About the Seminar

Although change is a constant in our world and in business, 70 percent of change initiatives attempted in organizations fail. As a professional communicator, you play a critical role in helping to ensure your organization bucks this alarming trend. In this session you’ll be exposed to the most effective strategies to develop a strong change management strategy and:

• Ideas about how to manage continuous change and sustain results,
• The most effective ways to combat fear and resistance,
• How other corporations have effectively communicated change,
• The role of leadership in change,
• How to build a compelling story for change.

Who Should Attend?

This conference is designed exclusively for:

• Marketing and Corporate Communications Professionals
• Managers and Change Project Leaders
• Change Agents and HR
• Employee Engagement Professionals

Earn Recertification Credits

Register Early and Save!

Book before October 26th and save $100!

**Block off your calendar for December 10-11, 2019 at The Conference Board. To maximize your experience, we also suggest attending the Internal Communications Seminar on December 11-12. Take advantage of a special opportunity to save on both- for more details, contact Brian Teagle at +1 212 339 0356 or brian.teagle@tcb.org.

Get Involved!

For speaker opportunities, contact jill.christensen@conferenceboard.org.
For sponsorships, contact michael.felden@conferenceboard.org.
For marketing partnerships, contact melissa.mianulli@conferenceboard.org

Day One | Tuesday, December 10, 2019

9:00 - 9:15 am

Welcome and Introductions

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

9:15 - 10:45 am

Growing Influence on Culture & Change Readiness

Change communication professionals have an increasing role to influence their organization’s culture. To successfully evolve a culture that is aligned with your business strategy, it’s imperative to focus on the change readiness of all your key stakeholders. This session will provide a hands-on approach to help you evolve your culture and communications strategy to manage through continuous change and overcome resistance.

Greg Voeller, Sr Director, Gagen MacDonald

James Sharpe, Sr Director, Gagen MacDonald

10:45 - 11:15 am
Morning Refreshment Break

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Growing Influence on Culture & Change Readiness – A Leadership View

Now that you have a game plan for impacting your culture and change readiness, this panel session – moderated by Hillary Goodman, Managing Director, Gagen MacDonald - will provide an opportunity to hear from leaders whose organizations are at various stages of their culture and change evolution.

Moderator:

Hillary Goodman, Managing Director, Gagen MacDonald

Panelists:

Kelsey Graziano, Senior Director Communications, PVH

Tizziana Weber, Sr. Director, Executive and Change Communications, Pratt & Whitney

Laura Irons Paredes, SVP, Communications, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Brian Kedzior, Senior Director of Organizational Development and Change Management, Walgreens

12:15 - 1:15 pm
Networking Lunch

1:15 - 2:15 pm

Expanding the Change/Communications Partnership Across the Change Lifecycle

Change and Communications are inextricably linked. It’s near impossible for one to happen successfully without the other.  Using Walgreens uber-simple change model as a guide, we’ll explore real-life stories of where the partnership has worked and where it hasn’t. This highly interactive session will give you actionable steps that you can take when you get back to the office. So, bring your own experiences, get ready to share, and let’s build together.

Brian Kedzior, Senior Director, Organizational Development and Change Management, Walgreens

2:15 – 3:00 pm

The Role of Leadership in Change

This session will encourage and inspire attendees by equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills that are required to make sound change management decisions.

Roger Lall, Clinical Professor, DePaul University

3:00 - 3:30 pm
Afternoon Refreshment Break

3:30 - 4:15 pm

Customer Communications: The Importance of Changing it Up and Implementing an Audience-Back Approach

In 45 short minutes, we’ll zero-in on how to utilize the power of audience-back thinking to create effective and impactful business strategies and programming. The result? As a communicator, you’ll help drive change, scale, and top-line growth for your organization.

Taylor Foxman, Vice President of Brand Communications, Parallel

4:15 - 4:30 pm

Key Takeaways and Day Two

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

Day Two | Wednesday, December 11, 2019

9:00 - 9:15 am

Welcome and Introductions

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board

9:15 – 10:00 am

Activating and Powering a Global Transformation

Through a strong partnership between Enterprise Communications and Change, AECOM successfully completed a global transformation of their people systems and processes. Hear the story of how they created a Center of Excellence, while empowering business units to activate and engage locally.

Annjanette Isorda, Sr. Director, Employer Brand, AECOM

Alfredo Mendez, VP of Talent, AECOM

10:00 - 10:45 am

Expanding Change Readiness to Build a Sustained Leadership and Communications Discipline

Learn how to apply change readiness thinking and tools to build your organization’s change capability and muscle.

Greg Voeller, Sr. Director, Gagen MacDonald

James Sharpe, Sr. Director, Gagen MacDonald

10:45 – 11 am
Morning Refreshment Break

11:00 - 11:45 am

How to Use Strategic Storytelling to Build a Compelling Case for Change

Successful change is reliant on the support of diverse groups inside and outside the organization. This session will share best practices to inform and empower key internal and external stakeholders to prepare for, and champion, change through strategic storytelling.

Cheryl Dixon, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University

11:45 am - Noon

Key Takeaways and Closing Statements

Jill Christensen, Program Director, The Conference Board