Colleen Harris

Former Press Secretary To Princes Charles, William And Harry

Former Adviser, World Health Organization, Elton John Aids Foundation

With more than 25 years’ experience ranging from the British Royal Household, via Downing Street, to international NGOs, Colleen Harris has a strong track record of working in high-profile media and communications roles. This professional experience is complemented by a broad portfolio of trusteeships and non-executive director roles in the arts, education and health. Colleen held a senior communications position in the Prime Minister’s Office before being appointed Press Secretary to HRH the Prince of Wales, and was the first Black member of the Royal Household. She handled the media for The Prince of Wales during some of the most turbulent years, and also media-managed the emergence of Princes William and Harry into the public eye. Her career has included senior posts in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, and the Cabinet Office as well as in non-departmental Public Bodies. She has worked in Britain and abroad as a consultant with private companies, non-profit organisations and UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation. Colleen’s work in a wide variety of contexts has taught her about managing individual reputations, as well as how to use brand-development techniques to help clients identify and take full advantage of their strengths and skills – equipping them to define their own public profiles, and achieve personal and business success. Colleen’s board-level and executive experience has given her a good appreciation of how to inspire and lead teams, as well as insight into the qualities that CEOs and boards look for in high-level executives.

Patrick Jephson

Former Chief Of Staff To Princess Diana

International Reputation Expert, New York Times Bestselling Author & Consultant, Netflix's "The Crown"

Patrick is a consultant, journalist, broadcaster and New York Times and London Sunday Times bestselling author, based in Washington DC.  His byline has appeared in every major UK newspaper and international titles as varied as TIME magazine, People, The Spectator, Paris Match, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the National Catholic Reporter.  He is a published authority on corporate and personal branding, addressing conferences worldwide as well as events at the US State Department, the American University and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. 

He also writes, presents and advises on factual and drama programs, appearing on every major US network as well as British and international platforms.  His two decades of news and current affairs assignments have included on-screen conversations with figures such as David Frost, David Dimbleby, Barbara Walters and Larry King. 

He is founding partner in JephsonBeaman, a boutique communications consultancy specializing in international high-profile, sensitive and UHNW services.  With more than twenty-five years’ experience in the government, luxury and family office sectors, Patrick’s portfolio has included Ferrari, Harrods, Beretta and Hawker Beechcraft as well as national agencies and NGOs.  He has also worked on reputation and legacy briefs with European, Middle Eastern and Asian families, including royalty. 

Patrick owes much of his practical communications experience to Princess Diana, who chose him to be her equerry and only private secretary/chief of staff.  He served the Princess for eight years (1988-96), responsible for every aspect of her public life, worldwide humanitarian initiatives, and private organization.  Under relentless media scrutiny, his tenure covered the period of Princess Diana’s greatest popularity as well as the constitutional controversy of her separation from Prince Charles.  In recognition of his service, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appointed him a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.

Patrick was born and raised in Ireland and holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Cambridge University.  As an officer in the British Royal Navy he served all over the world before being selected for royal duty.  In March 2015 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Mary Jo Jacobi

Former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Former Assistant US Commerce Secretary for President George H.W. Bush, British Civil Service Commissioner

Former Senior Executive, HSBC, Lehman Brothers, Royal Dutch Shell And BP America

Mary Jo Jacobi Jephson is a renowned expert in reputation, brand and crisis management drawn from her extensive experience at senior levels of the corporate, public and voluntary sectors on both sides of the Atlantic. Most recently, Mary Jo was Executive Vice President of BP America during its response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Previously she led reputation management for Royal Dutch Shell, Lehman Brothers, HSBC Holdings and Drexel Burnham Lambert. She also devised and executed the award-winning global brand strategies for Lehman and HSBC, including the first-ever use of airport jetties for brand projection and thought leadership. She is a non-executive director of the Weir Group PLC, Mulvaney Capital Management and Panafsat and a member of the advisory board of Fink Africa. She is also a Visiting Fellow of Oxford University'ss Centre for Corporate Reputation. Mary Jo was the first woman to chair the board of the Ladies Professional Golf Association and subsequently served on the board of the Ladies European (Golf) Tour. She is a frequent broadcast commentator, lecturer and public speaker around the world.

Donald Steel

Former Chief Communications Advisor, BBC

Vice President, Crisis Communications, Kenyon International Emergency Services

Donald Steel has built a global reputation as a crisis communicator.  For more than 25 years he has given strategic counsel to organisations and high profile individuals in a range of serious situations, including aircraft incidents, terrorism, kidnapping, serious accidents, executive and personal misconduct, fraud, litigation and inquests and serious regulatory and diplomatic issues.

He was for 11 years, the chief media spokesman of the BBC.

