Donovan Replaces Agency Founder Michael Young Who Will Focus on Cross-Agency Growth for Parent Company Millwright Holdings SAN FRANCISCO – Sept. 19, 2022 – Actual Agency, an integrated communications agency focused on enterprise technology, financial services, and purpose-driven communications, announced today that global communications veteran Tim Donovan has been named as the firm’s new…
Heather Clancy, Vice President and Editorial Director at GreenBiz Group, says she is constantly “bombarded” by pitches from PR professionals about their clients’ bold environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments. On a recent episode of “Purpose, Inc.,” Heather tells host Michael Young that while there’s nothing wrong with being aspirational, the surefire way to capture…
Submit a nomination for the Purposeful 50. The team at Actual Agency is gearing up for its second-annual list of influencers in sustainability, corporate purpose and ESG – called the Purposeful 50. Last year’s list included corporate executives, nonprofit leaders, academics, journalists and critics. And we are looking for your help to nominate this…
Specific universal accounting standards for sustainability have yet to be established. While some investors and many consumers are prioritizing companies that commit to countering the life-limiting effects of climate change through their commitments to net-zero, two-degrees and other ESG goals, it’s hard to keep track of metrics and actual performance across companies, industries and countries. …
Podcasts have become a popular vehicle/medium for fintech executives who want to voice their industry views and present strategic insights to audiences and peers around the globe. From examining trends to providing tips and forecasts, hosts and their guests discuss a variety of topics such as embedded finance, super apps, blockchain, crypto, regulation, compliance, security,…
Actual Agency recently attended Collision Conference, one of the world’s biggest tech conferences, held in Toronto, Ontario. Over 35,000 people from 130 different countries were in attendance and among those were 1,557 startups and 793 venture capitalists. The team had the opportunity to receive demos from some of the startups, listen in on media panels…
Actual Agency is continuously monitoring the latest fintech trends to keep abreast of new developments and changes. We’ve compiled the below list of 50 fintech influencers, the thought leaders who are delivering sharp insights. These changemakers are clearing the way for future generations of men and women, while working toward the development of a more…
The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is the agenda-setting event for Global 1000 CIOs who are facing and fixing the strategic and substantive business issues inside their organizations. Our Actual Team joined hundreds of CIOs who descended upon the MIT campus in Boston for the Symposium’s nineteenth edition. One of our key takeaways from this year’s…
Looking across the global cybersecurity industry, we identified 15 dynamic women who heed the call to combat breaches, economic and corporate crime, digital identity theft, and terrorism, and are paving the way for a safer future. Here are the standout women in cybersecurity, in alphabetical order: Alissa (Dr Jay) Abdullah, PhD As Deputy CSO at…
Actual Agency is growing and seeking dynamic, highly skilled and results-oriented PR professionals for multiple positions. We’re hiring for various experience levels from Assistant Account Executive to Account Supervisor. We have been a 100% work-from-home agency for more than five years with a highly collaborative, flat hierarchy, and no-bullshit culture. As part of our team,…
From left to right: Julia Collins, Megan Holston-Alexander and Domonique Fines, founders of When Founder Met Funder. Photo credit https://medium.com/allraise/all-raise-when-founder-met-founder-program-3515347e8691 Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S, yet the least funded demographic. According to Forbes, “Black women represent 42% of new women-owned businesses—three times their share of the female population—and 36%…
The numbers and the narrative around corporate purpose and stakeholder capitalism have shifted. Irrevocably and for the good. Companies are now focusing greater attention, energy and resources on solving environmental and social issues. Corporations are becoming more transparent and more accountable to their stakeholders, not just their shareholders. And while there has been movement and…
Purpose, Inc., episode 2.1: Bill Shireman and Trammell S. Crow We’ve become so accustomed of talking about American politics as two sides racing away from one another that many of us have given up on unity. In this episode of “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast host Michael Young talks to two people who believe otherwise: 70% of…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.21: William LaBar of CGI Since the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, common wisdom has held that IT companies must be headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, or Seattle to attract top talent and be close to customers. More and more, companies like CGI are proving that assumption…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.20: Melissa Anderson of Public Good Software Key takeaway: “Do something rather than nothing. But don’t just say something.” In this episode of “Purpose, Inc.,” host Michael Young talked to Melissa Anderson, co-founder and president of Public Good Software. Public Good has become the leader in making news actionable, working with CNN,…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.19: Brandon Peele of ion Learning Key takeaway: “Anything strategic, or cultural-oriented, or people-oriented, we want to do in a slow cooker. That means making improvements every month toward trueing up the organization to its purpose.” The more people in the corporate world talk up their sense of purpose, the more they…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.18: Geri Cupi of MonoChain Key takeaway: “This shutdown can be a big opportunity for fashion companies to reinvent themselves around more sustainability-driven missions.” In this episode of “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast host Michael Young interviewed Geri Cupi. Geri is the CEO of MonoChain, a blockchain platform that allows fashion brands and retailers…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.17: Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan In this episode of Purpose, Inc., host Michael Young talked to Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan, a 33-year-old strategy firm that works with global businesses and international NGOs to build trusted leadership, primarily around sustainability. He’s also the coauthor of All In: The Future of Business…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.16: Erik Wohlgemuth, Future500 In this episode of Purpose, Inc., podcast host Michael Young talked to Erik Wohlgemuth, Chief Operating Officer of Future500, about the future of corporate social responsibility—and the forces pushing it to evolve over the next few years. Future500 is a 25-year-old nonprofit consultancy that builds bridges between corporations,…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.15: Alison Taylor, Executive Director, Ethical Systems “You can look at the corporate responsibility movement over the past decade and it’s a good-news story,” Alison Taylor, executive director of Ethical Systems, told host Michael Young in this episode of Purpose, Inc. “What I don’t think today’s corporations have addressed yet is what…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.14: Lesley Slaton Brown of HP, Inc. Key takeaway: Hitting diversity targets is wonderful, but values-driven companies need to address the causes of racial disparities. In this episode of Purpose, Inc., host Michael Young talked to Lesley Slaton Brown, chief diversity officer at HP, about rethinking our ideas about diversity and inclusion.…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.13: Grady Crosby of Johnson Controls Key takeaway: “Everything that builds equity inside a company ultimately can build equity outside of a company as well.” In this episode of “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast, host Michael Young interviewed Grady Crosby, VP of Pubic Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at Johnson Controls. At the Milwaukee-based…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.12: Ellen Jackowski, HP Key takeaway: “Customers are voting with their dollars and they’re saying we want more sustainable products. They really want to see us continue to reinvent for a circular economy.” In this episode of the Purpose, Inc., podcast, host Michael Young talked to Ellen Jackowski, global head of sustainability,…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.11: Ashley Szofer of STEMconnector Key takeaway: “It is imperative that leaders are looking at (STEM) talent pools like rural communities, like people of color, women and investing their resources in those communities.” “There isn’t just one STEM talent gap,” Ashley Szofer, senior director of external relations and strategic brand engagement at…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.10: Alzbeta Klein, International Finance Corporation Key takeaway: By 2030, just 21 emerging economies hold the potential of $23 trillion in climate-smart investment opportunities. In this episode of Actual Agency’s “Purpose, Inc.” podcast, host Michael Young talks to Alzbeta Klein, Global Head of Climate Business for the International Finance Corporation (IFC). A…
Purpose Inc. episode 9: Alison Omens of JUST Capital Key takeaway: Companies that are making environmental, social, and governance issues central to the way they do business are outperforming their peers—and investors are taking note. In this episode of the Purpose, Inc., podcast, host Michael Young speaks to Alison Omens, chief strategy officer at JUST…
Purpose Inc. episode 1.8: Gabriela Burian of Bayer Crop Science “In the past the (crop science) sector was more focused on delivering products and solutions to farmers only,” says Gabriela Burian. “It was not paying attention to the fact that the final customers were not only farmers but our entire society.” In this episode of…
Purpose Inc. podcast episode 1.7: Linda Seabrook, Futures Without Violence Takeaway: “Employees who feel supported and they feel like they’re a part of something of their work, of the company’s mission, they’re much happier and they thrive.” In episode 1.7 of the “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast, host Michael Young talks to Linda Seabrook, general counsel and…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.6: Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle Key takeaway: “What is exciting to me is that this idea of purposeful capitalism, social capitalism, eco-capitalism—it’s capitalism thinking about other things, not just profit.” In this episode of the “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast, host Michael Young talks to Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle and author of…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.5: Caroline Rees, president of Shift In this episode of Purpose, Inc., podcast host Michael Young talks to Caroline Rees, co-founder and president of Shift, a nonprofit center in New York focusing on business and human rights, about how human rights is not just the responsibility of governments and nonprofits. Key takeaway:…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.4: Alice Korngold of Korngold Consulting In this episode of “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast host Michael Young talks with Alice Korngold, president and CEO of the New York-based Korngold Consulting. Alice provides advisory services for the boards and executive teams of multinational corporations. She developed the methodology that the Drucker Institute uses to…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.3: Josh Gosliner of Juvo Key takeaway: “You have a responsibility to the people that you’re trying to help to actually create a sustainable business model.” In this episode of the “Purpose, Inc.” podcast, Michael Young talks to Josh Gosliner, senior director of market strategy at Juvo, a venture-backed startup in San…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.2: Balaji Ganapathy of Tata Consultancy Services “Purpose is the new tech,” Balaji Ganapathy says he’s become fond of saying, enjoying how provocative the statement sounds. “Today every company wants to be a purpose-driven enterprise. It’s easier said than done.” In this episode of the “Purpose, Inc.,” podcast, host Michael Young talks…
I’m super excited to launch “Innovation Matters” today, Actual’s second ongoing podcast series, joining Purpose, Inc. Innovation Matters is a podcast about technology innovation, why it matters, where it’s happening and how it’s changing our world. Each week I talk with industry leaders and experts about topics ranging from corporate innovation to digital transformation to…
