Montreal 2010
Speaker Presentations and Profiles
Eileen Chadnick, President,
Big-Cheese Consulting
Eileen Chadnick, ABC, PCC, ACPC is a certified coach and accredited business communicator and brings more than 20 years of varied experience as a leadership work-life coach, communications consultant, workshop facilitator and more.
“What is it to love your work and life? Eileen has always lived in that question and uses it as part of her compass to guide her career (and life) as well as help others create their unique version of TGIM work-life.
As principal of Big Cheese Coaching, she helps leaders (of varying levels) develop more emotionally intelligent leadership within their work and lives to foster TGIM attitudes, aptitudes and altitudes for themselves and those they work with. She specializes in: leadership development, employee engagement, corporate culture, communications, career management and work-life engagement. Eileen also recently launched a new retirement coaching practice: “UnretiredLife” -- helping successful boomers prepare for their next life stage and create their own version of retirement. Eileen is accredited by the International Coach Federation and an Adler Certified Professional Coach. She is also certified in emotional intelligence (EQi/EQ360) and as a Retirement Options Coach.
Eileen’s coaching expertise as been profiled extensively in various media including: Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail, Canadian Business Magazine, Profit, Toronto Star, CBC Television and Radio; Advisors Edge Magazine, Investment Executive, Canadian HR Reporter, Choice Magazine – and others. She is a recipient of a Prism Award for excellence in leadership and performance coaching from the International Coach Federation, as well as numerous awards from International Association of Business Communicators.
Eileen also brings more than 20 years experience as a professional communicator within the financial services arena. She has held senior communications roles with two of Canada’s leading PR agencies (Hill and Knowlton and Environics Communications), a Canadian bank and a financial services payments association (Mondex Canada) and since 1998, has successfully operated her own communications consulting firm, Chadnick Communications. She has provided communications services to banks, wealth management companies, mutual fund companies and more. For the past 8 yrs, she has been the external provider of communications services to Financial Planning Standards Council.
She has a Bachelors of Education from McGill University, majoring in fitness and continues her interest in wellness with her own active lifestyle and passion for work-life balance.
See more at her blogs: www.TGIMworklife.com and www.UNretiredLife.com and website: www.BigCheese-Coaching.com.
Nicolas Boyon, Senior Vice President,
Ipsos Public Affairs
Nicolas Boyon is a Senior Vice President with the Public Affairs division of Ipsos North America, based in New York City.
Nick’s experience spans over 25 years designing, conducting, analyzing and reporting both quantitative and qualitative research on public opinion and attitudes, corporate reputation, brand positioning, advertising effectiveness, and customer satisfaction on three continents. He has served the research needs of all types of corporations, media companies, advertising agencies, public relations firms, non-profit organizations and the public sector the world over.
Since he joined Ipsos in 2005, Nick’s responsibilities have included the development, execution, reporting and promotion of surveys conducted for public release to help organizations communicate with the public or with professionals about specific issues (e.g., asthma, life insurance, travel, etc.) and studies that measure and track the reputation of companies across all industries among both the general public and stakeholders. Many of these surveys are the object of media releases or authoritative, publicly disseminated reports and some have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Nick also regularly authors white papers and speaks at various public events.
Prior to joining Ipsos, Nick spent 12 years with Roper/NOP World in New York and Hong Kong where he headed an international custom research practice specialized in large strategic global projects among stakeholders, business decision makers and consumers. He designed and managed a large number of global projects often spanning one or several dozens of countries.
Earlier, Nick spent nearly 10 years with Sofres in Paris, conducting automotive and media research. In 1990, he designed and managed the first ever nationwide media and opinion survey in Romania using scientific research standards. From 1984 to 1988, he was the coordinator of a pan-European reference multi-sponsored study tracking the quality of nearly all makes and models of automobiles on the market.
Nick is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Nick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of New Hampshire. He is fully bilingual English-French and conversant in Spanish and German.
Charles Feaver, Principal,
YoungRetired.ca
Charles is publisher of YoungRetired.ca, a video web portal designed to help people between 50 and 75 years of age figure out what to do when they retire. He is also doing work to encourage non-profit organizations in Canada to offer skilled volunteering opportunities for mature Canadians.
