PRSA Corporate Communications Impact ’24 Summit:
Sharpening Skills for Communications Leadership

Errol Cockfield is a global crisis management expert and C-Suite advisor with deep experience across public affairs, media and societal issues. He has counseled the leaders of top corporations to help protect their reputations and advance brand goals at key moments of change. ​

Errol is the head of Weber Shandwick’s North America Crisis and Issues team. He has extensive experience in litigation support, brand safety, supply chain and regulatory affairs across various sectors including food and beverage, personal care and apparel. ​​

Prior to Weber Shandwick, Errol led retained accounts in leadership roles at Brunswick Group and Edelman - two of the world’s largest critical issues agencies. He specializes in designing issues campaigns to impact stakeholder sentiment, managing proactive and defensive media relations, and running tabletop exercises for C-suite teams. He is also a media trainer and executive coach. ​​

A journalist by training, Errol has deep knowledge of the changing media landscape. In addition to his consulting experience, he helped lead communications at NBC News. He was principally in charge of external relations for MSNBC as the news division evolved to a multi-platform digital destination. ​​

Earlier in his career, Errol served as press secretary to two New York governors and was chief of staff to the majority leader of the NY State Senate. He is a graduate of Stony Brook University and serves on several nonprofit boards.

Peter Duda is President of the agency’s global crisis and issues team and is based in New York. He has counseled clients in a wide variety of industries on media and communications strategies relating to such complex and sensitive issues as cyber security incidents, high-profile litigation, government investigations, regulatory enforcement, corporate reorganizations and restructurings, M&A transactions, hostile takeovers, labor relations, trade disputes, product liability, management transitions, corporate positioning and corporate reputation management.  In the area of cyber security, Peter has helped clients manage through a wide-range of situations, including ransomware and state-actor attacks.

An expert media trainer, Peter has prepared senior executives in the U.S., Europe and Latin America to effectively communicate with the media.

Peter has provided strategic communications advice to domestic and international clients in numerous industries: financial services (TIAA, AXA, Cerberus Capital, Prudential Financial, Mass Mutual, MasterCard, CIT); healthcare (Abbott, Novartis, Pfizer); food/beverage (The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, AB InBev, Mondelēz, YUM!, Campbell, Nestle, Papa John’s Chobani); energy (ExxonMobil, Shell); infrastructure/manufacturing (GE, Honeywell, Ingersoll-Rand, SPX); technology (Qualcomm, Verizon); and consumer products and services (Shutterfly, Electrolux, Mattel, Kenneth Cole).

Before joining Weber Shandwick, Peter practiced law in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago, where he was an editor of the law journal. He also received an M.B.A. with distinction from DePaul University and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Marian Daniells
Director, Vested

Marian works with firms to extract and share impactful stories, and to counsel seismic business shifts that will position financial firms as thought leaders in the future. Passionate about the important role communications can play during times of transition, she’s consulted on Net Zero commitments and climate plans, managed brand transitions and corporate reputation programs, supported firm’s diversity and talent programs, and launched podcasts to boost culture in a remote environment.

Prior to joining Vested, she worked at two other financial agencies, and she is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional. Marian was a 2018 finalist for PR News’ Marketer of the Year, a 2020 PR News Rising Star, and an inaugural 2022 fellow for the Climatebase Fellowship.

Carmen Ferrigno
CEO, Convergent Communication and Consulting, and award-winning ESG strategist 

An award-winning ESG strategist, Carmen was named 2018 PR News CSR Professional of the Year, and has produced more than 300 live internet talk shows at the UN Climate Summit (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, and Dubai, UAE, working with a range of world leaders, climate experts, business and NGO leaders. Over the last several years, he has worked with clients to revamp a number of corporate ESG strategies to better align them with long-range growth and investor relations plans. In fact, one Fortune 200 client saw a year-on-year increase of 4,000% in overall traffic and an 800% increase in engagement for their revamped and expanded ESG website, which went from four simple pages to 38 pages of engaging content and storytelling. 

