Ray Day | Influence 100
ray-day-2019-influence-100

Ray Day

Chief Communications Officer
IBM
US

@Rday1

 

Ray Day was just three months into the job he assumed in December 2017 when he unleashed a new era in IBM's communications efforts, part of an overarching mandate to rally flagging brand fortunes at the 106-year-old tech giant. By May of the following year, Day’s blockbuster global PR review was done; Weber Shandwick would lead a four-agency team, resulting in the company parting ways with its two lead agencies of 17 years: Text100, which opted out of the review, and Ketchum, which did not make the first-round cut. Agency reps would work hand-in-hand with IBM’s in-house team in a fully integrated way.

This mimics Day's approach during his 28-year career at Ford, where he helped oversee the multi-agency Ford team deployed by WPP. “We just wanted to take a fresh start," Day told the Holmes Report. “Our goal overall, in-house and with our agency partners, is to build world class communications through a world class team.”

Can you share a moment in your career when you saw PR's direct impact on business performance?
Communications often pulls a company or an organization together and is involved in every aspect of the business. So, we see the direct impact of what we do each day.

What do you love about this industry?
If you love storytelling and constantly learning, you will love communications – as I do.

What most frustrates you about this industry?
As communications leaders, we must come together to achieve significantly more progress on diversity – of our teams, our hiring and next-generation leaders.

How do you relax or change pace when you're not at work?
I love spending time (and checking out) with my family, traveling and running.

If I wasn't working in marketing/communications, I would be...
Teaching.