European CCO’s Give Nod to New Model of Authentic Advocacy

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining a number of our colleagues in Amsterdam as we achieved another milestone against two key Page Society goals.

Sandra MacLeod of Echo Research and Sean O’Neill of Heineken have been leading an initiative to create a stronger presence for the Page Society in Europe by expanding engagement opportunities for current members there, as well as attracting new ones.

Separately, Jon Iwata of IBM and Roger Bolton of RBC Strategic Consulting have been leading our efforts to define a New Model for Corporate Communications — an emerging model of how authentic enterprises create sustainable value and competitive advantage — to guide the efforts of public relations, corporate affairs and marketing. Many of us have had the opportunity to weigh in on their work through collaborative sessions at the Spring Seminar and Annual Conference, as well as a webinar.

Last Monday, we were able to further both of these initiatives thanks to Jon’s willingness to extend an IBM business trip, Sean’s generosity in hosting us at Heineken (an awesome experience) and the quick leadership of Sandra, Herbert Heitmann of Royal Dutch Shell, Hans Koeleman of KPN NV and Hakon Mageli of Orkla Brands, in pulling a great group together.

Several prospective new members joined us in a rich dialogue on the New Model. Jon started us off with the presentation he and Roger shared at the Annual Meeting. Several of us provided quick perspectives, then we opened it up to the group. The conversation was extremely dynamic. Many talked about how much the concepts of Corporate Character and Advocacy at Scale resonated with their current work. They feel that a new model is much needed – and very timely – as CCO’s strive to stretch the roles and capabilities of their staffs. Sean, Hans and Herbert all shared the extensive (and very impressive) professional development efforts they’ve put in place for their teams. And we were able to give prospective new members a real taste of the benefits of membership in the society.

Speaking of “taste,” I’d be remiss not to mention the joy of mingling with one’s peers over a great bottle of Heineken, surrounded by a glorious and glowing wall made of those iconic green bottles. Truly an Authentic Experience!