In his own practice, based in London, he worlds with a range of corporate, government, NGO and individual clients across the UK, Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North America and Asia Pacific and Australasia.   His clients includes airlines, hospitals, universities, hotel groups, UN agencies, orchestras, the Eurovision Song Contest, arts venues and high profile artistes.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in London and of the Royal Society of Arts.  He is a regular guest lecturer at the London School of Economics and the China Media Centre of the University of Westminster.

Alongside his own practice, last year he was appointed Vice President, Crisis Communications at Kenyon International Emergency Services, the worlds longest serving and most admired responder to incidents involving fatality and injury.  Based in Houston, Berkshire (UK), Beirut and Santo Domingo, Kenyon’s clients range from leading airlines, cruise companies, hotel groups, governments, police forces, local authorise and companies across the world who work in high risk situations.  In this role, Donald leads a team of senior crisis communicators based around the world, ready to respond to clients.

He was a member of Aviation Futures, a recent think tank of the UK Civil Aviation Authority supporting the CAA on planning the regulation of future developments in aviation.

Jon Meakin

Clarity PR

President, North America

Jon has 25 years’ public relations and communications experience, encompassing consumer, corporate, business-to-business and crisis and issues management.  He is currently President, North America at Clarity PR, responsible for the strategic direction and growth of Clarity's North American business.

Previously, Jon ran Grayling’s global Strategic Services team, which encompassed research, insights and evaluation; creative and content solutions through the agency’s GMint offer; and Grayling’s proprietary online reputation management tool, GCore. He also overseed the firm’s global marketing efforts and consults on key international clients.

Jon’s career has seen him develop and run successful international campaigns for clients including PayPal and Shell, and UK programs for clients in food and drink, travel and tourism, publishing, property and other sectors.

Jon is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK and has previously judged several PR industry awards, including the CIPR Excellence Awards, PRCA Awards, the PRWeek Awards and the Romanian PR Awards. British born, Jon is currently resident in San Francisco.

Nancy Bistritz-Balkan

Purchasing Power

Senior Director Corporate Communications

Shafiq Jamal

Principal, Jamal Communications Inc.

Senior Strategist, Weber Shandwick

With over 23 years’ experience in the corporate sector, Shafiq has garnered extensive experience in crisis, issues, and reputational risk management. He has worked with clients on crisis planning and preparedness, crisis and earned media training, crisis communications strategy and execution, reputation recovery, real-time hands-on and virtual situation room support, cybersecurity issues and threats, business continuity, as well as disaster preparedness and recovery.

Shafiq has also worked closely with C-suite executives, mid-level management, and front line workers, on preparing and rolling out communications strategies and plans on issues of corporate restructuring, operational efficiency, mergers and acquisitions, hostile takeovers, change management, name and identity changes, and on conveying new company visions and directions.

He has provided counsel on issues that have included data and security breaches, global disease and virus outbreaks (including COVID-19, Ebola and SARS), real estate project opposition, healthcare issues, loss of life, employee misconduct, weather disasters, labour contract disputes, community opposition, product recalls, product tampering, hostile takeovers, insider trading, hazmat situations, land rezoning and bomb scares.

Sectors he has worked in extensively include oil and gas, technology, telecommunications, retail, real estate, healthcare, transportation, life sciences, financial services, marine transport, hospitality, and consumer goods and services.

Prior to starting his own independent consulting practice, Shafiq held the position of Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Weber Shandwick’s (Weber) Vancouver office. Under his watch the Vancouver team doubled in size and added strength at every level. Shafiq was instrumental in fostering relationships with new clients and was a force in raising brand awareness and recognition for the agency in the local market. He now acts as a Senior Strategist for Weber, alongside being the principal of hos own firm, Jamal Communications Inc.

Shafiq has also held senior positions with Edelman Worldwide, the Retail Council of Canada, as well as Best Buy Canada Ltd., in their corporate office.

Early in his career, Shafiq was selected as one of the Top 100 Young Canadian Leaders by the Jeanne Sauvé Youth Foundation. He speaks regularly on reputation management at industry events and provides ongoing mentorship to aspiring PR and communications professionals. Shafiq is a graduate of York University, with a double degree in Mass Communication and International Relations, along with a Certificate in in Radio and TV Broadcasting in Canada from Seneca College.

Outside work, his other passions include studying and enjoying wine, striving to find time with his family, watching tennis and soccer, and collecting Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Conan Doyle memorabilia related to their greatest fictional detectives – Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes respectively.

Katie Creaser

ICR

Senior Vice President

Katie Creaser is Senior Vice President, Technology PR at ICR where she specializes in emerging tech, cybersecurity and IT solutions/services. Katie is passionate about helping brands tell their story through a thoughtful, holistic and measurable corporate communications strategy.

