Jack Modzelewski
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Jack Modzelewski’s book Talk Is Chief – Leadership, Communications & Credibility in a High-Stakes World was published in late 2019 by RosettaBooks and distributed by Simon & Schuster. It has been endorsed by many business leaders.r He spent 27 years (1990-2017) with FleishmanHillard, a leading global communications firm owned by Omnicom Group (OMC) where he was president of the Americas with executive responsibility for the firm’s largest group of regions. He also served as global president, business development and partnerships, a role focussed on expanding relationships and opportunities with current and prospective clients. His teams won many prestigious awards during his career, including a Gold Lion with client General Motors at the 2015 Cannes Festival for Creativity, and Global Agency of the Year in 2014 from PRWeek.r He has decades of experience with corporate and brand communications programs for a wide spectrum of clients in the telecommunications, automotive, food service, technology, manufacturing/industrial, energy, financial, and healthcare sectors. He has considerable experience in corporate and financial communications, mergers and organizational restructurings, issues management, and all means of strategic stakeholder outreach. He has assisted clients in 25 crises, both domestic and international.r Earlier in his FleishmanHillard career he was based in London as president and chief operating officer of FleishmanHillard’s offices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Under his leadership the firm’s EMEA revenue tripled while also adding offices in several countries to serve clients better. He joined FleishmanHillard as EVP/general manager in 1990 to open its first office in Chicago, which he grew considerably over nine years. r Jack attended five World Economic Forums in Davos, Switzerland, and has spoken at WEF conferences on four continents. He has been a speaker and author on subjects spanning leadership, international business, marketing and social media opportunities, and risk and crisis management. His recent commentaries have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and other newspapers. As an author and expert on leadership and communication, he has been featured in the Financial Times, Forbes, Fast Company, Investor’s Business Daily, and business podcasts and radio programs. r Prior to his career in public relations and communications, he was a multi-media, award-winning journalist. He began his career in New York at a prestigious advertising agency.r His undergraduate degree in communications is from the University of Illinois, and he earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement and has served on the Medill School of Journalism’s board of advisors since 2003. r He attended Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and has participated in executive management programs taught by Harvard Business School faculty. r Recently he became co-chair of the Communication Leaders of Chicago, a 501c6 entity whose members are communication leaders from companies, agencies, and other organizations. r Jack is a past chairman of the board of the Better Government Association where he has served as director since 2011. He has served as a co-chairman for Northwestern University’s We Will capital campaign. He currently is co-chairman of the Communication Leaders of Chicago. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club.r r
Talk Is Chief: Leadership, Communication, and Credibility in a High-Stakes World