He has been involved in a broad range of communications and market research throughout his career. Charles spent the first half of his career in the regulation of the media and telecommunications sectors. Subsequently, he was VP of a telemarketing company, developing market research and database marketing services for clients in the telecommunications, automobile, and electrical utility sectors. Most recently, he was VP of market research and database marketing for one of Canada’s largest mutual fund firms, where he led a series of research projects on the needs, perceptions and aspirations of Canadian investors and their financial advisors, with a particular interest in investors over 50 years old.
He holds undergraduate degrees in sociology, and Journalism, as well as an MA and an MBA.
Margot Carmichael Lester, Founder,
The Word Factory
Margot Carmichael Lester divides her time between journalism and consulting. A reporter for both print and web, Margot possesses a solid understanding of writing that works. She’s a regular contributor to The Los Angeles Business Journal, The Carrboro Citizen and Monster.com, among others. Margot has provided editorial services and strategic communication counsel to clients including John Hancock, Jefferson Pilot, GlaxoSmithKline, SciQuest and Citysearch. She is the co-author of Be A Better Writer, which won the Independent Publisher Association’s gold medal in 2007 for non-fiction. Margot is a certified instructor for the FastTrac entrepreneurial training program and is a veteran presenter of writing, public relations and corporate operations workshops. Prior to starting The Word Factory, Margot was director of marketing at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and public affairs coordinator at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Steve Peha, Founder,
The Word Factory
Steve Peha has combined the best of classroom practice with a real-world, results-oriented perspective to make training more fun and learning more meaningful. His unique combination of skills and experience undefined as an educator, writer, technology consultant and software developer undefined allows him to view training and education in an innovative and original way that improves performance quickly. He has given more than 500 workshops across the United States and Canada. Steve is a weekly blogger for the National Journal and Rethink Education Now, and his column, Education Matters, appears monthly in the Carrboro Citizen. He is the co-author of Be A Better Writer, which won the Independent Publisher Association’s gold medal in 2007 for non-fiction. Prior to starting Teaching That Makes Sense he held top management positions with several technology companies.
Tom H Wetzel, , President,
Thomas H. Wetzel & Associates
Tom Wetzel is president of Thomas H. Wetzel & Associates, Inc, a full-service, insurance-exclusive marketing communications/public affairs firm with experience across multiple insurance functions including underwriting, continuing education, loss prevention, government affairs, marketing and corporate communications, and a special practice in social media. A board member of the Insurance Marketing & Communications Association, Mr. Wetzel is a regular contributor to insurance publications on social media issues, including Best’s Review, National Underwriter, IN, and Rough Notes. The company can be contacted at its website www.wetzelandassociates.com and found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Mr. Wetzel can also be reached via email at twetzel@wetzelandassociates.com
Todd Walker, Principal,
FinancialCopy.com
Todd Walker started in direct mail in 1974 with Reply-O-Letter Co., a pioneer in lead generation programs. In 1994 he opened Walker Marketing in Boston, MA, a direct response agency specializing in financial services. He then launched FinancialCopy.com in 1999, providing freelance copywriting and direct marketing consulting to many of America's leading financial organizations. He’s won numerous creative awards from such organizations as The Financial Communications Society and American Society of Professional Communicators. In 2003 he also became an insurance producer and registered securities representative.
Bruce W. Foudree, Principal,
Boundas, Skarzynski, Walsh & Black, LLC
Bruce Foudree is a former chairman and president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Iowa Insurance Commissioner.
Mr. Foudree concentrates in corporate and regulatory insurance law and has almost thirty years of legal experience in all areas of insurance and insurance regulation. He has been particularly involved in representing clients in the area of insurance market regulation including insurance advertising.
He is a graduate of Drake University Law School and holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Linda Smith, President
SmithCom
Linda Smith has worked in public relations in Canada for the last 30 years
consulting to some of Canada’s best known companies. She was instrumental in driving the growth of Hill and Knowlton in its inception in Canada and then
founded and led Fleishman-Hillard. Recently she has gone out on her own to
provide communications consulting advice to a variety of clients including Maple
Leaf Foods, her client of over a decade.
During her 15 years as operational lead of Fleishman-Hillard Canada she
oversaw the growth of the agency from start up to 150 consultants under a
variety of brands including Fleishman-Hillard Canada, High Road, iStudio and
Avant.
Linda has extensive expertise in brand and corporate reputation building. She
has worked with many companies and brands to build their profile including
award-winning campaigns for McCain Foods and Celebrex.
