Lead instructor Brent Kerrigan serves as a strategic story consultant helping global leaders turn their organization’s competing ideas and scattered messages into a clear story arc. With more than two decades of experience as an executive speechwriter, Brent has written for government ministers, corporate CEOs and multilateral leaders — including six years as head speechwriter for UN Climate Change (UNFCCC). He’s held senior roles at Transport Canada and The Centre for Multilateral Diplomacy (CEMUNE) and has developed communications strategies and narrative frameworks for clients across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Brent is also the founder of www.globalspeechwriter.com, where he trains aspiring speechwriters throughout the world — including how to responsibly integrate AI into their practice.

Mark Dollins is president of North Star Communications Consulting, a consultancy with core capabilities in employee/change communications strategy, AI for communications and communications talent development. Founded in 2011, North Star has provided corporate communications consulting services to clients that include the United Nations, Visa, Toyota, Louis Vuitton, Xerox, PepsiCo, Tropicana Brands, McDonald’s, United Technologies/Raytheon and Signet Jewelers, among others. He’s currently an adjunct professor with the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where he instructs on employee communications and engagement. Mark’s previous corporate experience spans more than 30 years with Fortune 500 companies. It includes serving as SVP and Chief Communications Officer at Pepsi Beverages and PepsiCo Americas Foods; and SVP of global internal communications; CCO of The Quaker Oats Company; and head of executive and internal communications at DuPont.

Michael Franklin serves as the Executive Director of Speechwriters of Color, a global community of expert and aspiring communicators founded in 2020. Michael is also the Founder and Chief Thought Leadership Officer of Words Normalize Behavior LLC (WNB), a Black and Gen Z-owned communications and coalition-building agency. Michael is also a Contributor on Policy, Politics, and Culture for The Contrarian, one of the fastest-growing Substacks in the world. A proud graduate of Howard University, and award-winning communicator named as a 2024 “Mover & Shaker” by Washington Life Magazine and a 2024 “Excellence in Communications” honoree by the Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ), Michael has established himself as a credible leader in executive communications and strategic engagement. Michael’s keen eye for developing strategies that wed traditional media approaches with innovative outreach and engagement plans is especially prescient in a world where justice, equity, and democracy are under attack. In a constantly shifting media environment where leaders want to make a positive impact, Michael’s thought leadership and perspective can be found in the NY Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Newsweek, CNN, Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, Axios, LA Times, BBC News, ABC News, PR News, and more.

Leila Hajaj works and lives at the intersection of executive communications and AI. She joined DeepMind in 2022 as its first ever external Executive Communications team member with the mandate to work with the company’s C-suite executives to turbocharge their external engagements into more strategic and impactful activities. Now leading a team that works across Google DeepMind’s most senior executive bench, Leila works most closely with CEO Demis Hassabis, helping him articulate and express his thought leadership platform, focused on socially responsible AI. Leila has a strong background in technology comms, having spent a decade in PR agencies followed by five years in-house (working on AI long before it was cool!). In that time, Leila has advised senior executives from startups to major S&P100 players on their external communications strategies and helped them deliver tactics that moved the needle for their company goals. Leila holds a masters degree in Political Science and Spanish from Edinburgh University, and has a passion for mentorship and music.

Sharon McIntosh is an advisor to the Executive Communication Council and to her own clients, in executive communications, employee engagement and change management communications. Clients have included Otis Elevator, Toyota, Clarios, United Technologies, Raytheon Technologies, Eversource, AbbVie and Intercontinental Hotel Group. She previously served as vice president of global internal communications at PepsiCo. Before joining PepsiCo, Sharon worked at Sears and Waste Management in various communications capacities. She holds a master’s in Leadership Communications from DePaul University. Committed to personal growth and learning, Sharon completed her iPEC coaching certification to become a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) in 2022.