Ben Trounson

I help Fortune 500 organizations build unshakeable stakeholder trust through strategic communications that turn complexity into clarity. As a VP of Global Corporate Communications with 20+ years of experience, I specialize in guiding companies through the reputation opportunities and challenges that come with transformation, crisis, and growth.

My career spans leadership roles at technology, energy, and pharmaceutical giants including Tata Consultancy Services, National Grid, Verizon, and Bristol Myers Squibb. At TCS, I helped transform the company's reputation from a lesser-known IT services provider into a globally recognized digital transformation partner for Fortune 500 clients, contributing to brand value growth from $5B to $14B over my seven-year tenure. This transformation required rebuilding narratives, executive
positioning, and stakeholder relationships across multiple markets.

I've built and led global communications teams ranging from 20 to 50+ members across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regions. My approach focuses on three core elements: authentic narrative development that aligns with business strategy, internal capability building that empowers teams to execute consistently, and external relationship management that builds lasting credibility with key stakeholders including media, investors, regulators, and employees.

Whether navigating CEO transitions, major acquisitions, regulatory scrutiny, or market repositioning, I ensure corporate communications delivers measurable impact on reputation and business outcomes.

Vice President of Communications, Verizon Business

Over a month into my new role at Arizona Public Service - APS, and I'm embracing life as an Arizonan.

A few early impressions:
- A welcoming and thriving culture across the company.
- The CX & Communications team: incredible passion for serving customers across AZ .
- Climbing Piestewa Peak; what a view of Phoenix and the valley!
- Seeing firsthand the growth in AZ and the key enabling role of APS.

And I clearly need to work on my local look! Perhaps slowly work my way in with some cowboy boots. 😀

VP, Global Corporate Communications | Reputation & Stakeholder Trust Builder | 20+ Years Transforming Fortune 500 Narratives | Former Verizon, National Grid, TCS | $5B-$14B Brand Value Growth

As Founder and CEO of Phifer & Company, I have over 28 years of experience leading global executive recruitment initiatives in marketing, communications, and corporate branding. My firm excels in fostering personalized client relationships to deliver tailored recruitment strategies that align with unique management styles, company cultures, and business goals. 

My work emphasizes creating meaningful, long-term connections that drive successful placements for clients and candidates alike. By leveraging expertise in marketing communications and a commitment to understanding individual goals, we consistently enable mutually beneficial outcomes for organizations and top-tier talent worldwide.

We recruit for advertising, marketing, public relations, communications, influencer, and digital. Everything under the marketing communications umbrella. 

My work is proven by over 99 recommendations on LI as well as having over 75K LinkedIn followers.

Brian Phifer

To every CEO and business leader in 2026, Communications is no longer support.  
It’s protection.

Years ago, comms meant press releases, website copy, and crisis clean up.

That world is gone.

Today, communications professionals help you see around corners.

They prevent:

• Ads that accidentally create outrage  
• Executive statements that damage credibility  
• Product messages that overpromise  
• Internal emails that become public disasters  

Here’s the reality I see every day:

Every decision you make is now a communications decision.

Which means communications cannot live in one department anymore.

Smart companies embed communications leaders everywhere:

Marketing  
HR  
Legal  
Operations  
Product  
Customer experience  
The executive table  

Because every part of your business now communicates publicly, whether you plan for it or not.

Too many organizations still bring communicators in last instead of first.

That’s exactly how expensive mistakes happen.

The math is simple:

Hiring strong communications talent = salaries.

NOT hiring them = lost customers, damaged reputation, legal exposure, crisis management, and declining revenue.

In other words, millions.

If communications isn’t deeply integrated across your company in 2026, you’re operating without a safety net.

#Communications #Leadership #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations
#communicationsjobs
#prjobs

Brian Phifer | Executive Search Advisor to CEOs & Boards | CMO, CCO & Growth Leadership Recruitment | Founder, Phifer & Company | Global Career Coach

Yes, there are layoffs, but there’s also a ton of hiring ! The faucets have opened!
Chase your dream career!

Some of the most unique and technical research in AI is happening at Anthropic. I'm #hiring and looking for a stellar comms pro to drive external storytelling for our research and model training work across areas like alignment and interpretability.

The right candidate has a genuine curiosity about research in AI, strong media instincts, and the ability to navigate complex and novel topics. You'll also get to work closely with our incredible research leads and editorial team — Sylvie C., Stuart Ritchie, Jake Eaton, and many others — to tell these stories.

Please apply directly if you're interested.

Open article: Communications Manager, Research by job-boards.greenhouse.io

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taplio

The Battle

Ben Trounson

Brian Phifer

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ben Trounson's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreBrian Phifer's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreBen Trounson's LinkedIn Performance