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.

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.

Natan Edelsburg

Muck Rack

Chief Partnerships Officer

Shaila Manyam

Burson

Executive Vice President, Managing Director — Global Corporate and Public Affairs

Ashley Korte

Equifax

Senior Director, Global Crisis Management

Christian Lindmeier

World Health Organization

Spokesperson

Antonio Hernández Crane

Amazon

Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Global Engineering and Security Services

Antonio Hernández Crane serves as Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Amazon’s Global Engineering & Security Services organization, a business unit made up of tens of thousands of employees working in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and emerging countries. In this role, he is committed to creating and optimizing action-oriented efforts related to making the workplace a fairer, more-equitable environment for all employees, particularly for those from historically underrepresented communities.
Hernández Crane became a DEI professional by way of working in the public relations and crisis communications space with McDonald’s Corporation, Worldwide Restaurant Operations. He also has experience working in HR and Employee and Labor Relations functions with other Fortune 500 companies, such as Abbott Laboratories, and Exelon Corporation. Hernández Crane is recognized as a certified affirmative action professional (CAAP) by the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED) and is certified in EEO and Affirmative Law through AAAED. Hernández Crane also holds DEI certification from Cornell University.
Hernández Crane continues to work to protect basic human and civil rights through the work of DEI. He serves on the board of trustees with the onePULSE Foundation, which is building the new National Pulse Memorial in Orlando, Fla. to honor the 49 victims, their families, survivors, and first responders.
Hernández Crane also serves on the board of trustees with the Public Relations Society of America Foundation in New York, an organization committed to promoting diversity among public relations professionals and companies, so that they can best serve the public good and address the needs of a diverse world.

Cheryl Leamon

U.S. Bank

Senior Vice President, Reputation and Issues Management

Linda Rutherford

Southwest Airlines

Chief Administration & Communications Officer

Susan Skiles Luke

Syngenta

Senior Manager, US Crop Protection and Corporate Communications