Her work in corporate reputation includes corporate affairs, issues management
and crisis communications including strategic counsel, planning, crisis simulation training, media training and media relations. She has developed global crisis management programs for a variety of companies and was a company spokesperson and communications team member working for Maple Leaf Foods during the listeriosis outbreak.
Her early career was with Broadcast News/Canadian Press in Toronto covering
provincial and national affairs. Linda is from Montreal and attended Ryerson
Polytechnical University in the journalism program.
Marian Johnson, Corporate Communications Consultant
Minnesota Life
As Minnesota Life’s corporate communications consultant, Marian Johnson manages a wide range of communications for external and internal distribution, including the Annual Report and other financial communications, employee publications, the Intranet, corporate meetings and video productions.
During 14 years at Minnesota Life, Johnson has worked in various positions including investment product marketing communications, media relations, events coordination and video production. Prior to working at Minnesota Life, McLain-Johnson’s experience included TV news production with KARE News 11, radio reporting and production in Waterloo, Belgium, and freelance reporting for various local newspapers.
Johnson graduated cum laude from the School of Journalism at the University of Minnesota, and with distinction from the Roehampton Institute of Education, London University.
Jane Rooney, Director Financial Literacy and Consumer Education,
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Ms. Rooney is the Director, Financial Literacy and Consumer Education at the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC). In this role she directs and implements two national, separately funded education programs undefined one with a focus on financial literacy that helps Canadians increase their financial knowledge and confidence in managing their personal finances; the second on consumer education which aims to increase consumers’ knowledge and awareness of financial products and services, as well as their rights and responsibilities in this area.
The innovative approach taken by Ms. Rooney and her financial literacy team earned them a 2010 Public Service Award of Excellence for their development of The City, a Financial Life Skills Resource, a simulated online world that offers an interactive, engaging and fun way for students to learn about money.
Ms. Rooney is a member of a number of committees working on financial literacy within Canada and abroad, including the OECD’s International Financial Education Network and the Canadian government’s Interdepartmental Committee on Financial Literacy.
Since joining FCAC in January 2002, Ms. Rooney has also served as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, headed the Consumer Education unit and was Manager of Consumer Services at the Agency.
Her previous work experience includes almost eight years as a policy analyst at the Canadian Payments Association, the organization that developed and operates the Canadian payments system. In that capacity, Ms. Rooney was a member of a number of Canadian committees that examined payment policy issues.
Ms. Rooney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University.
Jeremie Ryan, Team Leader/Program Manager Financial Literacy
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Mr. Ryan has had a varied career in both the public and private sectors. After more than ten years working in the financial industry, Mr. Ryan joined the Compliance and Enforcement Branch of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) in 2004 where he was responsible for ensuring that federally regulated financial institutions complied with the regulations set out by the federal government. In 2007, Mr. Ryan moved to the financial literacy branch, where he was responsible for the development of FCAC’s new Financial Literacy Program. During this time, Mr. Ryan created and launched a series of financial education programs for the Canadian public, including innovative interactive Web-based resources.
Mr. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Arts, as well as a degree in Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Ottawa, and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from Carleton University. Mr. Ryan received a 2010 Public Service Award of Excellence for his work on The City, a simulated online world that offers an interactive, engaging and fun way for students to learn about money.
Ginette Yapety, President
Yapcom
Ginette is an experienced communication, Web and marketing specialist who manages projects for major corporations. She is president of Yapcom Inc., a Montreal-based consulting firm offering project management and strategic planning services. In recent years, Ginette has worked on the communication, change management and development aspects of several intranets and IT projects. Her focus is now on understanding the challenges surrounding the inclusion of Web 2.0 tools in corporate intranets. Ginette’s expertise was mostly acquired in the IT, telecommunications and financial sectors. She is a passionate and intuitive person who likes to share her experiences with other communication professionals facing the same challenges.
Keynote Presentations
Monday, October 18, 2010 8:45AM - 10:00AM
Presenter: Eileen Chadnick
TGIM Work Life - Strategies for Success & Fulfillment in Work & Life
What is it to love your work – and your life? What is it to have a TGIM (Thank goodness it’s Monday!) attitude – not just on Mondays but most every day of the week? Is that even possible when the going gets tough -- as it has been for so many these past couple of years? How does one even dare attempt happiness and fulfillment at work amidst the ever-changing complexity and increasing demands of work and life?
