Creator of the Crisis ReadyTM Model and author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a recognized leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.
As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Melissa Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating of events.
A university guest lecturer, Agnes teaches crisis management in university courses around the world, including at NYU, Columbia and McGill. Her book and Crisis ReadyTM Model are globally recognized as having elevated industry best practice and are currently taught in dozens of higher education courses around the world, including at Harvard University and by Homeland Security.
Agnes currently sits on the panel tasked with developing the International Standard for Crisis Management— Guidelines for developing a strategic capability, ISO 22361. She also sits on the Police Professional Standards, Ethics and Image Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); and on the Global Advisory Council for The Institute for Strategic Risk Management (ISRM), an entity established to help world leaders understand, evaluate and strategically prepare for rising global risks.
In 2015, Agnes gave a TEDx talk in Los Angeles where she discussed the secret to successful crisis management in the 21st century. She is also the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, the host of the Invincible Brand Podcast, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others.
Building a thriving organization today involves many moving parts, from great products and services to high-powered teams, bulletproof systems, a thriving online presence, and the ability to scale. But one of the issues that’s often neglected is preparing for the cyber attack or the real-world catastrophe that no one hopes for and most would prefer not to think about. In this talk, Melissa Agnes helps her audiences think about and prepare for the unthinkable. Audiences will learn what it means to create a crisis-ready culture from the very beginnings of a start up.
“Melissa was well prepared, great on her feet, thoughtfully challenging, superbly engaging and displayed a depth of knowledge that gave her high credibility. Additionally, she made the session stimulating and fun. Her thought provoking presentation style spurred exceptional dialogue between the participants that attended our global crisis communications network meeting. Her insight and knowledge of the digital landscape opened our eyes to alternative communications approaches when dealing with a crisis.”
“We brought together our legal, PR, communications, digital and staff engagement teams for nearly two days. Melissa guided our topics in such an engaging way driving us to tap what we already knew and to discover what was lacking in our current process and guidelines. This training session brought us together in such an effective way that not one person regretted the commitment we made to learn. Thank you, Melissa, for bringing a complex topic to us in a way that encouraged debate, hands-on experience and helped us make decisions.”
“Melissa proved to be highly effective in helping Domtar modernize its crisis management plan in the age of social media. While the fundamentals of good crisis management remain the same, Melissa helped us internalize how social media accelerates the speed and scope of how information is shared and public impressions are formed. As a result, we are better prepared to leverage the benefits of social media in a crisis situation, while avoiding mistakes and minimizing risks. Melissa accomplished this with a critical review of our procedures and plans, a customized exercise that engaged our entire team, and a thoughtful assessment of areas for continued improvement.”
“Melissa’s Crisis Management for Healthcare seminar helped me understand the value of having a plan and preventing potential issues and crises. Thank you for helping us understand where we are and what we have to do next.”
“Captivating and elucidating”
Our crisis management event delivered by Melissa Agnes was our most popular event to date. Thank you to an inspiring guest speaker who gave an award winning presentation in front of more than 50 attendees.”
