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.

Paul Fabretti

Microsoft

Communications Director, Regulatory Governance & Compliance

Simon Sproule

Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.

Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Mr. Simon Sproule has been Director of Global Marketing Communications Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. since November 2014. He is responsible for global marketing and global communications for Aston Martin Lagonda worldwide. Simon reports to Dr. Andrew Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda.
Prior to Aston Martin Lagonda he served in senior executive positions for Tesla Motors in Palo Alto, CA and for Nissan Motor Company based at Nissan's global HQ in Japan. He first joined Nissan in their North America operations in June 2003 from Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover North America, where he served as their chief communications officer in North America. Between 2009 and 2011, Simon served as head of Global Communications for the Renault-Nissan Alliance, based in Paris. 
With more than 22 years of auto industry experience, his first position was with Ford Motor Company in the UK. In 1998, Simon was moved to Ford’s global operations in Dearborn, Michigan followed by an appointment in 2000 leading communications in North America for Jaguar first, then adding Aston Martin and Land Rover to his responsibilities in 2001.
In 2004, Simon was named as a Young Achiever of the Year by the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit, MI. He has been named several times to the PR Week Top 40 Power List and in 2013 was given an ‘All Star Award’ for Public Relations by Automotive News. Born in Hampshire, England, he earned a degree in Geography in 1990 from the University of London.

Jesper Andersen

Public Relations, Social Media and Measurement Advisor, Quantum Public Relations

Member, AMEC (International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication)

Jesper Andersen is the managing director and lead strategist of Quantum Public Relations, a Danish consultancy specialised in communication measurement and evaluation. By creating insights, Quantum Public Relations provide clients with ways to improve their communication to help them fulfil their purpose and reach business objectives. For the past decade, he has worked in Public Relations for some of the largest brands in the Nordics and been the head of press relations for VisitDenmark and NCC Construction. He is a popular guest speaker and has been a keynote and panel participant at e.g. Effekt Agenda 2016 and AMEC Summit 2016. Jesper does consultancy for both private companies, public sector institutions and NGO’s – including the European Union’s Regional Development Fund and Interreg co-operation. In 2016, Lissted in the UK put Jesper at number 83 on the list of the Top 100 PR Measurement Influencers in the world.

Natan Edelsburg

Muck Rack

Chief Partnerships Officer

Lauren Day

Prudential Financial, Inc.

Chief Communications Officer

Lauren Day is chief communications officer of Prudential Financial, Inc. She leads an integrated, strategy-led organization designed to generate competitive advantage for Prudential and its diversified businesses worldwide.

Previously, Day was a managing director and head of corporate communications at the primary U.S. subsidiary of AXA S.A., where she was a member of the executive management group and served on the Board of Directors of the AXA Foundation. 

Day also served as director of strategic communications for American International Group (AIG), where she oversaw communications strategy and execution for the company’s global restructuring and recapitalization program. Prior to that, she was a senior associate in the capital markets group of AIG Investments.

Day began her career as a legislative aide in the Connecticut State Legislature, and later as a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow at KfW Bankengruppe in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where she focused on microfinance and microinsurance products.

In 2016, Day was named to PRWeek’s “Top 40 under 40” and, in 2017, was named one of PR News’ “Top Women in PR.” She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Dartmouth College, where she was named a Presidential Scholar. She is an individual member of the American Council on Germany.

Peter Himler

PCNY

President

Peter is founding principal of Flatiron Communications LLC, a New York City-based PR/digital media consultancy that helps emerging and established companies capitalize on the latest communications technologies and news, content and social marketing strategies. He is an award-winning PR executive who led the media relations teams at several esteemed global PR firms including Edelman, Burson-Marsteller, Cohn & Wolfe and Hill and Knowlton before starting Flatiron in 2005.
In addition to running Flatiron, Peter has written since 2011 for Forbes.com on the intersection of media, technology and marketing. He also founded and edits the “Adventures in Consumer Technology” publication for Medium.com, which has 44,000 followers. He is solidly engaged in the social graph primarily on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and LinkedIn.
Peter serves as president of the Publicity Club of New York, is active with the New York Tech Meetup, and sits on the executive board of the Communications and Media Studies Program at Tufts University from which he holds a B.A. in Political Science and French. He and his wife Barbara reside in New York City and are proud parents to three exceptional sons.

