Best Practices for Brand Communications in Times of Uncertainty - Part IV

Jennifer Nelson serves as vice president, Corporate Communications for AbbVie, a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. In this role, she is responsible for corporate internal and external communications, media and public relations strategies, and the planning and successful execution of programs and initiatives that support, promote and protect AbbVie’s strategic business objectives and reputation. Previously, Jennifer was vice president, corporate communication for McKesson, a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, healthcare technology, community oncology and specialty care. In that role, she led the executive, internal and external communications teams, managing numerous reputational issues and helping drive higher employee engagement with communications grounded by the company’s business strategy, mission and culture. Prior to joining McKesson, Jennifer ran her own communications consulting firm, providing strategic public relations counsel and writing services to a variety of public and private sector clients. 

Will Briganti is Senior Director, Corporate Communications at Nasdaq. Will leads external communications efforts for Nasdaq’s Corporate Services business, which includes Nasdaq Private Market, Nasdaq Governance Solutions, and the IR Intelligence division. Will is a member of the company’s crisis communications team and supports senior management on investor relations, M&A, corporate governance, and sustainability-related matters. Prior to joining Nasdaq in 2013, Will was a Vice President at Finsbury, a communications firm. He was responsible for strategic communications advice to international clients on their interaction with the media, governments, and key stakeholders. He advised clients on a variety of topics, including several cross-border M&A transactions, corporate restructurings, corporate crises, and IPOs. Will began his career in public relations at Edelman. He is a proud graduate of Denison University.

Lewis is a Managing Partner at KCSA and oversees the firm's public relations practice. For more than 20 years, Lewis has worked to implement eminence, thought leadership, and public affairs programs designed to build business and garner fairer valuations. Lewis developed a campaign mentality working in national, state and local politics for U.S. President Bill Clinton, U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli and then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. He designs programs with a specific business objective in mind, a targeted timeframe, attention to maximizing limited resources and a measurable ROI. In 2015 Lewis helped found KCSA’s cannabis practice and has become recognized as one of the most effective strategic thinkers in this growing field. He is the co-host of KCSA’s weekly podcast, The Green Rush, and speaks regularly at conferences on the use of strategic communications to achieve specific business objectives. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Rutgers University. Lewis is a fan of Rutgers, the Mets and Jets and tends to root for sports teams that have a long and storied history of losing. Lewis can be followed on twitter @LewisDGwhere you will most probably hear about politics, sports, music, cannabis.