1. CIPR Inside 11th annual conference: Putting Employees First
Speaker Biographies
Kevin Ruck FCIPR, PR Academy & CIPR Inside Chair
Kevin Ruck, BA Hons, MBA, PGCE, FCIPR, CMgr MCMI, is a founding director of PR Academy. He
has worked in communications within the telecoms and ICT sector for more than 18 years. He is the
editor and co-author of the book, Exploring Internal Communication.
He is a qualified lecturer, holding a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and graduated with a
distinction in his MBA from the Open University in 2007. He is also a qualified life coach. He was
awarded the Arnoux bursary to undertake a PhD in Internal Communication at the University of
Central Lancashire in 2009.
Kevin is a lecturer on the CIPR Diploma, Advanced Certificate and Internal Communication Certificate
qualifications. He developed both the Internal Communication Certificate and the Internal
Communication Diploma (for which he is course leader) for the CIPR. His special interests are in
corporate strategy, internal communication, change, social media and employee engagement.
As well as being a Fellow of the CIPR, Kevin is a Chartered Manager. His other professional
memberships include: MCIPD, MCIM, Member of the British Psychological Society. He is a full
member
Jane Wilson MCIPR
Jane Wilson is CEO of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Europe's largest network of PR
professionals and a Board member of Scottish Youth Theatre. She is a respected communications
expert and general manager with over 15 years' experience in senior corporate communications,
public relations and marketing roles.
After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University, Jane pursued a marketing career, which
included her first Board position as Marketing Director with the First Ford chain in Scotland. The
worlds of media and corporate communications then beckoned with a role at Scottish Media Group as
Corporate Communications Manager working on projects as diverse as the acquisition of Virgin Media
Group and the Scottish and Grampian Television Licence renewals.
Following a move to London, Jane joined Impact Consultancy, a financial and corporate PR
consultancy advising AIM listed media companies including UBC Media and Television Corporation. It
was during this time that she came to the attention of Capital Radio plc where she was later appointed
to the position of Communications Director with responsibility for public relations, investor relations,
internal communications and public affairs. As part of the Group's senior team, Jane was responsible
for contributing to strategy and policy and developed a sound understanding of financial management.
Her tenure at Capital (which later became GCap Media plc) coincided with a period of unprecedented
corporate and internal activity, including the merger with GWR Group, the resignation and
appointment of two CEOs, legislative changes and the acquisition of radio and online brands including
Choice FM. In this diverse and challenging role, Jane also managed the successful Xfm Manchester
FM radio licence application – the only win in the Group's then 30-year history. She also regularly
represented Capital and later GCap to radio industry trade bodies and was a judge at the commercial
radio awards.
At the end of 2007, Global Radio mounted a hostile bid for GCap. Jane was part of the senior team
leading the defence of this bid, which resulted in a final purchase price of almost 20 per cent above
the initial approach. Jane subsequently left the new de-listed company in the summer of 2008.

2. After leaving Global Radio, Jane took time off to travel around the world with her family, have a
second child and work with online ticket agency Seatwave before joining the CIPR.
Jane is a Fellow of the RSA. She enjoys the performing arts and is a Board Member of Scottish Youth
Theatre. She is a regular commentator on PR and communications issues and women in the
workplace, and is a committee member of the Prince's Trust Women's Leadership Group.
Max McKeown, Writer & Strategist
At times like these, sticking rigidly to any strategy is like King Canute trying to hold back the waves.
Instead we must learn to surf what we cannot control, adjusting our strategies to suit the prevailing
conditions.
Described as Europe's answer to Tom Peters, Max shows how to survive and even thrive in the
recession. Old plans won't help; simply hoping for the best won't work. Combining cutting edge
strategy and management science with pragmatic wisdom, wit and pop culture, he pinpoints how the
most resilient leaders continue to inspire all-important, trust-filled, make-a- difference energy from
their people.
Max is a compelling communicator. There are no crass "work is wonderful" pleas, no "show me the
money." He explains how to tap into potential and demonstrates that excellence always costs less
than mediocrity. Presentations and workshops are based on hope, integrity and purpose as the
sanest route to profit, a full night's sleep and genuine customer friendships.
A strategic advisor for some of most admired companies in the world, Max has also been elected to
the Customer Service Hall of Fame and hailed as a 'Star of Human Resources' by Personnel Today.
His expertise spans customer experience, innovation and competitive advantage.
Max McKeown is the author of several business books. Unshrink exposes the myths that prevent
people from doing their best work, providing a fresh set of principles to engage their interest and
ability. The Truth About Innovation was followed by a new routemap for our times: Keep Calm, Keep
Going.
Spencer Fox, Reputation Institute UK
Spencer is Reputation Institute's UK managing director and is part of Reputation Institute's global
leadership team.
