Ben Trounson

Mixing Board

Invite-only community of communications and marketing leaders, elevating the business impact of the functions, sharing expertise, and providing mentorship.

Member

Daikin U.S. Corporation

VP, Head of Corporate Communications

Verizon

VP, Head of Global Communications, Verizon Business

Bristol Myers Squibb

VP, Head of International Corporate Affairs

Tata Consultancy Services

Head of Global Markets Corporate Communications

Head of North American Corporate Communications

Finn Partners

Partner, Technology Practice

Hill & Knowlton

SVP, Director of NYC Marketing Communications Practice

Ketchum

VP, Client Service Director

Taylor Global

Account Director

Kodora Communications

Media Manager

VP, Global Corporate Communications with 20+ years of experience leading corporate affairs across internal, external, executive, and crisis communications strategies. Deploying diverse global brand plans, thought leadership campaigns, employee culture and change initiatives, product GTMs, and partner programs for Verizon, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. A team builder and mentor, and C-suite advisor, creating data-led strategies to transform business impact and drive enterprise collaboration, engagement, advocacy, reputation, and revenue.

Vice President of Communications, Verizon Business

Time with family is so important. I spent last week in England visiting my father on the coast of Cornwall near Land's End.  

We all work hard, but need to prioritize some time to make more memories. I enjoyed the basics. Walks across the beach cliffsides, board games, ancient pubs, Cornish pasties (yum), and lots of rain... 

But more than anything, just time talking with my father. I heard stories about his childhood and family history that I had never heard before... after all these years. You don't get these moments until you slow down and disconnect, even for a day or two. 

With Thanksgiving this week, I'm wishing all U.S. friends and colleagues a wonderful time with their families. Try finding some quality 1-1 time with your parents or grandparents and ask about their childhood. You might hear a few amazing stories for the first time, and be able to pass them on!

#family #history #storytelling

VP & Global Head of Corporate Communications | Reputation & Issues Management Expert | Former Verizon, National Grid, TCS | C-Suite Advisor | Driving Trusted Brands & Teams

I had a blast at the Axios Communicators Live NYC event last night. 

A few quick highlights from the main stage sessions:

1. Anthropic's Sasha de Marigny was refreshingly transparent: they’re not entirely “Claudifying” comms; they’re hiring an AI ops role to support strategic humans.

2. Ray Day, APR of Allison Worldwide noted two-thirds of comms leaders work with CEOs on major decisions. As a profession, we need to consistently add value and demonstrate business acumen and impact to increase these numbers! 

3. Meridith Webster of Estée Lauder stated that corporate narrative builds trust, and brand activations make them human. Strong comms blends both.

Cheers to Eleanor Hawkins and Hope King for hosting.  
 
Thanks to Amanda Coffee and Joanie Sanders for such a fun and packed comms happy hour before the Axios event.

And it was lovely to see so many friends and former colleagues: Daniel Méndez Aróstica, MBA, Daniel Nestle, Todd Grossman, Shauna Elkin, Abenaa (Abby) Hayes (she/her/hers), Brooke Kruger, Selena Strandberg, Ben Rose, Leah Katz, Ethan McCarty, Maril Gagen MacDonald.

December kicks off a week of communications events in NYC.

I enjoyed a fun session last night, meeting fellow comms pros and sharing POVs on a host of topics. Thank you Amanda Coffee, APCO NY and Ragan Communications and PR Daily for hosting.

This Wednesday, Edelman has the global launch of its latest Trust Barometer Flash Poll at 11 am EST (AI at an inflection point). 

And on Thursday, Axios is hosting its 4th annual Communicators Live event in NYC. A great line-up of speakers, comms leaders emerging as vital trusted advisors as companies face:
- Siloed audiences
- Political polarization
- Cultural complexities
- Workplace transformation
- And, yes, AI disruption

Looking forward to seeing many former colleagues and friends on Dec 4.

The Chief Communications Officer has become a strategic sense-maker, tasked with navigating a polycrisis of fused geopolitical, societal, and technological risk. 

This was one of several key points that jumped out in the Ipsos Reputation Council Report 2025. It's worth the read. Few other findings of note.

- With non-stop social fragmentation and issue cycles, business leaders are embracing strategic silence more often — not as avoidance, but as a deliberate act of prioritization and navigation of a pragmatic ESG era. 

- Today's communications leaders have been pushed far beyond functional expertise, helping organizations interpret fast-moving risks, look around corners, align internally, and act with clarity in moments that matter.

#communicationsleadership #strategiccommunications #crisiscommunications

The “17, 70, 0” rule just reframed my view of the jobs vs AI debate.

In the latest Trending Communicator episode, Daniel Nestle’s guest, Chris Gee, reminded us that our economy still runs on people (their work, income and participation). 

Chris cited the 17, 70, 0 rule:
17 → $17T in U.S. consumer spend
70 → 70% of U.S. GDP depends on it
0 → what AI will spend 

What does this mean? The US economy depends upon people having jobs and incomes to buy things. AI and agents won't be these "consumers" of goods.  

My take? We need significant coordination across industries, governments, academia, and NGOs to reskill and upskill at scale. 

Every major tech shift has displaced jobs and created new ones — but the speed and scale of displacement this time really raises the stakes and legit concerns.

And for those just entering the workforce, I feel for them. We owe the next generation more pathways to secure roles, learn and grow. 

Check out the episode (details in comments).

#strategiccommunications #AIincomms #futureofwork #AIjobs

Comms leaders are now the shock absorbers of the enterprise. 

I joined hundreds of Mixing Board, powered by Axios members who participated in the new Communicators Report by Axios and Gravity Research. The findings are telling. 

