Michael Robinson, Senior VP, Chair Corporate & Public Affairs Practice, Levick Strategic Communications
Any public affairs exec can share a story or two about tough campaigns, but taking on the U.S. government in an antitrust matter on behalf of a little-known foreign company is
a hard one to top. Michael Robinson, who was the leader of a rigorous campaign on behalf of Stolt-Nielsen--a global leading provider of transportation services for specialty
liquids and chemicals--lived out such a David and Goliath tale. At issue was an alleged violation by the Department of Justice of an antitrust amnesty agreement, under which
Stolt-Nielsen had agreed to inform the U.S. government of a price-fixing cartel in the parcel tanker industry in exchange for an agreement not to prosecute the company. "The key
to success was successfully positioning the narrative of this story in a larger template--that of overzealous prosecutors," Robinson says.
Training Day
With a seasoned career that spans the White House, the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Robinson says what makes him a skilled professional is his
"ability to draw on a varied background in the private sector, government and corporate America augmented with an understanding of how communications can substantially impact, and
move, important issues." Consider the following strategies of the Stolt-Nielsen campaign:
- Pegged publications and reporters covering the Justice Department daily and barraged the shipping trade media regularly read by Stolt-Nielsen employees and shareholders.
- Utilized new media via constant monitoring and updates to high-authority blogs.
- Captured arguably the most influential columnist at The Wall Street Journal on business and antitrust issues, who framed the Stolt-Nielsen story as an example of bad
actions by the Justice Department.
Out of the Office
Robinson's creativity evolved the focus from a single case to a debate about policy, which resulted in the recruitment of key third-party supporters. Always one with a hands-on
approach, he provided daily counseling for attorneys litigating the case and to Stolt-Nielsen's CEO, general counsel and board-level media spokesperson.
Honorable Mentions
Amiee Goforth, Director of Public Affairs, Ochsner Health System
When five of the largest hospitals in New Orleans came together to ask Congress for financial support, Amiee Goforth and her team of one public relations manager led all
communications, implementing a full-court-press media relations campaign that represented all five competing hospitals.
Julie Ice, Director/Legislative and Public Affairs, Humana Military Healthcare Services
Applying her combined experience in both the broadcasting and public relations industries, Julie Ice orchestrated communication efforts when Humana Military and subcontractor
ValueOptions unveiled a new behavioral health Web site for TRICARE beneficiaries. Ice's efforts generated more than 21,000 Web page hits, and have helped Humana Military enjoy a
136% increase in news releases since she came on board in 2005.
Richard Ramlall, Senior VP, Strategic External Affairs and Programming, RCN Corp.
To help RCN reemerge from bankruptcy as a credible competitor in the marketplace, Richard Ramlall implemented a proactive communications outreach program that garnered
coalition support from other industry rivals and resulted in favorable pro-RCN conditions being imposed by the FCC. The FCC waiver on set-top boxes saved RCN $50 million, and his
program resulted in increased positive print, industry and electronic media coverage.