Top Women in PR 2014: Melissa Waggener Zorkin

Melissa Waggener Zorkin, CEO and Founder, Waggener Edstrom Communications 

Melissa has been at the forefront of communications for more than 30 years. Associated with some of the greatest innovators of our time, she’s delivered outstanding strategic counsel that drove business impact for world leading brands including Abbott, HoneyWell, Microsoft and T-Mobile. Through her vision, the firm grew from two people into one of the world’s largest independent communications firms, with more than 750 employees in 17 offices worldwide and a global network of partner agencies. Melissa’s proven her ability to anticipate the industry’s evolution and demonstrated her continued commitment to creating a company that puts people first.

From day one, Melissa has maintained her work with clients and has been committed to nurturing long-standing client relationships. Despite her many responsibilities as CEO, she makes it a priority to regularly meet with some of the company’s most senior clients, including Intel, PATH, T-Mobile, the UN Foundation and Microsoft, to offer counsel and guidance on everything from staffing and organizational structure to messaging and communications strategy.