2021 Page Spring Seminar

All times are written in Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted.

Bring a beverage of your choice to one (or both) of our receptions, hosted by Dr. Candace Steele Flippin, Chief Communications Officer of Acuity Brands, Inc., to catch up on what’s happening with your fellow Page and Page Up members.​

Bring a beverage of your choice to one (or both) of our receptions, hosted by Dr. Candace Steele Flippin, Chief Communications Officer of Acuity Brands, Inc., to catch up on what’s happening with your fellow Page and Page Up members.​

All times are written in Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted.

Kathy Beiser, 2021 Page Spring Seminar Co-Chair, Vice President of Global Communications, Eli Lilly

Start #PageSpring off right by attending our virtual kickoff breakfast. As we sip our beverages, we’ll celebrate our community by sharing in each other’s joys, lending expertise to each other’s challenges and catching up on what we’ve missed during our time apart. We want to bring our community together, both online and offline, so you’ll also enjoy a Starbucks voucher—on Page—during this part of our program, hosted by 2021 Page Spring Seminar Co-Chair Kathy Beiser.

Charlene Wheeless, Chair, Page

Mike Fernandez, Spring Seminar Chair, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Enbridge

Brian Lott, 2021 Annual Conference Chair, Chief Communications Officer, Mubadala Investment Company

Thomas L. Friedman, Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times 

Nancy Gibbs, Director of the Shorenstein Center in Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard University

Moderated by Don Baer, Senior Partner, Brunswick Group

Pandemics, politics, systemic inequality, and climate change are just a few of the many forces that have ignited a new inferno of issues that will require insight, creativity and courage to manage. Page Member Don Baer will lead a lively conversation with three-time Pulitzer Prize-Winning Thomas Friedman and Director of the Shorenstein Center in Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University (and former TIME Editor-in-Chief) Nancy Gibbs as they explore some of the trends likely to impact our organizations far into the future. This session will provide a backdrop for considering how communicators can help build resilience and create positive change both inside and outside our organizations.

The preceding session is sure to generate ideas for lively “table” discussions with your peers about the forces shaping your organizations and how to build resilience.

Glen Fukushima, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Richard Harrington, Chairman, UK & Senior Counselor, APCO Worldwide, and Former UK Government Minister

Moderated by Andrew Sollinger, Publisher, Foreign Policy

Katie Ioanilli, Chief Communications Officer, Ralph Lauren Corporation

Dr. Andrea Bonime-Blanc, Founder and CEO, GEC Risk Advisory

Vikram Sharma, President, Crisp

Moderated by Paul M. Rand, Vice President of Communications, University of Chicago

The speed, frequency and potentially devastating impact of challenges now facing organizations is upending generally accepted crisis management principles. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), many organizations’ approaches to risk mitigation look “increasingly outdated.” A recent WEF report asserts: “…in a world of accelerating challenges, static annual documents need to make room for continuous horizon-scanning for early indicators of change and associated timelines for action.” Fortunately, many crises can be identified a priori through advanced new intelligence solutions which monitor and identify potential risks long before they become public — providing an opportunity to mitigate the damage. Page and Page Up members will learn about game-changing strategies from the new world of risk intelligence. 

12:25 p.m.

Milla Craig, Founder and President, Millani

Mark Tercek, Advisor to Private Sector Leaders on Environmental Strategies,Former CEO of the Nature Conservancy (2008-19), Former Partner and Managing Director at Goldman Sachs (1984-2019), Author of “Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature,” Publisher of Newsletter “The Instigator” 

Moderated by Mike Fernandez, Spring Seminar Chair, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Enbridge

Most major companies publish CSR (corporate social responsibility) or ESG (environmental, social and governance) reports to underscore how they are making a difference in the world.  Growing governmental and societal concerns about the environment and increasing consumer interest in how products are made and sourced have boosted interest in socially responsible investing in ways that are likely to have profound impacts on capital markets for years to come.  Our panelists explore why companies need to take investor interest in ESG into account and how communicators are essential to this process.

Select a topic and engage in enlightening conversations with your peers in an intimate, small group environment.

• DE&I – Accelerating Change and Delivering Results, with Dr. Candace Steele Flippin, Chief Communications Officer of Acuity Brands, Inc.
• ESG Standards, Commitments, Measurement and Reporting with Catherine Hernandez-Blades, former CCO and CMO of Aflac
• Corporate Brand – How to Build Enterprise Commitment to Living the Brand with Marc Cloosterman, CEO of VIM Group
• Employee Mental Health with Barby Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group
• How AI is impacting PR and business in an environment of polarization and mis/disinformation with Vikram Sharma, President of Crisp

Michael McGrew, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications & CSR Officer, Constellation Brands

Andy Pharoah, VP, Corporate Affairs & Strategic Initiatives, Mars Inc.

Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Moderated by Jon Harris, Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, Conagra Brands

The CCOs of Conagra, Constellation Brands, Chipotle and Mars will share how their companies demonstrated agility, flexibility and resilience during the pandemic while staying true to their values and purpose. The CCOs will also recommend how brands can manage risk and build longer-term trust, reputation, value, and resilience in the year ahead. 

Mike Fernandez, Spring Seminar Chair, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Enbridge

All times are written in Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted.

