Page Patron | Navigating CEO Communications in an Era of Increased Complexity with Golin

In this Page Patrons webinar, Sarah Vellozzi, Managing Director of U.S. Corporate Affairs at Golin, and Brian Besanceney, Senior Advisor at Golin and former communications executive at Boeing, Walmart, and the White House, shared insights from Golin’s latest CEO Impact Index. Their discussion explored how Fortune 250 leaders are recalibrating their communications strategies amid a volatile 2025 landscape shaped by political polarization, rapid AI adoption, and unprecedented CEO turnover. Replay the discussion and check out some key takeaways below.

What you should know:

• The “Cone of Retreat”: CEO visibility is shrinking.
  After an initial surge around the presidential inauguration, CEO visibility dropped sharply. Over half of all first-half media coverage occurred in January and April, creating extreme sentiment swings. CEOs in politically exposed industries (retail, aerospace, automotive) saw negative sentiment act as a multiplier across all other reputation metrics.

• Policy overtakes purpose.
  Policy and regulation have replaced purpose-driven topics like sustainability and DEI as the dominant themes in CEO discourse. Mentions of the Trump administration increased by 600%, while CEOs increasingly delegate purpose-related messaging to other executives.

• AI as a reputation lever.
  How CEOs talk about AI matters more than ever. Those framing AI around workforce development—reskilling and retraining—earned positive sentiment gains. Those celebrating cost-cutting or layoffs tied to AI faced major reputational backlash.

• The reputation half-life has shrunk.
  With 14% of Fortune 250 CEOs exiting in the first half of 2025, reputation is now built and lost in months, not years. New CEOs have roughly 90 days to establish credibility and shape perception—or risk 18–36 months of reputational drag.

• Precision over presence.
  CEOs are shifting away from “ubiquity” toward strategic selectivity. Engagement on X (formerly Twitter) has grown despite its toxicity, while LinkedIn and live events have emerged as the most effective channels for authentic visibility and employee connection.

Next steps:

• Check out the full CEO Impact Index.
• The next edition of the Index will be released in Spring 2026.
• Contact svellozzi@golin.com to continue the conversation.

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