global communications leader purpose-built to create value for clients through reputation. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of Burson’s parent company WPP plc, the creative transformation company.

Corey brings a 30-year career at brands, technology companies and agencies to his role leading the flagship Burson and Burson Group of companies, which includes Axicom, earned-first global communications agency for tech brands and brands with a tech story; Burson Buchanan, the financial communications and capital markets advisory firm; GCI Health, the global healthcare specialty communications agency inspired by people; and Hill & Knowlton, the full-service global firm and proven partner for business and brand transformation, providing strategic communication, marketing and corporate affairs solutions.

Before Burson, Corey was Global CEO of BCW and the BCW Group of companies. He came to BCW after spending five years as Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs at Google and parent company Alphabet. Before his tenure at Google, Corey was Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Salesforce, and spent seven years at Starbucks as Senior Vice President of Global Communications. He has extensive agency experience from his time at Waggener Edstrom and Ketchum Public Relations, having begun his career in employee communications at Nike.

His multiple industry awards over the past 25 years include six SABREs, four PRWeek Global Awards and three PRSA Silver Anvils, and he has been inducted into the PR News Hall of Fame. He currently serves on the University of Oregon Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the PR Museum’s Board of Trustees. He was a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society for five years and a founding member of the USC Annenberg School’s Board of Advisors. Corey was a music journalist for two decades, with more than a thousand bylines in publications ranging from Rolling Stone to GQ. In 2024, he published his first book, “An Ideal for Living: A Celebration of the E.P. – Extended Play.”

Corey earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oregon.

Richard Edelman

President and 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 boasts an array of accolades, including PRWeek’s Agency Dynasty of the Past 25 Years and Global Agency of the Year (2023) and Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year for the Good Track (2024 & 2022). Recognized as a standout agency by Ad Age (2023) and honored with multiple Cannes Lions, including Titanium, Grand Prix and seven Gold Lions since 2021, Edelman consistently sets the industry standard.

Richard was named CEO in 1996 taking over for his father, who remained Chairman until he passed away in 2013. Now in his 29th 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 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, and the 9/11 Museum. 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.

Lívia Gammardella

Head of Marketing and Social Media, LatAm Intersect PR

Recognized by Forbes as a “Digital Innovation Genius,” by the Davos Awards as a Rising Star in Communications, and by PRWeek as a Global Professional, Lívia Gammardella is Head of Marketing and Digital at LatAm Intersect. She holds an MBA in Marketing from USP, the #1 university in Latin America, where her thesis explored the Attention Economy,  as well as advanced training in Communications Planning and Strategy from Miami Ad School.

Her career spans digital marketing leadership across 13 countries in LATAM, where she has pioneered initiatives that merge innovation with culture. From influence-driven storytelling to technology and AI activations, Lívia focuses on how brands can not only capture attention but also sustain it in a crowded digital environment. She specializes in understanding audiences at a country level, proving that Latin America is not a monolith, but a region defined by its diversity of voices, behaviors, and cultural nuances.

Amanda Glasgow

Chief Communications Officer, Logitech

Paul Holmes

Founder & CEO, PRovoke Media

Susan Howe

CEO, The Weber Shandwick Collective

Susan Howe is Chief Executive Officer of The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC), the leading earned-first strategic communications and consulting network spanning nearly 60 global locations.  

Under her leadership, TWSC serves Fortune 500 companies across every major industry sector, earning coveted recognition such as PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year and PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Decade, as well as being named to Ad Age’s Agency A-list and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, multiple times. TWSC has been awarded 250+ Cannes Lions and counting.  

Recognized as “the most powerful woman in the PR agency world” by PR Week, Susan has been a key driver of TWSC’s growth and continues to advise top partners like Kellanova, Nestlé and Anheuser-Busch. As CEO, Susan has led the expansion of the agency’s offerings, including Weber I/O, which integrates data, technology and AI into marketing and communications strategies; Weber Advisory, a unified approach to corporate and public affairs; and Weber Create, an influencer marketing platform that combines Acxiom data with cultural insight to drive commercial impact.  

Susan’s infinite optimism, passion for ideas and unmatched drive for impactful business results have earned her honors like being named an Ad Age Leading Women honoree, a PRWeek Global Agency Professional of the Year and to PRWeek’s Power List.  

Susan is a member of Fortune’s CEO Initiative and the CNBC CEO Council. She also serves on Northwestern University’s Board of Trustees, Northwestern Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Sheppard Pratt Foundation Board. She is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. 

Susan and her husband live in Chicago where she is a devoted aunt, certified yoga instructor and avid baseball fan.  

Kayla Marrero

Account Executive, Adfero

Elsie Merhi

Independent Consultant, Digital Transformation & AI, Accenture Alumni

Maja Pawinska Sims

Global Head of Features; EMEA News, PRovoke Media

Stacy Sharpe

Chief Communications Officer, Verizon

Liyana Shirin

Group Communications Manager, Brambles

Liyana Shirin is a Group Communications Manager at Brambles, where she leads strategic communications that engage global teams and drive business transformation. With experience spanning finance and technology, she blends analytical precision with creative storytelling to strengthen leadership visibility, employee engagement and organisational culture.

Named one of Brummell Magazine’s Ones to Watch 2024 and recognised as Young Changemaker 2025 by PRovoke Media & WE Communications, Liyana has been celebrated as one of the industry’s emerging voices shaping the future of communications. Her work has also earned recognition from Campaign UK, WeAreTheCity and Digital Women for her contributions to diversity and innovation.

Beyond her corporate role, Liyana serves on the Future Leaders Shadow Board of Women in Banking & Finance UK (WIBF), influencing initiatives that promote social mobility and early-career development across the sector. She mentors professionals through WIBF and the TBFxCIPR Reverse Mentoring Programme and coaches students in local schools to navigate career choices. A delegate at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), she continues to champion inclusive communications and purpose-driven leadership through her global network and volunteering efforts.