I’ve spent nearly thirty years working in communications, change, culture, and employee engagement, with a focus on corporate environments that have undergone some sort of major disruption. And by “disruption,” I mean anything with the potential to create chaos: mergers and acquisitions, global process or technology implementations, significant business transformations and reorganizations.

I studied psychology and change communications at Columbia University and Kellogg School of Management, so change (and fear of it) is my thing and the topic I’m asked to speak on most often. I’ve also studied professional coaching and leadership at iPEC and KW MAPS. From where I sit, change, internal communications, employee engagement, culture, and executive coaching are ubiquitous, integral parts of a whole.

I started out in corporate communications when, as a young writer, I was plucked from the typing pool—literally—by the Chairman of the Board of Touche Ross & Co. (which would later become Deloitte). He said, “I’ve just come from an accounting conference where they told us that any Big 8 firm that doesn’t have a ‘personal computer’ on every partner’s desk in six months will be out of business. I’m too old to learn. I want you to do it.” And on that instruction, I selected the first computer platform for Touche Ross’ 740+ international partners, and subsequently became the Chairman’s coach and media liaison for all things technology. (You can read more about that chapter of my story here.)

Thanks to that lucky break, I’ve spent the better part of the last 30-something years on leadership teams conducting transformative corporate events like —

• the $25B Hewlett-Packard/Compaq merger with Carly Fiorina & Michael Cappellas
• the $4B HP Services/Procter & Gamble IT & business process outsourcing deal with Ann Livermore & A.G. Lafley
• global ITIL implementations for Shell Services International & Coca-Cola
• the $3B YP spin-off from AT&T and its acquisition by a private equity company
• the $3B cultural & operational integration following Cox Automotive’s acquisition of nearly 30 brands in the course of two years
• IHG’s initial global rapid response to the Covid-19 pandemic
• LinkedIn’s first-ever business transformation
• ServiceNow’s inaugural ESG strategy

My role is typically to provide insight into the impacts (seen and unseen) the event has or might have on people. I help identify and mitigate the potential pain points and inform the strategic transition, transformation, and integration plans that ultimately create or improve employee engagement—the foundation of any healthy corporate culture.

And I show up with the words to make it all happen.

EVERYBODY’S GOT A STORY. WHAT’S YOURS?