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

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

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

Mixing Board is a community of communications and brand marketing leaders who share knowledge with each other and organizations that can benefit from accessing members’ expertise.

Vertafore

Communications Leadership & Executive Communications: 
• Developing employee engagement and change management campaigns for major initiatives, including product launches and releases, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity and new international office opening.
• Serving as communications business partner for C-suite and senior executives, including the CEO, Chief People Officer, Chief Product Officer, Chief Customer Officer, CFO and Chief Revenue Officer; duties include crafting strategic messages for all-hands presentations and companywide communications.
• Auditing internal communications channels and redesigning content and structure, resulting in 10% increase in email open rates in 5 months.
• Building communications strategy playbooks for event response, employer brand and M&A activity.

Director Internal Communications

ResMed

Strategy:
• I counseled global cross-functional teams on issues and impacts for strategic companywide initiatives.
• I participated in company pilot programs to evaluate use of AI applications including ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

Communications Leadership and Executive Communications:
• I developed campaign narratives and FAQs, scripted leader messages and talking points, reinforced change-management principles across cascaded messaging and contributed to intranet strategy/execution regarding design and content for audience of 10,500 global employees. 
• I performed as strategic communications advisor on several sensitive programs, including acquisitions and partnerships, new business ventures, global organizational and staff restructuring, responses to industry headwinds and project shutdowns. 
• As communications business partner, I supported multiple C-suite and senior executives, as well as the Product; Revenue; Strategy; Medical Affairs; Legal; Government Affairs; Information Security; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Investor Relations teams, via leadership counseling, key message development and communications planning and execution. 

Event Planning and Execution:
• I planned, managed and personally moderated live companywide town halls and Q&A sessions with the CEO.

Director, Corporate Communications

DaVita

Communications Strategy and Executive Communications: 
• I led a team of nine accountable for messaging company strategy; operational information; events; and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to 65,000 dispersed teammates (employees). 
• I directed the communications strategy for sensitive company initiatives, including external reputational threats and crisis response; staff restructuring; acquisitions and partnerships; and federal, state and municipal COVID-19 regulation compliance. 
• I developed and executed a data-driven plan to innovate communications architecture and processes, which resulted in improvements to email channels that achieved companywide open rates of over 65%. 
• I synthesized messaging and talking points and counseled C-suite and senior executives, including the CEO, COO, CIO, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, on employee communications, speaking opportunities and town halls. 
• I spearheaded a project to revamp the company intranet with a new content management system. 

Collaboration:
• I rebuilt the Communications team's relationships and reputation with several teams as collaborative thought-partners and strategists. This was an evolutionary difference, as the group was seen as largely tactical and process-driven at the beginning of my tenure.
• I personally partnered cross-functionally with leaders and subject matter experts (SMEs) to guide, craft and distribute content.

Leadership: 
• I mentored junior team members and co-workers for professional and performance excellence, resulting in multiple promotions.

Director, Internal Communications

Executive Communications:
• I wrote, scripted and advised on internal and external communications comprising thought leadership articles, videos, talking points and issues responses, for several C-suite and senior executives, including the CEO, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
• I composed and personally hosted an original podcast on leadership featuring multiple senior executives, including the CEO, CHRO, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, VP of Software Development and VP of Risk Management.

Employee Engagement and Internal Communications:
•  I led the team driving global culture, employer branding, internal communications and employee engagement campaigns and messaging initiatives.
• Through my work directing global culture campaigns and messaging initiatives, I contributed to a 160% YoY growth in eNPS, 17% YoY growth in company Glassdoor rating and highest Glassdoor rating in 2+ years. Communications generated 21-point YoY favorable difference in our annual employee survey and a +17 delta to provider benchmark.
• I designed a global culture branding framework, which launched to the highest historical employee response on the company's internal social media network.
• I developed a strategy to infuse employee engagement and employer brand into external social media presence, with six-month LinkedIn results of a 300% increase in daily new followers and engagement rate, and a 40% jump in overall daily visitor traffic.

Strategy and Collaboration:
• As a strategic member of the HR Leadership Team and reporting directly to the CHRO, I collaborated with and supported Talent Acquisition, Employee & Organizational Development, People Operations and HR Business Partner teams.  

Performance: 
• I was awarded "Spotlight on Excellence" accolade by Chairman/CEO within the first nine months of my joining the company in recognition of my effective communications strategies and impact, high performance and business contributions.

Director, Communications, Content & Employer Brand

Senior Manager, Communications, Content & Employer Brand

AT&T

AT&T acquired DIRECTV in 2015.

Communications Strategy: 
• I directed organizational, executive leadership, strategic and operational communications for a dispersed audience of 40,000 to convey new product introductions, initiative launches and workflow and policy updates.
• I increased read rates by 625% in six months through designing a new content management system (CMS) that optimized and compiled information in an easy-to-navigate database.

Change Management: 
• I functioned as a key change agent by leading strategic and tactical communication initiatives during DIRECTV's acquisition by AT&T, creating compelling messaging for staff buy-in during culture and management changes.
• I served as the Communications leader for the Denver-area employee engagement; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI); and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committees, aiding a 40-point YoY eNPS growth among local employees.

Senior Communications Manager

AT&T / DIRECTV

AT&T acquired DIRECTV in 2015.

