How Hotwire’s CEO Heather Kernahan sees the future of PR
Communicators can seize this opportunity to become essential strategists as CEOs face an unparalleled era of change and uncertainty.
Everyone in the business world wants to know what comes next—perhaps because the present isn’t where they want to be.
The COVID-19 crisis has decimated many industries, forced business leaders to reimagine their models and strategies and demanded that leaders take a close look at structural inequality within their organizations. However, there is an opportunity amid the disruption for PR pros and brand managers willing to embrace change.
And it’s time for the communicator to own the role of a top-level strategic advisor.
“Every CEO I talk to is focused on employees, customers, economy and communities,” says Heather Kernahan, CEO for Hotwire North America.
“In 2020 alone, there seem to be more complex issues and crises emerging than most CEOs have had to manage during their tenures. PR can’t solve these issues independently, but we are indispensable strategic partners in developing plans to address and inform a CEO’s employees, customers and community.”
Being a ‘business’ person
For communicators to find their full potential—especially during this crisis—it’s past time they became business experts.
Kernahan says that the transformation of the PR pro into the business strategist has been accelerated by the current crisis.
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