Brandon Poole

About

Passionate and people-centered Change & Communications Strategist with a deep commitment to mission-driven organizations and work that positively impacts humanity. Known for forging strong cross-functional partnerships to solve complex organizational challenges and deliver enterprise-wide transformation. Skilled in leveraging change impact analysis, emerging technologies, and data-informed decision-making to streamline operations, improve performance, and foster inclusive, adaptable cultures. Adept at developing communication and training strategies that engage diverse stakeholders, build trust, and ensure strategic alignment. Recognized for driving measurable improvements in employee engagement, operational efficiency, and human-centered innovation. Areas of Impact: - Strategic Communications: Crafting clear, consistent messaging to engage stakeholders and drive organizational objectives. - AI-Driven Business Process Transformation & Change Management: Integrating emerging technologies to reduce resistance and accelerate adoption. - Training & Development: Designing and delivering programs that equip employees and leaders with the skills to thrive during transitions. - Project Management: Balancing scope, schedule, and resources to complete high-impact initiatives on time and within budget. - Leadership & Team Management: Building and guiding cross-functional teams to exceed goals and maintain high morale. - Business Partnering: Collaborating with senior leaders, HR, and cross-functional stakeholders to align strategies and deliver sustainable results.

Experience

• Senior Manager, Chief Information Officer (CIO) Communications · Network Designs, Inc.2024-06-01 –

  • Provide strategic direction for communications and outreach functions within the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Information & Technology (serving over 50,000 agency employees), ensuring alignment with organizational strategic goals. • Lead organizational change management initiatives for the IT division, guiding teams through new technologies and processes to foster smooth adoption and reduce resistance. • Develop communication strategies to guide employees through IT-related organizational changes, minimizing disruption and driving adoption of new systems. • Oversee strategic communications for key FAA web presences, including FAA.gov and MyFAA.gov, emphasizing user experience, web design, analytics, product management, and marketing communications. • Design and implement change and communications strategies that enhance the flow of information, media development, and brand messaging for long-term success.

• Communications & Change Management Strategist · AstraZeneca2017-07-01 – 2024-06-01

  • Developed and implemented change management strategies to support organizational transformation and employee adoption across 70 countries and approximately 90,000 employees. • Created a robust change management framework for merger & acquisition harmonization, streamlining processes and enhancing uniformity, resulting in a 20% reduction in implementation time and a 25% increase in ways-of-working adoption. • Led the change management strategy for the U.S. return-to-office program, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure compliance and risk reduction. • Drove alignment with HR on global mobility program updates, achieving a 15% satisfaction score improvement for international moves and a 20% increase in domestic relocations. • Led career-leveling change initiatives for employees integrated from acquisitions, harmonizing job titles and rewards for 9,000 employees. • Delivered education programs—blending in-person sessions and large online webinars—to regularly upskill ~10,000 managers. • Formulated and facilitated monthly HR Leadership Team meetings, collaborating with HR VPs and CoE leads to present data-driven insights to senior executives and the North American Governance Committee. • Earned a Global HR Award for designing and running an employee engagement program that boosted HR employee satisfaction survey scores by 8 points. • Orchestrated monthly U.S. HR All-Hands and quarterly Town Hall events, engaging ~170 attendees and fostering connectivity through interactive activities.

• HR Communications Lead, Americas · AstraZeneca2017-07-01 – 2021-08-01

  • Directed communication strategies for HR Americas, ensuring consistent, customer-centric messaging that supported the Great Place to Work strategic objective. • Oversaw project management for the U.S. timekeeping harmonization, transitioning 700 employees from Kronos to Workday; achieved 100% adoption through video training and close collaboration with learning partners. • Managed U.S. company policies/procedures documentation and spearheaded the migration of North America content into the employee self-service portal (Salesforce to ServiceNow) in October 2018.

• Communications Consultant · Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness2015-01-01 – 2016-03-01

  • Executed media relations and digital marketing strategies for CREC and its three affiliated networks. • Redesigned and launched a new organizational website to enhance brand presence and user experience. • Produced marketing and educational materials (videos, infographics, brochures) for the U.S. Department of Labor, in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trust.

• Change Manager · Fannie Mae2016-03-01 – 2017-07-01

  • Principle communications strategist for the Single Family business unit, working to integrate the company's new Way of Working initiative into employee messaging, company town halls and senior leaders talking points, and in our quarterly board of director meetings so that each employee is enabled to adopt and integrate lean management into their ways of working. Created and regularly enhanced training curriculum, including reference guides and self-service videos to explain lean management tools and principles. • Served as a consultant to business partners, influencing counterparts to elevate change enablement proficiency and foster a change-ready mindset at all levels. • Objectively measured and reported on the pace and effectiveness of change initiatives. • Collaborated with strategic priority program teams to assess the change landscape across multiple initiatives, mitigating organizational change fatigue. • Engaged with leaders and stakeholders to secure support for the implementation of change tactics.

• Digital Communications Director · Bedrock Business Media2013-02-01 – 2015-08-01

  • Managed a content development team responsible for producing multi-platform content streams for major media and brand clients. • Executed newsletter campaigns, social engagement protocols, and revenue-generation initiatives. • Collaborated with ad sales teams to implement influencer, topical, real-time, and data-driven programmatic campaigns.

• Vice President of Communications · Bank of America2011-03-01 – 2013-02-01

  • Led communications initiatives for the Global HR and Technology & Operations divisions, elevating employee morale by 20%. • Drafted speeches for the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and developed DEI communications, driving a 40% increase in engagement and a 25% rise in resource group event participation. • Coordinated management events, town halls, and roundtables, improving attendee rates by 20%.

• Strategic Sections Manager · The Charlotte Observer2010-10-01 – 2011-03-01

  • Managed a $7 million profit-and-loss (P&L) division, overseeing advertorial and specialty news publications. • Collaborated with printing vendors to fulfill and distribute publications within profit margins, providing sales teams with coaching and measurable revenue progress.

• Editorial & Events Product Manager · American City Business Journals2004-05-01 – 2010-10-01

  • Served as product manager for local business journals' events websites, facilitating online registration and sponsorship proposals.

Education

• Yale UniversityCertificate, Intro to Persuasive Negotiation
• American UniversityMaster’s Degree, Public Administration
• Campbell UniversityBachelor’s Degree, Mass Communication

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