He has more than 15 years of experience in brand and reputation strategy and during his time at
Reputation Institute has led major projects for companies such as Tesco, AstraZeneca, Kellogg's and
BUPA on reputational and alignment issues.
Prior to Reputation Institute, Spencer was MD at niche Brand Consultancy, Axis Comms, where he
led corporate, consumer and employer brand projects for a diverse mix of clients including Levi's,
VisitBritain, Capital One and ITV.
His experience encompasses research, planning, branding and strategic consulting.
Selected experience:
• Spent four years as Group Account Director at J.Walter Thompson, London. Delivered
employer brand projects for Levi's, ITV and Morgan Stanley.
• Is a regular commentator on reputational issues in Communicate, HR Director and Finance
Director Magazines.
• Has an MBA from Cass Business School, where he graduated with honours.

3. Klavs Valsov, Maersk Line
Klavs has worked in PR, marketing and communication since 1999 – with organisations such as
L'Oreal, Accenture, Nordea Bank and in ministries for the Danish Government.
Since 2008 he has been Head of Communication for the world's largest container shipping company,
Maersk Line. His team of 25 people manage everything from internal mass comms and leadership
comms to public relations, branding and customer campaigns, and controls all the company's digital
platforms.
Klavs received Melcrum's Rising Star award in 2011 for his ground-breaking work of positioning and
using the communication function to help turn his company, Maersk Line, around, in a period with
massive change.
He is a 37-year-old Dane, married to Italian Francesca, and has a five-year-old daughter Sara.
David Macleod, Engage for Success Task Force
David MacLeod has a portfolio of responsibilities, including being a Non-Executive Director of the
Ministry of Justice. He is also a visiting Professor of the Cass Business School, a Fellow of the
Ashridge Business School and Sunningdale Institute, and an associate of the Institute for
Government. He is a fellow of the Institute of Marketing. He has co-authored a book called "The Extra
Mile" on the theme of how to engage your people to win and is co-author of the MacLeod Report to
Government called "Engaging for Success". David is Chair of the Government-sponsored, employer-
led Task Force on Employee Engagement launched by the Prime Minister at Number 10 in March
2011.
Nita Clarke, IPA
Nita Clarke is director of the involvement and participation association, co chair (with david macleod)
of the national employee engagement task force launched by the Prime minister last year and the vice
president of cipd with responsibility for employee relations. A former senior union official with unison
she was a senior advisor on trade unions and employment issues to prime minister tony Blair 2001-
2007.
Lisa Betteridge MCIPR, HarknessKennett
Lisa is a Director of HarknessKennett. She founded the business with James Harkness in 2003,
growing it to become one of the UK's leading independent internal communications and engagement
consultancies.
Lisa works with organisations on the people aspects of change. Her clients face a range of
challenges, from supporting leaders to cohesively articulate business direction to delivering messages
that resonate with today's diverse and time-poor audiences.
Lisa's recent assignments include creating leader and employee engagement events for Allianz,
Network Rail and South West Trains. Previous programmes include leadership development for
Signet, annual IC measurement for Centrica and Eurostar, and developing IC strategies for Anglo
American. Her work with Network Rail and South West Trains to engage employees in running a
Right Time Railway won the CiB Employee Engagement Award and the Communication Strategy
Award.
Prior to HarknessKennett, Lisa ran her own business, advising clients including GE Healthcare,
Thales Group and Waterstone's. She was founding member of Banner McBride, WPP's first start-up
business, following a period in the Organisational Effectiveness practice of management consultancy
ACG (now Aon). Like all members of HarknessKennett's consulting team, Lisa has also spent time in-
house. At Cable & Wireless she led internal communication for Worldwide Services.

4. Lisa has a BA (Hons) in Developmental Psychology from Sussex University. She is a member of the
CIPR and IOIC.
Anna O’Connor, Network Rail
Anna’s role is to liaise with South West Trains and other train and freight companies operating across
Wessex. This puts her in front of both employees and passengers every day and gives her a unique
perspective on the communications challenges within this busy route. That perspective and her ability
to communicate complex messages to a wide range of internal audiences has made her an ‘honorary’
internal communicator in the absence of a dedicated IC practitioner for Network Rail Wessex. She
was part of the team leading ‘Right Time Railway’ employee engagement which drove best ever
performance figures for South West Trains and winning industry and communications awards.
Before joining Network Rail, Anna was a midwife working for University College Hospital and the
Whittington Hospital. She was previously a Marie Curie nurse
Jenni Wheller, SSP UK
After graduating university with a Marketing degree, Jenni embarked on the journey of a career in
Communications. Starting in local government as a communications assistant she worked on all
aspects of communication, from internal communication, local PR and event management. After two
years Jenni moved to defence company BAE Systems to further her passion for PR and as a Media
Relations Advisor for one of their divisions Jenni managed the media relations for regional press
across 13 UK sites, travelling worldwide supporting events and exhibitions to ensure
products/capabilities were featured in show publications as well as national press – both UK and/or
international.
