The International Association of Business Communicators is the largest global association for communication professionals; as the only global communication association they champion best practices and define the global standard. In 2019, their conference was held in Vancouver attracting over 1,300 attendees from 40 countries and themed “Think Forward”.

Following a competitive review of proposals, Paula Roberts was invited to present on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), a HALO client since 2017 and the largest health charity in Canada. Her session leveraged a case study approach to highlight the successful change management communications undertaken by CCS and led by Paula throughout and beyond its historic 2017 merger with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF). The case illustrated how a rigorous understanding of context – including sector-wide trends and stakeholder preferences can help communicators change the conversation and not only adapt to new realities, but thrive in a competitive landscape. Paula’s presentation was highly rated by attendees with conference organizers commenting “… We are very thankful for your contribution to our conference and your overall feedback [was] quite stellar!"

Paula has worked extensively with the executive leadership teams of both the former CBCF and CCS since 2015 and 2017 respectively, overseeing teams leading corporate communications, brand advertising and mass marketing delivering revenue of more than $30M annually.