2026 Corporate Communications & Brand Summit

07:30 AM - 08:30 AM ET

Registration and Networking Breakfast

08:30 AM - 08:40 AM ET

Welcome and Introductions

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

08:40 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Networking and Cross Pollination

We will kick off our event by meeting one another to share our top priorities and the biggest challenges we are tackling in 2026.

09:05 AM - 09:35 AM ET

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: The Communicator’s Role in 2026

For corporate communicators, this is a time of massive change: technological, economic, political, demographic and more. How is the function changing in response, and what can we expect in 2026? In this conversation, we will discuss the changes, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and the strategies and tools needed to address them.

Damon Jones, Chief Communication Officer, Procter & Gamble

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

09:35 AM - 10:05 AM ET

From Underdog to AI Powerhouse: The Reinvention Blueprint of a Global Brand

How does a $2 billion market cap company transform into a $350 billion+ industry leader in a decade? And how does a once-overlooked brand evolve into one of the world’s foremost AI innovators? In this session, Ruth Cotter shares AMD’s transformation journey and the critical role of clear purpose, disciplined storytelling, and a modern communications strategy in reshaping the company’s culture, brand, and market perception during a period of unprecedented technological change. As AI rewrites the rules across industries and communications, Ruth explores the connection between leadership, authenticity, and narrative, and how each underpins trust and sustainable growth.

Ruth Cotter, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, AMD

10:05 AM - 10:15 AM ET

Time Machine: Brainstorming the Future

Attendees at each table will co-create and share two statements: first, a one-sentence assessment of the biggest changes they have seen in the communications function since 2022; and second, a prediction of the biggest changes in the communications function they expect to see by 2030.

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM ET

A Legend Looks Forward

We are honored to welcome Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman of the digital advertising and marketing services company S4 Capital, and Founder and CEO of WPP for 33 years. Sir Martin will share his perspective on the questions attendees just considered: the biggest changes in communications in the last five years, and what he expects communications and media to look like in 2030.

Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman, S4 Capital

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

10:30 AM - 10:50 AM ET

Networking Break

10:50 AM - 11:20 AM ET

Communications at a Crossroads: Turning Rising Influence into Business Advantage

As volatility, fragmentation, and scrutiny intensify, communications has entered a higher stakes era. Decisions unfold in real time, and leaders increasingly rely on communicators for guidance on when to speak, when to hold back, and when to act. Yet a readiness gap threatens this rising influence. Zeno Group’s Clarity 2030 research finds 72% of communications leaders expect greater impact across strategy, growth, and risk, but only 29% feel prepared. What does this crossroads demand? Greater judgement and decisive counsel under pressure, teams built for an AI world, and the ability to move from managers of the message to drivers of strategic growth. Join us as we assess how ready we are.

Jennifer Lowney, Global Head of Communications, Citi

Barby Siegel, Global Chief Executive Officer, Zeno Group

11:20 AM - 11:55 AM ET

Creating a Cultural North Star: How to Internalize Your Brand's Biggest Promise

A brand re-launch is more than a marketing event—it's a chance to redefine culture. This fireside chat will explore how Colgate-Palmolive strategically transformed its external consumer promise, "Reimagine a Healthier Future for All," into an internal employee promise. We'll discuss how operationalizing the brand through pillars like wellness, inclusion, and purpose-driven work can unify, energize, and provide a clear cultural "North Star" for your entire workforce. Join us to learn how to move your brand from the billboard to the breakroom.

Dana Bolden, Chief Communications Officer, Colgate-Palmolive

Denise Dahlhoff, Ph.D., Head of Research, Marketing & Communications Center, US, The Conference Board

12:00 PM - 01:15 PM ET

Networking Lunch

01:20 PM - 01:50 PM ET

Communicating in the Places Where the Work Actually Happens

Concurrent Session 1A

Kim Diehr, Senior Manager, Employee Engagement and Communications, BorgWarner

Kay Luna, Senior Communications Manager, Global Internal Communications, John Deere

Lisa McCormick Lavery, Head of Internal Engagement, CSL

Jan Botz, Program Director, Internal Communications Council, The Conference Board