Purpose, Inc., episode 1.1: Anthony Goodman, Russell Reynolds Associates Takeaway: Boards can help define corporate purpose. “At the end of the day, management is going to do the work around purpose. But I think that there is a clear role for the board as well, which is to hold management accountable.” In this first episode…
In the second it takes for one person to sneeze, hours of disinfectant scrubbing can be rendered useless against the airborne spread of the coronavirus. That one sneeze can travel up to 27 feet and carry up to 40,000 microdroplets of the COVID-19 pathogen, endangering every person in a lobby, a restaurant, a house of…
Buying new products and subscribing to new services are far down most companies’ lists of priorities. Business leaders are focusing on re-opening offices, restarting stalled manufacturing lines, fixing broken supply chains, taking care of their employees – and now, looking to formulate meaningful, authentic internal and external responses to new dialogues taking place across the…
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Each year, we publish our list of 50 Fintech Influencers You Should Follow to keep abreast of fast moving developments in fintech and financial services. Each one of these leaders delivers sharp insights about the trends, issues and ideas in fintech. These are founders, CEOs and senior executives at fintech start-ups and banks that are…
Each year, we publish our list of 50 Fintech Influencers You Should Follow to keep abreast of fast moving developments in fintech and financial services. Each one of these leaders delivers sharp insights about the trends, issues and ideas in fintech. These are founders, CEOs and senior executives at fintech start-ups and banks that are…
The spread of COVID-19 and the necessary, state-by-state restrictions imposed on commerce and business is threatening the health of small businesses across America. 37% of small businesses have less than 30 days of cash on hand. Most businesses wait a minimum of 28 days to get paid – and in many cases it is even…
5 Best Practices B2B Marketers can take to stay connected and keep their communications and marketing programs moving during the COVID pandemic. We are weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic and we are all sheltering-in-place, practicing social distancing and working from home. We have asked ourselves (probably on numerous occasions) “Now what?” We also watch and…
Communication matters in times of crisis. Here are 8 fintech companies doing COVID communications right. Funding Circle,, Kabbage, IncEarnest LLC, Fundbox, Cross River, Experian, MoneyLion, and BMO Financial Group.
In the few weeks since 200,000 people left CES2020 the world has been turned uoside down. Amidst the uncertainty we’re also looking for positive stories and developments. We continue tracking 10 of the most innovative B2B companies we saw coming out of #CES2020. We showcased them here in the CES 2020 Edition of our “B2B…
“Never let a good crisis go to waste” is an often cited remark worth remembering as we struggle to make sense of the COVID pandemic. With each crisis over the past decades there are opportunities for change and renewal. I remember sitting in my office in New York, on September 29, 2008 as the Dow…
Many of our clients dedicate significant resources and budget dollars to making advancements across a number of important societal issues such as improving sustainability, diversity and inclusion, gender equality, environmental conservation and economic development.
We were among the throngs of people at CES 2020, getting an up-close look at the stunning 8K TVs, riding in self-driving cars, interacting with robots, and experiencing amazing augmented and virtual reality applications. But we also had work to do. We were on our annual mission to find the B2B technology companies who play…
Reporters who cover the role of the CIO offer great feedback on the 2019 MIT CIO Symposium
This ebook is packed with tips and best practices for B2B companies looking to impove the use of content marketing as a tool for engaging decision makers as they move along the buyer journey.
These 10 thought leaders will make you really smart on the subject of digital transformation.
We talk a lot about content marketing at Actual, because we write a lot of content for our clients. We also pay attention to other experts to keep on top of our game, and among the best out there are the folks at the Content Marketing Institute. Each year the CMI, together with MarketingProfs, issues…
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The prevailing myth in B2B content marketing says this: keep on blogging and sooner or later you will open up a torrent of leads: they will flow in all day, and you’ll rank, convert and create demand.
There is a lot of artificial intelligence – hype and hyperbole – being dished out about AI. To stay grounded in what’s real and what’s not, and to get meaningful insights into innovations in the category, here are 10 influencers to follow. Many of these influencers also write extensively about the ethics of AI and…
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about how to do thought leadership well. Actual has helped start-ups and established companies enhance their reputations using programs that build executive visibility, industry authority and thought leadership. Actual Founder and CEO Michael Young captures 9 immutable truths of a successful thought leadership programs in this ebook. You…
We are hiring! Join us. Do you have great tech PR chops? Do you love working with disruptive brands doing amazing things in AI, cloud, machine learning, fintech and 3D printing? We’re looking for a seasoned Account Supervisor to work in a virtual environment with our collaborative and passionate team of tech PR professionals.…
A majority of homebuyers don’t just want – they now expect – their homes to play a significant role in improving and maintaining good health. According to research commissioned by trade publisher Hanley Wood, 75% believe housing is essential or extremely important in contributing to their good health. This represents a fundamental shift in viewpoint:…
We love discovering innovators and disruptors. At CES 2019 we looked for companies creating the technologies that will turn today’s vision for intelligent autonomy and mobility into tomorrow’s reality. We looked for companies making software and hardware that will power autonomous vehicles, connect mobile devices to lightning fast 5G networks, and bring VR-AR-MR into our…
We welcome the opportunity to learn more about your issues and challenges. We can help accelerate your communications performance and deliver better business outcomes. We will follow up with you immediately.