Carmen is also a recognized and trusted C-Suite executive and entrepreneur with 25 years of experience managing diverse corporate communications teams in every region of the world. A former reporter, editor, marketing leader, general manager, and corporate communications executive, Carmen brings a range of experience to the table, including executive coaching/advising and reputation management through CMO brand disciplines, product development processes, NPS/ENPS, and digital platforms and strategies.  

Prior to founding Convergent, Carmen held key roles in major corporations, including serving as the Global GM of Sustainability Communications and Vice President of Communications, Brand, and Philanthropy for Saint-Gobain Corporation, Global Director of Business Communications for Dow and Rohm and Haas, and marketing lead for Sotheby’s International Realty. His commitment to improving brand reputation is further demonstrated by his role as a senior fellow at Kite Insights, a London-based research and strategic communications agency focused on climate change and DEI issues. 

Natan Edelsburg
Chief Partnerships Officer, Muck Rack   

Natan Edelsburg is the Chief Partnerships Officer at Muck Rack, the software platform that enables thousands of organizations including Google, International Rescue Committee, Golin and Duolingo to find the right journalists to pitch, report on media coverage and prove the value of their work. In this role, Natan is responsible for leading and cultivating strategic industry partnerships and driving international expansion. Previously, Natan was Chief Revenue Officer at Muck Rack, where he led the Sales and Customer Success teams. He joined Muck Rack in 2009 as the company’s first employee and held several positions including Chief Operating Officer, helping to build the business to what it is today. Natan is a member of the Board of Trustees for the PRSA Foundation. He is a frequent speaker on social media, PR, journalism and the future of TV. He’s been honored as one of PR News’ Rising Stars and one of PRSA’s 15 Under 35.   

Natan’s a frequent speaker on social media, PR, journalism and the future of TV. He’s moderated panels or given presentations at SXSW, PRWeek, Social Media Week, Collision, Web Summit, Digital Hollywood, PRSA, Ragan’s and Cannes Lions You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @natanedelsburg. 

Jen Hauser
Managing Director / Global Client Leader
Edelman Health & Wellness   

Jen has dedicated her career partnering with companies and organizations to make bold changes in health and business that improve health access, prevent and reduce chronic and communicable disease, and help people live healthier and longer lives. 

She is a tenured leader at Edelman where she’s spent the last 19 years spearheading many of the firm’s largest global client relationships, including GSK, Haleon, Alcon, Reckitt, and the American Heart Association. She is also the founder and director of Edelman Wellness, an innovative specialty group within the firm that works across relevant verticals including pharmaceutical, CPG, food and beverage, technology, and public health. 

In May 2024, Jen earned her Masters in Public Health (MPH) at the Yale School of Public Health with a health equity and environmental health concentration. Two years prior, she received an executive certification in Business Leadership & Sustainability from the University of Cambridge. For many years, she taught strategic communications at New York University and lectured at Columbia University. 

Prior to Edelman, Jen founded a marketing/communications firm in 1993 specializing in consumer lifestyle and health companies and brands representing clients like SmithKline Beecham, Nike, and several hospitals and health systems. She sold her agency to Havas in 2002.

Jess Xu
Associate Strategy Director, Integrated Strategy
GenZ Lab Ambassador
New York

Jess is a part of Edelman’s integrated strategy team, developing strategies for clients across both Brand & Corporate sectors, ranging from tech to CPG to financial services. Throughout her 2.5 years at Edelman, she has implemented purpose platforms, creative campaigns, thought leadership reports, social media strategies and more.

She also serves as a NY Ambassador for the Edelman Gen ZLab, where she often participates in a variety of focus groups, panels and campaigns that are looking to understand and reach Gen Z in an authentic way.

A graduate of the University of Chicago where she majored in psychology and minored in visual arts, Jess is always looking to combine her human behavior expertise and creativity into the work that she does.