Kelli Parsons, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, New York Life (Formerly Fannie Mae)
Kelli is a multidimensional leader with 25 years of global experience spanning communications, marketing, consulting and journalism. She is a seasoned strategist, inclusive leader and creative communicator. Under Kelli’s leadership communications is now a priority in strategic business decisions for Fannie Mae. Kelli has earned the respect of the board of directors, peers in executive management and her team of 66 professionals.
Kelli is the architect of a proactive strategy and message that is reshaping the conversation about Fannie Mae. She has built trust through a strategic plan to communicate the historic turnaround of the $3 trillion finance company. She developed “All In,” a change management program that created a common sense of purpose, accelerated the company’s business transformation and set a new standard of transparency and engagement. Internally, trust in leadership and morale improved significantly as a result. The employee survey confirmed that 88 percent understood the company’s purpose, 82 percent felt good about working at the company and 79 percent agreed new communication tools promoted transparency and dialog. The program has helped to achieve extremely high employee retention. This data represents a high level of engagement, particularly in a company with an uncertain future.