Priya Bates

President

Priya Bates is an award-winning professional communicator with a passion for driving strong performance from the inside out. As President and owner of Inner Strength Communication, Priya builds strategic internal communication, engagement, branding and transformational change plans that help connect the dots between business strategy and employee delivery. In her 20+ year career, Priya has led communication for organizations including Loblaw Companies Limited, HP Canada and Compaq Canada.

Priya is an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) and recently became one of the first Certified Communication Management Professionals (CMP) in the world. In 2010, she received the Master Communicator (MC) designation, the highest honour bestowed upon a communication professional from IABC Canada. In 2016, she became an IABC Fellow, a lifetime achievement from the International Association of Business Communicators and the highest global honour bestowed on a professional communicator from the association.

Andrea Bannister

Senior Communication Strategist

Andrea is a strategic communicator with 15+ years experience leading integrated communication programs. Passionate about the power of internal communications, Andrea helps organizations inform, engage and inspire employees.

Andrea has worked for global companies including Sun Life Financial, RSA and Deloitte. She has successfully led internal communications for diverse business areas and managed the communications for high profile global programs including mergers, reorganizations, brand and strategy launches, and culture initiatives.  A skilled corporate writer, Andrea also has extensive expertise developing programs and messages for C-suite leaders aligned with their business objectives and the needs of their employees.

Steven Gangbar

Digital Transformation Strategist

Steven Gangbar has over 20 years of experience developing, executing, and managing communications programs for large global financial and professional services organizations. His focus has been on leveraging strategic communications to advance communication, brand, reputation, marketing, public affairs, and employee engagement goals. He has particular expertise in digital communications, change management, brand, culture, and issues management.

As an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Scotiabank, Sun Life Financial, and CPP Investment Board and as an independent consultant, he has transformed communications programs to a digital-first approach, led communications for digital transformations, implemented employee value propositions and engagement strategies, and led brand programs aimed at delivering a consistent customer experience. He has expertise in assessing and transforming cultures to support transformations, integrations, restructurings, and brand redesigns.

Mike Klein

Mike Klein is Principal of Changing The Terms, a Netherlands-based consulting practice focusing on internal and social communication.

An MBA graduate of London Business School, Mike has been an internal communicator since the late 1990s, working for major UK,  European and US organizations, including Maersk, Shell, Cargill, easyJet, Barclays, and the US Department of Transportation. He is the author of From LIncoln to LinkedIn, a book on organizational and community influence combining learnings from internal communication and his previous career as a political consultant in the US.

In 2018, Mike was commissioned by intranet and digital workspace vendor Happeo to conduct a seven-part research series looking at The Present and Future of  Internal Communication. Mike has subsequently conducted workshops based on the research in Toronto and London and is a frequent speaker and blogger on global internal communication trends.

A dual US/UK citizen, Mike is the past chair of the International Association of Business Communicators in the EMENA region.

Jason Anthoine

Jason Anthoine is the managing founder of Audacity, a consulting firm focused on employee engagement, internal communications and culture change.

With more than 30 years’ experience, Jason’s career includes leading global communications for GE Energy Management, an $8 billion manufacturer of energy and electrical components with more than 20,000 employees, and Newell Brands, a $16 billion manufacturer of consumer packaged goods with more than 30,000 employees. Earlier in his career, he also led internal communications for Southwire Company and Siemens Energy & Automation. His client work includes employee engagement and change management assignments for CIBA Vision, The Coca-Cola Company, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Johnson & Johnson, Mars Chocolate North America and Time Warner Cable.