Jenni then moved on to enhance the skill set of internal communication and joined Thomson Local to
set up the internal communications function for them. Introducing a new intranet, growing a four page
newsletter to a 12-page magazine and taking ownership of the company brand were all key projects
during her time there. Now that her passion for internal communications was firmly established Jenni
decided to get some experience from the other side of the fence and joined internal communications
agency theblueballroom as their Business Development Manager. Jenni worked with the team to
develop their marketing strategy and worked on various projects around applying social media to the
internal communications arena. After a year Jenni decided that the in-house environment was for her
and returned to the role of Internal Communications Manager with SSP in March 2010. Since joining
the business and building the function from scratch Jenni has introduced a new social intranet, a new
internal magazine and is just about to launch a third channel to support crisis communications.
Building a strong foundation aligned to the strategic direction of the business with tools that meet the
needs of a fast paced, predominantly offline business Jenni has ensured the function is seen as a real
support to the other areas. Having recently recruited an Internal Communications Executive she is
hoping to drive the function further in 2012.
In her spare time Jenni enjoys socialising with friends, travelling and taking on new challenges –
currently learning Bikram Yoga!
Mike Grafham, Yammer EMEA
Mike Grafham is the Head of Customer Engagement for Yammer's Europe, Middle East & Africa
region (EMEA). He is responsible for Yammer's Customer Engagement teams, and works with a
range of large organisations to help them get the most out of the opportunities that Yammer provides
for improving internal communications and business effectiveness.
Mike's career has always focused on helping companies to understand how to get the most out of
knowledge management, collaboration tools and intranets, as both a vendor and a consultant. He has
experienced the entire life cycle, from configuring the tools involved to developing company-wide
strategies for improving the management of information and connecting people together.

5. Before joining Yammer, Mike was a senior manager in Deloitte's Enterprise Content Management
practice, working with some of Europe's leading organisations on their information management
challenges.
Mike has a BA (Hons) in Mathematics and Computation from the University of Oxford. He is married
and a passionate cyclist, climber and runner during his free time.
Michael Silverman, Silverman Research
Michael Silverman is Managing Director of Silverman Research, a company specialising in applying
social media principles to social research. A psychologist and organisational research specialist, he
was previously Global Head of Employee Research at Unilever.
Rachel Miller MCIPR, Internal Communication and Social Media Strategist
Rachel Miller is an Internal Communication and Social Media strategist. She wrote the chapter on how
social media is changing employee engagement and internal communication in the best-selling book
Share This: The Social Media Handbook for PR Professionals. Rachel started her career as a
journalist and has worked agency side and in-house for companies including BSkyB, L'Oréal, Visa,
Tube Lines and London Overground. Named in PR Week's Top 29 under 29 professional
communicators in the UK, she's a Kingston Internal Communications Management postgraduate,
mentors comms professionals and writes her own internal comms blog.
Denise Cox, Newsweaver
Denise Cox is Newsweaver's Lead consultant and as part of the Newsweaver team has helped our
clients create interactive inboxes that empower their employees, fosters engagement, provide
interactive feedback, whilst empowering the organisation with the intelligence to measure
engagement levels.
Denise is passionate about the power of email as a communication tool, and with over ten years
experience in this channel, and in communications and public relations, uses her vast experience and
expertise to help customers use email to its maximum effect. She sits on the DMA Email Marketing
Council, and regularly speaks at conferences and workshops around the world.
Chris Elmitt, Crystal Interactive
A qualified teacher, Chris Elmitt has spent the last 13 years deploying his classroom management
skills in the commercial world. Chris is a specialist facilitator initially running workshops within
management consultancy firms (such as Capgemini Ernst & Young) and now facilitating conferences
within the events industry.
Chris was appointed Managing Director of audience engagement specialist Crystal Interactive in July
2006, and now leads on major facilitation projects as well as training facilitators in using Crystal's
unique blend of event interactivity.
Crystal Interactive is dedicated to helping meeting owners connect with their audiences in live and
virtual settings. Chris is a pioneer in seeking out and applying technological innovations that enhance
communication and build communities around the meeting space.
Ralph Cochrane, Consultant
Ralph Cochrane is an innovation consultant at his agency, loudSource in London and has pioneered
global initiatives that "ask the Internet" for brands like Pepsi, Unilever, General Motors and the mobile
industry, running crowdsourcing contests to bring experts together and build communities. A former
Communications Director for BT Group, he's also worked with many social causes, including the UN,
USAID and 1GOAL, the official charity behind the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ralph also runs elite video
agency, the creative grid, which uses the very best filmmaking talent discovered through
crowdsourcing to create video content for clients including Orange, Jameson, Skanska USA and
Microsoft.