Communicators are now managing the collision of five defining forces:
 → Misinformation and disinformation (71%, cited as the top reputational risk)
 → Hyper-charged geopolitical and regulatory scrutiny
 → Rapid AI disruption
 → A splintered media landscape
 → Workforce anxiety

The role is shifting from chief storyteller to chief stability officer — keeping organizations aligned, focused and credible as external pressure intensifies.

At the same time, employee communications is becoming the backbone of trust, not a secondary channel. 

AI is no longer experimental in comms — it’s operational. And how transparently and responsibly it’s used now directly impacts credibility, inside and out.

Not surprisingly, Fortune 100 CEOs are also taking a more pragmatic stance on societal and political issues.

Thanks Eleanor Hawkins for compiling and sharing your thoughts via Mixing Board.

#CommunicationsLeadership #AIinComms #Reputation #CorporateCommunications

Gorman Strategies 

Fractional Communications Leadership for a Brighter Tomorrow | Providing strategic counsel to mission-driven companies, leaders and brands.

Perdue Farms | Fractional Head of Employee Communications, advising CCO on a companywide culture transformation. Led internal engagement, CEO messaging, and brand strategy to elevate quality as a business priority for 20,000+ associates.
SVP Worldwide + Singer | Reimagined employer brand to enhance inclusion and engagement.
Kindred Products | Built go-to-market comms to expand retail distribution.
Sisu: Launched U.S. debut with Pride-focused event covered by major outlets.
Harvard Dean / Author | Shaped leadership strategy to grow personal brand and speaking reach.
Comms Collectiv | Helping shape the future of fractional communications across the industry.

Chief Communications Officer (CCO)

General Motors

Responsible for leading employee engagement and communication strategy for GM's all-electric future for more than 90,000 employees.

Working collaboratively with PR teams, executive leaders, and content creators to shape corporate narrative around electrification and software. Elevating people stories, managing crisis messaging, and raising the voice of company spokespeople through accelerated times of change in the auto industry.

Corporate Communication - Electric Vehicles

Whirlpool Corporation

Global Communication Lead & Senior Manager 

Managed global communication for the $1B global unit through times of significant change for 2K+ employees around the world. Drove engagement strategy, executive communication, change management, creative agency work, and inclusion and diversity programs.
Drove awareness of the strategy to 92% among global employees during business turnaround that led to record revenue, market share, and profitability.
Spearheaded internal and external workstreams for KitchenAid 100-year celebration, including PR and employee engagement for NYC celebrity chef event with David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris.
Partnered with senior executives to enhance executive presence, improve image, provide coaching, and help leaders bring out best for employees and external stakeholders.
Managed execution of global inclusion week reaching thousands of employees around the world, achieving 95% satisfaction and impacting engagement scores in the belonging category.

Head of Global Communications, KitchenAid Small Appliances

Communication Manager | Corporate & Global Communications

Developed internal and external communications to enhance product leadership positioning, from CEO presentations for investors to government briefings and crisis responses.
Directed strategy for product leadership portion of newly-created corporate newsroom, partnering with PR team to generate 200M+ impressions aligned to the business priorities.
Owned organizational transformation for 22K employees to new collaborative workplace culture: led marketing campaign which drove high adoption rates of new Google workplace tools.
Collaborated with government relations on opportunities from LGBT equality to fair trade, leading the Invested in America Campaign and hosting dignitaries such as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Created and executed employee advocacy strategy for global salaried employees to help employees be the voice of the corporation. Launched employee influencer group, generating 5.5M impressions.

Global Communication Manager

Communication Senior Specialist | Learning & Org Performance, U.S. Sales

Managed employee communication strategy for the US sales organization, helping sales employees to be the voice of Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Maytag across America.
Managed communication for annual national sales conference, an inspiring leader led a week-long summit with training, external speakers, and immersive employee experiences.
Provided in-person leadership PR support for trade shows by supporting executive presentations, media interactions, social media presence, and client interactions.

Communications & Engagement Manager

Communication Specialist | Organizational Development, U.S. Supply Chain
Organizational communication lead for Maytag acquisition as the company went from $12B to $18B / year company - managed workforce reductions, quality implementations, schedule adherence programs.
Led change management for consolidation of 4 national contact centers to 2, while improving engagement and morale of front-line employees.
Developed communication solutions by launching video bulletin boards across multiple call center locations, providing visual metrics, engagement information, and awareness messaging to employees.

Communication Specialist - Organizational Development

Corporate Affairs & Communication Strategist | Working to Elevate Engagement, Humanity, and Creativity in the Workplace | Whirlpool + KitchenAid + GM Alum

Creative corporate affairs professional.
Authenticity advocate.
Realness revolutionary.
Obsessed w/AI.

My most recent role at General Motors gave me the challenge of driving the company towards an all-electric and autonomous future. My focus was on shaping a corporate narrative that embraced electrification and autonomy, the biggest shift in the auto industry in the last century. I thrive in spaces where change, crisis, and challenges can be met by strategic, creative communication solutions.

Prior to GM, I led communication efforts with other iconic American brands, Whirlpool and KitchenAid. Results included driving global strategy awareness to a remarkable 92% at KitchenAid, which aligned to a period of record revenues and growth for the business. My approach marries strategic communication with a passion for inclusion, always aiming to amplify the voices voices the people. I fight for a culture that values engaged and informed employees.

Career highlights:
Driving global engagement for KitchenAid's 100-year anniversary across the world from Australia to Germany to Greenville, Ohio.
Leading inclusion efforts with the first-ever same-sex couple ad campaign in the U.S. appliance industry.
Discussing EVs and communications with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at GM’s RenCen in Detroit.
Presenting on the Future of Communication to Fortune 50 CCOs at Amex HQ in NYC.

Currently, I am bringing my experience to companies in fractional leadership roles through Gorman Strategies.

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