We dare you – to show up on Monday morning at find out how and why to these and other questions!
The TGIM Work-life session will energize your ‘mojo’ and inspiration -- with insights and strategies to help the financial communications professional navigate work with more joy, fulfillment and success. Count on: debunking a few myths, acquiring new tools for the toolbox, reflecting on provocative questions -- all in service of fostering TGIM attitudes, aptitudes and altitudes for you and those you work with.
Monday, October 18, 2010, 10:30AM-11:45AM
Presenters: Jane Rooney & Jeremie Ryan
Financial Literacy and Why it Matters to Your Communications
Advancing the financial literacy of Canadians is a major priority for the federal government. In fact, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, or FCAC for short, was created in 2001 with that vital mission in mind.
FCAC has been working on multiple fronts to advance financial literacy. It has created booklets, tip sheets and Web tools to help people understand and compare financial products. It has organized conferences and events to raise awareness of financial literacy. And has built a network of partnerships -- with community organizations, experts in the field, and educators -- to help develop and deliver content.
Come learn about FCAC’s role and mandate, its educational programs and how you can help your audience by sharing with them some of the information and tools developed by FCAC to help them make the financial decisions that best meet their needs.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 8:45AM-10:00AM
Presenter: Nicolas Boyon
Managing Reputation in a Changing World
Nicolas Boyon, Senior Vice President with Ipsos Public Affairs, will share research-based insights on the public’s attitudes about insurance and financial sector companies in North America and around the world. His presentation will be informed by recent Ipsos surveys conducted among more than consumers in the United States, Canada and 20 other countries. He will address:
- How the insurance and investment industries compare with other sectors when it comes to consumers’ perceptions;
- How much insurance companies are known, liked and trusted;
- How much attitudes towards individual insurance companies differ from those towards the insurance industry in generalundefinedand why;
- What drives the reputation of insurance companies and how well are they perceived on these drivers;
- What reputational risks and opportunities insurance companies face, why they matter and how they can be addressed; and
- How research-informed communications have helped insurance and financial companies successfully manage their reputation.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:30AM-11:45AM
Presenter: Thomas H. Wetzel
Social Media: You Can't Wait Any Longer
All insurers, without exception, must participate in social media to some degree, not because it represents a silver marketing bullet or the latest trend du jour, but because non-participation poses significant competitive, legal, and financial consequences that increase with every passing day. Active participation, too, presents challenges, however, “pragmatic participation” should guide every insurer’s social media efforts.
This must-see presentation will trace the evolution of social media in the insurance industry, outline best practices, and examine insurers who have crafted productive, risk-averse, social media programs. We will discuss the steps in developing a social media program, including:
How and when to participate; the art of blogging, how to react in a crisis;
What social media sites to use;
Mitigating the legal exposure;
Working with your producers;
How to monitor and measure a company’s social media program effectively and at low-cost;
Assessing the true costs of social media participation, including staffing, its effect on a company’s other marketing activities, and ROI.
Exciting Afternoon Workshops
Monday, October 18, 2010, 1:15PM-2:15PM & 2:45PM-3:45PM
Presenters: Marian Johnson & Jeff Chewka
Video for the Small Screen
Video is hot! Increasingly recognized as an essential element in any corporate or marketing communications plan to meet any business need, video is the next best thing to face-to-face communication. Knowing how to use video efficiently and effectively, how it can be integrated with other communications, and best practices and procedures will enhance your value to your organization and make a difference to your career.
At this two-day workshop, you’ll learn the right way to use video for corporate and marketing communications, become familiar with all aspects of video production, and have hands-on experience concepting, scriptwriting, directing, editing, and distributing video online.
Monday, October 18, 2010, 1:15PM-2:15PM
Presenters: Ginette Yapety
The Road to Enterprise 2.0
Whether we accept it or not, Enterprise 2.0 is already here. This time, the question is not whether or not to embrace this change, but rather, to what extent our organizations are willing and ready to do so. On a personal level, employees are widely using Web 2.0 tools and applications. What do they expect to find inside their own company, especially Generation Y’s digital natives? Transparency, open dialogue regardless of hierarchy, and widespread sharing of expertise and information are not compatible with our traditional siloed way of doing business. This presentation will highlight the major changes facing internal communicators today, as well as how we can leverage new technological tools to sucessfully adapt to the reality of Enterprise 2.0. We will discuss how we can capitalize on social media tools such as blogs, wikis or professional networks to build portals that better respond to our employees’ needs and help us retain talents.