01:20 PM - 01:50 PM ET

Are People Still Needed? How We Are Using AI in Content Creation Today

Concurrent Session 1B

Bill Walsh, Senior Vice President, Integrated Communications, AARP

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

01:55 PM - 02:25 PM ET

Case Study: Getting the Chemistry Right - Why Industry Reputation Still Matters and How To Move It

Concurrent Session 2A

Sarah Scruggs Brandt, Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs, American Chemistry Council

01:55 PM - 02:25 PM ET

Beyond the Message: How Corporate Affairs Became the Strategic Engine Behind a Major Business Transformation

Concurrent Session 2B

Megan Noel, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Covista

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

02:25 PM - 02:45 PM ET

Networking Break

02:45 PM - 03:00 PM ET

Speed Debates

What is your most controversial opinion on the future of communications? What are the best arguments for it, and against it? In this interactive exercise, we seek to open minds and create connections by asking attendees to debate with their neighbors several thorny propositions – and then switch sides after 60 seconds. Each topic will be revealed immediately before the debate.

03:00 PM - 03:35 PM ET

Prepare To Be Amazed: Are Your Crisis Communications Plans Ready for What’s Ahead?

For the past several years we have described the environment as one of “unprecedented change” – and yet each year has beat the previous one in its levels of disruption. Have organizations’ crisis communications plans kept up? External and internal comms and public affairs leaders discuss strategies for making crisis communication preparations more resilient and ready for the previously unimaginable.

Jason Alderman, Chief Communications Officer, SmartNews

Cheryl Fenelle Dixon, Former Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, nobilia NA

Amalia Stanton, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategic Communications & Marketing Officer, Memorial Hermann Health System

Elena French, Program Director, Corporate Communications Strategy Council, The Conference Board

03:35 PM - 03:45 PM ET

How is AI Changing Reputation Building and the Teams Behind It?

Gain insights from The Conference Board’s latest research on how AI is transforming reputation management and reshaping team structures, including evolving talent and skills needs, shifts in insourcing and outsourcing, and the integration of agentic AI.

Denise Dahlhoff, Ph.D., Head of Research, Marketing & Communications Center, US, The Conference Board

03:50 PM - 04:20 PM ET

Marketing the News: How The New York Times Still Prevails in the Days of Diminished Attention

For millions, The New York Times is a daily ritual that helps them tap into their life's passions, and is crucial to determining truth in an increasingly chaotic world. By 2025, The New York Times's subscriber base had increased to over 12 million subscribers, solidifying the success of its essential subscription strategy and digital transformation. As Chief Brand and Communications Officer of The New York Times Company and Publisher of Wirecutter, David Rubin joins us today to share insights on advancing this iconic brand, as The New York Times continues to navigate successfully through massive disruptions in technology, media, politics and more.

David Rubin, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, The New York Times Company

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

04:25 PM - 04:55 PM ET

How Wikipedia’s Openness Fights Misinformation and Disinformation

Let us take a moment to consider something we take for granted that is, in fact, astonishing: In January 2001, a site was launched with the utopian goal of creating “a world where every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge,” by way of a free encyclopedia edited entirely by volunteers–and anyone could volunteer. Wikipedia celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It’s now the largest and arguably one of the most trusted reference works in the world. It is the backbone of information on the internet, used by search engines, voice assistants and generative AI tools to serve up instant information. Yet to continue its mission it must respond to global trends, from new technologies and information consumption habits to increased polarization and misinformation affecting the information ecosystem as a whole. In this talk and fireside chat with Anusha Alikhan, Chief Communications Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, we will explore how Wikipedia continues to remain relevant and win trust—and what other organizations can learn from its experiences.

Anusha Alikhan, Chief Communications Officer, Wikimedia Foundation

Denise Dahlhoff, Ph.D., Head of Research, Marketing & Communications Center, US, The Conference Board

04:55 PM - 05:00 PM ET

Day One Recap and Day Two Preview

Ivan Pollard, Marketing & Communications Center Leader, The Conference Board

05:00 PM - 06:00 PM ET

Networking Reception