Communications Leadership: 
• I drove initiatives and messaging through brand communications, value propositions and content strategies; designed, authored and distributed newsletters; scripted and directed videos and podcasts; created and maintained social media presence; and planned and promoted events.
• I managed a team of three who developed creative messaging, branding campaigns, value propositions, technical information and content strategies for customer, vendor and service contacts for an audience of 15,000+ dispersed employees and vendors.

Communications Strategy: 
• I developed and executed a plan to overhaul the company's internal communications architecture and developed new, innovative communications channels across multiple audio-visual media to effectively deliver messaging, which increased information absorption and buy-in.  
• I developed creative messaging, branding campaigns, value proposition and content strategies in collaboration with cross-functional teams.  

Change Management and Leadership: 
• I acted as a key change agent and facilitated support for cultural and management transformation as part of AT&T's purchase of DIRECTV.

Awards: 
• I was recognized with "Customer Experience Champion" award by DIRECTV's Chairman/CEO for guiding an innovative cross-functional communications solution that improved customer interactions and benefited the Sales, Customer Service and Field Operations organizations.

Senior Communications Manager, Field Services

Banner Media Group

Marketing and Branding: 
• I generated and guided branding and marketing for a portfolio of seven B2B and B2C clients.
• I established client editorial voices through creation and implementation of brand guides, website copy and brand personalities via engaging and creative company backgrounds and product information language.
• I relaunched and rebranded clients by identifying new names, establishing brand identity and creating personality through compelling press releases, social media strategy and direct customer messaging.
• I authored sales collateral for multiple B2C clients.

Marketing Manager

Clip Interactive

Marketing Strategy and Business Development: 
• I established the company positioning and approach strategy that drove company growth and entry into desired markets and industries.  
• I collaborated with senior leadership to develop go-to-market plans and company branding.  
• I authored white papers to provide informational background for senior leadership.

Strategy Consultant, Marketing & Communications

RAMP

Editorial, Content, Writing, Journalism and News Reporting: 
• I authored multiple news stories daily for this online publication, building trusted relationships with contacts and readers.
• I grew readership by 320% in 18 months, and improved daily open-rates to double that of industry standard.  

Marketing and Business Development:
• I built and maintained the company's social media strategy.  
• I developed the presentation strategy to advertisers and event-planners.

Communications & Marketing Manager, Co-Founder

I’m a passionate communications and brand leader, driven by the immense impact that a good narrative and strategic messaging has on organizations, including increasing employee engagement and productivity, as well as attracting new business, generating customer devotion and managing through crises. 

A great creative campaign lights me up. As a skilled communications strategist and storyteller, I’ve developed effective, creative and robust content strategies that resonate with internal and external audiences of all sizes and locations, from local startups to mid-sized global organizations with dispersed workforces and Fortune 10-sized companies. 

I easily engender trust, so I quickly forge positive relationships at all levels – especially with C-suite and senior leaders – positioning me well as a strategic thought partner and advisor, subject matter expert and collaborative resource. My authentic and easygoing nature helps me build bonds among teams I lead, enabling me to motivate them to work collaboratively toward common goals that support business strategies, while also mentoring and coaching individual players to develop their strengths.

I keep an eye on the future and facilitate change, which I’ve demonstrated by successfully crafting messaging that achieves buy-in during transformational initiatives. I’m tech-savvy and data-driven, talents I’ve leveraged to modernize and overhaul communications delivery channels to reach users with new technologies – where and how they want to be reached. 

I’m also:
✅  Allergic to the phrase “we’ve always done it this way”
✅  Quick to learn new industries and businesses, with experience in high-tech, healthcare, med-tech, entertainment and financial industries
✅  A beta-tester who speaks both “Engineer” and English, so I can easily distill highly technical language down to easy-to-understand concepts
✅  Comfortable on-camera and in front of large audiences
✅  An outgoing and engaging MC, and my alter ego DJ Kosmik K comes out to occasionally host events 
✅  Great at facilitating unique and fun team-building activities

Keith Berman

PR/external communications 👏 is 👏 about 👏 having 👏 a 👏 good 👏 story, 👏 not 👏 about 👏 someone’s 👏 relationships.

I will keep saying this long past when people are annoyed to hear it — until they finally stop asking about media relationships in interviews.

Your best friend could be the editor-in-chief of the New York Times, but they’re not going to risk their professional reputation and credibility (and potentially their job) over helping out a friend by running a story if it’s not compelling or interesting. 

You could cold-email someone you’ve never spoken to, and they’d interview your executive because of the story/angle you pitch them.

Function over form. Substance over style. A bad story is still a bad story and will get passed over, no matter how well you know someone or dress it up in fancy clothes. 

And a great communicator knows how to push back when an exec says “hey, let’s tell people about X” and reshape narratives from blah to something worth covering and reading about.

Senior Communications Leader | Translating Executive Strategy into Stories that Move Organizations | Storyteller • Strategist • DJ 🎧

Primary reason why Communications should never be a first-round budget cut: If you don't tell your own story, both internally to your employees and externally to customers, users, investors or influencers, someone else will make up their own and spread it around. Then you're playing defense, and it's wicked hard to undo a perception once those rumors start gaining traction. 

Sure, it's easy to see Comms as a line-item that doesn't directly tie to revenue like Sales or Marketing do, but we're just as influential and impactful. The things we build and reinforce — brand, reputation and trust — are incredibly important factors in business.

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The Battle

Ben Trounson

Keith Berman

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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

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