Monday, October 18, 2010, 1:15PM-2:15PM
Presenters: Margot Lester Carmichael & Steve Peha
A Matter of Opinion - using the Media to Share Your Views
Editorial and op-ed pages, broadcast commentaries, podcasting and social media often are overlooked opportunities to express key messages, manage public opinion or shape a debate. Yet few vehicles offer such a solid means of taking a stand, defending a position or promoting a particular point of view. The key to successfully sharing your message lies in working effectively within highly restrictive formats. To be effective, advocates need specific communications strategies that improve clarity and concision. This workshop will review the forms opinion-writing can take, offer tips for choosing the best medium for your message, and introduce a strategy for writing effective opinion pieces. You’ll get the most out of this session if you have a topic in mind because we’ll use some of our time to plan and draft a piece.
Monday, October 18, 2010, 2:45PM-3:45PM
Presenters: Margot Lester Carmichael & Steve Peha
10 Easy Pieces - Strategies for Revising Without Going Crazy
Every writer knows that revising is the key to better, tighter, more effective writing. But in a pressure-packed, time-sensitive work environment, who has the time? You do. We’ve got a handful of extremely effective strategies that will help you revise with ease – and with minimal time. From strong leads and endings to choosing the right details and the right words, this workshop will help you hone your writing to create high-quality pieces no matter the deadline requirements.
Monday, October 18 & Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 2:45PM- 3:45PM
Presenters: Todd Walker
One More Time: How do you get prospects to act?
There used to be a major distinction between direct marketing and general advertising: One drove immediate response while the other built impressions designed to trigger purchases later. But the spread of truly anywhere communications has blurred that line so that today many more forms of advertising are looking for immediate results – if only to click to a website. No matter whether you’re promoting brand or producing leads the need to know how to move prospects to action has never been greater. This workshop will focus on how to make prospects act -- pure and simple – via mail, phone, e-mail, web or in person. It will look at a wide variety of case histories and sample campaigns – to both consumers and producers/advisors -- to see what’s worked and what’s really intriguing these days. You’ll learn:
• 12 critical questions to ask before you start developing your message
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15 core principles of financial marketing
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How to make your message “Top of Mind”
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How not to turn off the recipient
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10 traits of effective premiums
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Providing both quality and quantity of replies
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Specific direct mail and e-mail tips
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own success stories of motivating recipients to share.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 1:15PM - 2:15PM & 2:45PM - 3:45PM
Presenter: Charles Feaver
The Rocking Chair Stereotype: Why Clients are afraid of retirement and how you can help
This session will help you understand people on either side of the threshold of retirement, and the pitfalls of retirement stereotypes.
•· Boomers are the richest generation, they control a huge share of the wealth in North America,
•· They are experiencing a lot of changes at home and at work that require difficult adjustments.
•· They tell pollsters they will work as long as possible.
•· They can’t picture their transition to retirement,
Nobody is stepping up to help. Nobody has established a position as the place to go for advice.
These are mostly non-financial issues, but financial advisors are in a privileged position to acknowledge the issues and offer help. Research shows that investors will reward financial providers who help them envision solutions to their transition issues.
Learn how to gain credibility within this segment by portraying realistic images of retirement and offering the right resources to clients and prospects at this life-stage.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 1:15PM - 2:15PM
Presenter: Bruce W. Foudree
Social Media and Insurance Communications: Key legal Considerations
This session will cover key legal considerations and issues including recent legal developments that could significantly impact insurers’ use of social media.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 1:15PM - 2:15PM & 2:45PM - 3:45PM
Presenter: Linda Smith
The Importance of Values in Crisis Communications
When something goes wrong and the world is watching a company needs to respond appropriately and quickly. And the fundamental question at play is how do you regain trust once it is broken? All businesses face these questions but none more than those that hold important relationships with an individual’s health, safety or money. Linda Smith will speak to the fundamentals in good decision-making in crisis communications based on a company’s values.
Linda has worked with companies through regulatory investigations, recalls, physical plant issues resulting in death and was a company spokesperson and communications team members for Maple Leaf Foods during the Listeriosis outbreak that claimed the lives of 23 Canadians.