Bjorn Trowery

Meta

Consumer Communications & Brand PR

Lauren Gerstner

HP

Global Director - Social Media, Community Management & Paid Social

In her role as Global Director of Social Media and Community Management, Lauren combines proficiency in the social space with strategic expertise to help empower social marketers across the organization. Lauren joined HP just over one year ago, and brings to the role a wealth of experience leading social teams on both a global and national-focused scale across a wide range of industries, including mobile tech, gaming, and financial services. Prior to joining HP, Lauren led social marketing teams at Nokia, H&R Block, and Northwestern Mutual - ensuring the social efforts and campaigns delivered by each brand were designed to drive innovative, social-first experiences for target customers.
Viewing the social media landscape as a central intersection point for all aspects of the business, Lauren strives to establish strong partnerships with a broad network of internal partners. Having led social through the lens of digital marketing, customer care, community management, public relations, and influencer marketing, Lauren leverages comprehensive expertise to facilitate a truly integrated social approach that offers a best-in-class customer experience.
Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin and is currently completing a Master of Business Administration degree through the global executive program at Imperial College of London.

Amisha Gandhi

Analyst & Partners, SAP ARIBA

VP, Influencer Marketing, Analyst & Partners

Amisha Gandhi is Vice President, Influencer Marketing, Analyst & Partners at SAP Ariba and previously led mobile product marketing.  In her current role, she is leading the charge at SAP by creating influencer marketing programs to help drive demand gen and global marketing campaigns. She’s worked in public relations and marketing roles in Silicon Valley for the past 15 years, working for everyone from startups to large enterprises such as HP, Google, Accenture and Time-Warner. Amisha has a passion for consumer tech gadgets and always seeking out the next big thing.

Anna Lingeris

The Hershey Company

Earned Media & Brand Publicity Lead

Anna is responsible for developing & executing strategic, results-driven public relations, social media and consumer engagement campaigns for The Hershey Company brand portfolio including iconic brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, and more.
Lingeris graduated from Allegheny College with a dual Bachelor's Degree in Political Science & Communications and spent six years in Washington, DC before relocating to Hershey, PA in January 2009.  
In 2011, Lingeris was named one of PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 and PR News' 15-to-Watch. Her leadership also led to numerous industry awards, including the S'mores Snacktivity Suite execution from BlogHer '10 and '11. 
A Pittsburgh native, Anna is an avid Steelers fan and spends her free time (what free time?!) at the gym, and on Skype dates with her niece and nephew!

Lori Eberenz

KFC

Senior Manager, Public Affairs

Eberenz has been a key leader in reviving KFC with fun, exciting, and breakthrough PR initiatives that delivered outstanding results. She helped mastermind an extra crispy sunscreen viral stunt, orchestrated the brand storming the Golden Globes, and rolled out the promotion for several new product launches.
The efforts landed KFC back on the radar. PR-generated buzz has played a significant part of providing a big boost to key brand metrics such as relevance, quality, and value. The chain has seen 11 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth after decades of decline.
While half of her job is generating good buzz, the other half is controlling negative spin and derailing crises. She has been a part of the business strategy to better train restaurant personnel and has personally led the control of issues before they reached a crisis point that could have derailed the turnaround.
Her focus on dealing with crisis at the restaurant level, as well as the corporate level, is a breakthrough approach for the industry, and Eberenz trained franchisees and restaurant managers on how to better use social media responsibly and deal with potential crises in their restaurants.

Marcy Cohen

Mastercard

VP Digital Communications

Marcy Cohen is Vice President, Global Digital Communications at Mastercard.  She is responsible for developing and implementing digital communications strategies to drive the company’s corporate reputation. She recently launched storylab, an in-house content studio infusing storytelling with creativity, color and authenticity. She launched the company’s first branded podcast, Fortune Favors the Bold about the role money plays in our lives. Prior to her current role she was head of social media at Sony Electronics where she led a team in developing and executing digital and social media initiatives for new product introductions and corporate brand initiatives.