During her 15-year PR career, Katie has managed communications campaigns that have earned accolades from PRSA, Hermes, PR News and BtoB Magazine/Ad Age, among others. She regularly speaks at industry conferences and events and her commentary has appeared in publications including Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, Inc., PR News and PR Daily. In 2016, Katie was recognized by the New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-NY) as one of its 15 Under 35, an award highlighting the most promising young leaders working in communications in the New York metro area. She recently served on the PR Council’s PRC Next Board, comprised of 12 rising leaders tasked with bringing the perspective of the next generation to current industry challenges. Prior to joining ICR, Katie was senior vice president at Affect, a NYC-based PR agency specializing in technology.

Katie holds a BA in Public Relations from Marist College. She lives on Long Island with her husband and spends her free time trying to keep up with their two young sons.

Matt McKenna

Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Greenbrier

Former Senior Advisor to President Clinton

For over 7 years, Matt McKenna served as spokesperson and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Family, and the Clinton Foundation. He also ran Communications for Uber North America and has advised diverse corporate and philanthropic organizations such as The Carlyle Group, lululemon athletica, and WilliamsWorks on a range of issues including, executive communications, crisis management, acquisitions, lawsuits, and the hiring and firing of CEOs. Prior to joining the Clintons, Matt worked on several statewide political campaigns, most recently serving as communications director for U.S. Senator Jon Tester -- both in his successful U.S. Senate campaign in and his first term in the U.S. Senate. Matt has also worked in various capacities for Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Gov. Tony Knowles of Alaska. Two years ago, Matt co-founded Greenbrier to help individuals and corporations avoid, manage and recover from crisis. Greenbrier provides strategic advice and tactical execution to clients facing complex image, marketing, branding, media, legal and political challenges. A native of Bozeman, Montana, Matt is an avid mountain and road cyclist. He lives between Montana and San Francisco with his dog, Pablo.

Sandra Fathi

Gregory FCA

Chief Strategy Officer

Sandra Fathi is Chief Strategy Officer for Gregory FCA, a B2B technology and financial services public relations and marketing firm. She has spent the last 25 years helping technology, healthcare and professional services companies achieve their goals. Sandra founded Affect in 2002, a public relations, marketing and social media agency, for nearly two decades prior to being acquired by Gregory FCA in the Spring of 2021. 

Sandra started her career as a reporter for a division of Ziff Davis and IDG Tech Network. She went on to work at a number of leading technology firms and one of the top global PR agencies. Her clients have included Apple, EDS, Ericsson, Nokia and Microsoft, as well as innovative start-ups.

Sandra is also active in the communications industry and professional community. She has served on the board of the PR Council, as Chair of PRSA’s Tri-State District, President of PRSA-NY and President of the PRSA Technology Section. She is a sought-after speaker for conferences and events and her expert commentary has appeared in business and industry outlets such as CNN, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., Huffington Post and U.S. News & World Report.  Adding to her accolades, Sandra has been recognized as one of PRNews’ Top Women in PR, a PRNews PR Professional of the Year finalist, and a Bulldog PR Agency Professional of the Year.

In addition to her professional pursuits, Sandra is a wife and mother of two children and one demanding dog. She is passionate about philanthropic work and serves on the board of directors of HavServe, a nonprofit organization focused on community-led development in Haiti.

nonprofit organization focused on community-led development in Haiti.

Ginger Buxa Plumbo

Mayo Clinic

Communications Manager, Issues & Crisis Communications

Ginger Plumbo is a communications manager at Mayo Clinic, a top-ranked nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, with locations in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona.  She leads communications and media relations efforts for Mayo Clinic’s transplant practice. Her role also involves issues management and crisis communications efforts, as well as documentary projects at Mayo Clinic.

Ginger holds a Master of Arts in mass communications from North Dakota State University, with an emphasis on issues management and crisis communications, and a Bachelor of Arts in public relations from the University of North Dakota. She has over 25 years of experience in communications and public relations, mostly for non-profit and healthcare organizations.

Ginger lives in Rochester, Minnesota with her two school-aged daughters, a Goldendoodle, and an ever-growing herd of her daughters’ stuffed animals.

Brad Ross

City of Toronto

Chief Communications Officer

Brad Ross has been the Chief Communications Officer for the City of Toronto since January 2019. He rejoined the City (he was with the City from 2000-2008) after almost 11 years at the Toronto Transit Commission where he led employee and public communications, including reputation management, which included developing strategies around transparency and accountability to mitigate crises. Brad has embraced social media as a critical channel for communicating and engaging with the public during good times and bad. As a public servant, he embraces the concept of being HOT – honest, open and transparent – as a key element of public accountability.

Matt Lindberg

ICR

Managing Director