Colleen Finnegan Email & Phone Number

Toronto, Ontario, Ca

I solve PR problems on an ongoing or short-term basis for established companies and startups to help drive their business forward. Strategic Communications• Developing and implementing a broad range of communications strategies • Creating the corporate or leadership positioning and narrative• Managing a challenge or opportunity that can’t be met with existing communications resources• Advising and managing corporate communications for ESGManaging Corporate Communications Resources• Creating and guiding an internal PR team• Leading the PR function for startups needing an experienced/fractional communications leader• Assuming the fractional chief communications leadership role (until the time is right and budgets allow for a full-time leader)• Filling communications leadership needs required during maternity leavesSharing Senior Communications Management Expertise• Uplevelling the communications skills of internal teams• Assessing and improving existing internal PR teams and agency relationships that aren’t working• Guiding in-house teams on how to manage their agency• Advising or managing agency RFPs/searches• Global Retained Clients: Geotab, K.R. Moeller Associates - LogiSon Acoustic Network & MODIO (product and corporate)• Canada Retained Clients: Dickinson Wright LLP (corporate), Trump International Hotel Toronto (product PR and issues) • Project Clients: Drone Delivery Canada (product and corporate PR), Warner Brothers Interactive Canada (product PR), Rodan + Fields (product PR), Little Caesars of Canada (product PR), and Topper’s Pizza (crisis, internal communications), Western Canada Alliance of Wall and Ceiling Contractors (issues management, stakeholder advocacy)

Oakville, On, Ca

• A senior fractional communications leader who guided the global corporate communications function and team • Defined and managed global and regional priorities, narratives and campaigns • Provided senior communications management expertise by leading and managing the communications team on multiple strategic planning, executive thought-leadership, corporate and product media campaigns to align business priorities with marketplace needs in a timely, effective and comprehensive manner• Worked directly with and was a trusted advisor to the C-Suite to ensure communications supported business objectives, contributed to a unified voice and amplified the organization’s competitive position• Realigned and managed functional external resources (including planning and executing global external PR agency search mandate to align communications that drive business objectives)• Advised, built and executed communications for ESG business objectives with a dual impact on internal and external audiences

Sunnyvale, Ca, Us

• Led, developed, managed and assessed results of an integrated, measurable communications and PR strategy (i.e., media, influencer, internal/employee, customer, crisis and issues management, executive visibility) that supported the business objectives for Yahoo! in Canada• Partnered closely with US and global teams to drive communications results for global product and business developments• Built strong media relationships and monitored news and coverage of the company and industry to identify opportunities, issues and challenges• Over a five-year period, consistently drove product and business news opportunities and executive thought leadership to increase the visibility and positive coverage of Yahoo! amongst Canada's tier one business, consumer and technology media (YOY increase of 150%)• Successfully managed crisis/issues: counseled senior executives and created reactive, audience-tailored messages and statements • Managed the Canadian business partner communications relationships for Yahoo! to ensure maximum impact with target audiences• Budgeted and managed external communications resources (including the sourcing and hiring of the PR agency of record)• Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams (executive leadership, sales, product, marketing, BD, legal) to develop PR strategies to support business goals • Led proactive and reactive internal communications: created messages and communications from senior leadership to staff on developments and issues that affected employees

St. Louis, Mo, Us

• Account lead and primary client contact, provided strategic counsel: program development, issues, media relations and results• Led the Sony, P&G and Pizza Hut accounts and managed a three-person team• Successfully developed and executed the PR strategy to support business and sales objectives of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 hardware and software • Developed and executed the successful PR strategy for the launch of PlayStation 2; for the time, unprecedented CDN media coverage (26M impressions, 41 print, broadcast and online outlets, two front page stories in national dailies)

Us

• Developed, managed and executed consumer PR programs for accounts: Nintendo Canada, Starbucks• Provided strategic counsel, managed junior team members• Spearheaded new business opportunities

Quebec City, Quebec, Ca

• Developed, managed and executed PR programs• Participated in new business pitches using my research, strategic thinking, writing and presentation skills• Worked closely with the agency's advertising and Montreal teams

Ba, Political Science

Graduate Certificate, Public Relations

Graduate Diploma, Corporate Social Responsibility And Sustainability

Certificate, Reconciliation Education