Andrew Williams

Goldman Sachs

VP Media Relations

Chrissy Persico

Google

Head of Consumer PR

As Head of Consumer PR, Chrissy oversees consumer PR and events at Google and works with editors and writers to inform them about what's new at Google (all products: hardware, Search, Maps, Google Play, YouTube, Android, Android Wear, Chrome, Gmail, Google Flights, Made with Code and more).

Olga Gonzalez

Pietra PR

CEO/Founder

The CEO/Founder of Pietra PR, Olga González has over ten years of experience working within the field of jewelry communications. A certified gemologist (FGA DGA) and appraiser, she specializes in growing mid to large-sized companies within the gem, jewelry, and luxury watch trades, from designer brands and manufacturers, to trade non-profits, and diamond grading laboratories. She currently serves as Immediate Past President of PRSA-NY, and was the chair of the chapter’s inaugural 15 Under 35 Awards.

Additionally, Ms. González serves as the Director of Networking for the Women’s Jewelry Association New York Metro Chapter Board, and is a member of ASJRA, The New York Mineralogical Club, Gem-A and GSUSA. She is a regular contributor to trade and consumer publications on gem and jewelry-related topics. Her passions include salsa dancing, experimenting with Jaime Oliver recipes, sailing, and exploring Manhattan's hottest new openings.

Russell Dubner

Edelman US

President & Chief Executive Officer

Russell Dubner joined Edelman as an entry-level account executive and today oversees the U.S. region – the firm’s largest operation. He remains actively involved with a wide range of clients, including PwC, ADP, Home Depot, Samsung, AQR and Juniper. Russell has written and lectured on the tenets of enduring engagement and taking a narrative approach to corporate storytelling.

Outside of Edelman, Dubner was co-founder of RipDigital, a digital music service that converts music CDs into music files, and remained on its board until the company was sold in 2005. He sits on the boards of the New York City think-tank Center for an Urban Future, Coro NY Leadership Center, GenNext Foundation, and is a founding member of PTTOW!. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College.

Oliver Money

International Rescue Committee

Global Communications Director

Oliver Money is a communications strategist with 10 years experience across private, public and non-profit sectors, designing high impact communications teams and campaigns. 

He started his career at the London-based communications consultancy Fishburn Hedges, working for international clients across financial, government and NGO sectors. He then moved into UK politics working on a national Labour Party leadership campaign, and subsequently worked for the former UK foreign secretary David Miliband as a Policy and Media Advisor in the UK Parliament.

In 2013 Oliver moved to New York to work for the global humanitarian NGO the International Rescue Committee. He is currently the IRC’s Global Communications Director, overseeing strategic communications planning, execution and evaluation relating to refugee resettlement programs in 28 US cities, and international programs in over thirty crisis-affected countries, as well as leading on executive and CEO communications.

Stacey Jones

Accenture

Head Of Corporate Communications, Senior Managing Director

As Head of Corporate Communications, Stacey Jones oversees a range of initiatives that position Accenture as one of the world’s most innovative companies and a top employer.  Her responsibilities include global media relations, integrated marketing, executive visibility, inclusion and diversity, recruitment marketing, corporate citizenship, issues management and non-financial reporting.

As part of her role, Stacey has been instrumental in growing Accenture’s annual observance of International Women’s Day into a major event for clients, people and recruits, that includes global research, more than 300 celebrations around the world and a significant social and digital footprint.

In 2017 and 2018, Stacey was named a Top Woman in PR by PRNews, in recognition of her accomplishments and contributions to Accenture and the industry. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Institute of Public Relations and represents Accenture at Sustainability 50 and Page Up.  She is also an active member of Milken Associates.

Prior to joining Accenture, Stacey worked as a journalist in Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago, and managed public relations for Aetna. A graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio, she lives in the New York City area with her husband and two sons.