Mike Fernandez, Spring Seminar Chair, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Enbridge

Gabrielle Giffords, Former U.S. Congresswoman for Arizona

Peter Ambler, Executive Director, Giffords

Eve Lindley, Actress

Lisa Ramey, Singer, Season 16 of The Voice

Dr. Tal Zaks, Chief Medical Officer, Moderna

Steve Bowen, Astronaut, NASA

Jen Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President, Core, Google 

A good liberal arts education demonstrates the value of being informed by people and ideas from multiple spheres that differ from our own. In this session, we hope to see that concept in action through listening and then participating in unique peer interviews. 

First, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords will talk about the importance of listening to others and then Peter Ambler, executive director of Giffords, will speak with Gabby about her organization’s efforts to curb gun violence.  Following Gabby and Peter’s discussion, a cross-section of people from different backgrounds will interview one another, demonstrating how we can all listen and learn from each other through dynamic conversations. 

Mirroring the “Dynamic Conversation” format that has occurred just before these discussions, this is your opportunity to break into small groups and learn more about your peers in engaging conversations.

Jeff Immelt, Former CEO, General Electric

Fred Grier, Tech Reporter, San Diego Business Journal

Mike Fernandez, Spring Seminar Chair, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Enbridge

All times are written in Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted.

Kathy Beiser, 2021 Page Spring Seminar Co-Chair, Vice President of Global Communications, Eli Lilly

Bob Feldman, Vice Chair, ICF Next

Mark Hoplamazian, President & CEO, Hyatt

Kathy Krenger, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, Hyatt

As companies redesign the work experience to prioritize health and safety, leaders must do more to support employee emotional and mental wellbeing by addressing one of the most stigmatized workplace issues: mental health. Prior to COVID-19, the prevalence of mental health issues among adults was increasing but has risen even further amid the pandemic. 

In this session, Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian and Senior Vice President of Global Communications Kathy Krenger will discuss the importance of mental wellbeing and how companies, leaders and communicators can better guide their organizations to become healthier places for the people who power them.

Dianne Mills, Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Acuity Brands

Dean Acosta, Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, Lockheed Martin 

Mary Gendron, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Qualcomm

Moderated by Stacey Tank, Chief Transformation & Corporate Affairs Officer, Heineken

In 2019, none of us envisioned exchanging our offices for rooms in our own homes and staring at our colleagues framed in small boxes. Many essential workers never imagined themselves risking their lives to perform their work in person and recent studies show that some groups have been disproportionately affected, including women. Radical shifts in how we work and connect with a variety of stakeholders have reframed the work landscape for everyone from the shop floor to the executive suite. Coupled with the impacts of a churning sociopolitical environment, going to work has changed in ways no one could have predicted and there’s no turning back. How can CCOs help their organizations not only manage but also benefit from some of these changes? What can we do to partner with other C-suite colleagues to help shape the new environment in ways that are beneficial and equitable? This session will explore a variety of issues and opportunities and lessons learned about our new work environment and what we can do to influence it.

The preceding session is sure to generate ideas for lively “table” discussions with your peers about how work is changing and the implications for communicators.

Part I:

Mark Carter, Founder, Diverse Future, Veteran Media Executive, Strategist and Executive Producer

Elizabeth Vargas, Former ABC World News Tonight Anchor

Part II:

Carmella Glover, President, Diversity Action Alliance Director, DE&I, Page Society

Karen Arena, Advisor, Diverse Future, Principal, Aircover Communications

Kristin Wallace, Diverse Future Alumni, Johnson and Johnson

Matt Johnson, Diverse Future Alumni, Johnson and Johnson

Doug Shelton, Diverse Future Alumni, Director, Corporate Communications, IBM 

George Floyd’s death in May of 2020 ignited protests in the United States and across the globe. It is an excruciating reminder for all of us to keep focused on building a more just and equitable society. DE&I programs today are core to the business landscape, and yet, organizations still face significant challenges in building true DE&I. How should brands incorporate a commitment to diversity into their business and communications

strategies to deliver meaningful change in this new era?

In this session, Mark Carter, founder of The Diverse Future, will speak with Elizabeth Vargas, former ABC World News Tonight anchor, to explore this complex and compelling topic. Their discussion will be followed by a conversation with alumni of The Diverse Future who will explain the impact of the program, share what is happening with DE&I in their own organizations, and review some preliminary best practices on methods for enterprises to evidence their authenticity and commitment to diversity in 2021 and beyond.

You’ll have your choice of attending one of these interactive breakout sessions.

• DE&I – Accelerating Change and Delivering Results with Dr. Denise Hill, Assistant Professor, School of Communications, Elon University
  • Stakeholder Capitalism with Jon Iwata, Executive in Residence, School of Management at Yale University
• Corporate Brand—How to Build Enterprise Commitment to Living the Brand with Pattie Kushner, former CCO of Labcorp

• Employee Mental Health with Barby Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group
• How AI is Impacting PR and Business in an Environment of Polarization and Mis/Disinformation with Vikram Sharma, President of Crisp

Rich Karlgaard, Former Publisher, Current Global Futuris and Editor-at-Large, Forbes & Forbes Asia

Resilience often requires patience. Rich Karlgaard, the former publisher of Forbes, and now its global futurist and editor-at-large, has written a book, Late Bloomers, that explores how possibilities open up when we are willing to wait. In the midst of a pandemic, many people are concerned that their education, careers, and lives have been put on hold and that they are missing a window of time that will be irretrievably lost for developing and sharing their skills and talents with the world. Karlgaard will make it clear that when anyone discovers the true intersection of their personal mission and active curiosity, then previously hidden strengths and confidence will emerge. Good news: Timing and age pose no barriers to success.

Mike Fernandez, Spring Seminar Chair, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Enbridge