CHRIS KOMISARJEVSKY is an accomplished public relations firm chief executive and mutual fund independent trustee/board director whose analysis, decision-making and consulting work bring together skills and experience in executive communication strategy, crisis and reputation management, leadership and governance.
In Chris’s almost 50-year career as a public relations firm thought leader, consultant and worldwide chief executive, he has been responsible for C-Suite communication strategy, crisis and reputation consulting, business leadership and financial performance. He retired from his responsibilities as the worldwide chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, one of the world's leading public relations firms. Since then, he has taught graduate students in corporate and crisis communications and consulted.
In his 24-year career as an Independent Trustee/Board Director of three mutual funds, he has developed unique insights into mutual fund and board governance issues.
Chris’s career in communication spans advising companies on issues management, developing strategic public relations initiatives, anticipating and addressing reputation and crises, all with a deep understanding of the financial markets. Beyond consulting with clients, he has held executive leadership and roles (US, EMEA and worldwide) at public relations firms with responsibility for strategy, operations, growth, financial performance and the careers of team members around the world.
In Chris’s mutual fund career, in addition to his responsibilities as a member of the Board of Directors, he has held the role of Chair of the Governance Committee, focused on governance policies and procedures, trustee search and compensation. In keeping with policy, he retired at the close of 2021.
Chris holds a master’s degree in business (MBA) from the University of Connecticut and is a member of its Business School Hall of Fame, has undertaken graduate work in German literature and international affairs in the U.S. and Europe, and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Union College.
Before joining Burson-Marsteller, he held leadership positions at two other worldwide public relations firms: Gavin Anderson & Company where he was president of its US operations and at Hill and Knowlton where, among other roles, he was president and chief executive of the firm’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations serving in Geneva and London.
In addition to being a widely published author and speaker on a variety of reputation, public relations, corporate communication and crisis topics, Chris has lectured on communication, business and crises at Switzerland’s leading International Institute for Management Development, Spain’s top-ranked business school IE (Instituto de Empresa) and a number of leading universities in the U.S., including Boston University and the University of Connecticut.
Chris is a decorated combat veteran. A US Army Captain, helicopter pilot and Senior Aviator, Chris was on active duty with the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1972 as a helicopter pilot, instructor pilot, flight commander and plans officer, serving in Vietnam with the First Cavalry Division, 69-‘70. He went on to fly helicopters for the Connecticut Army National Guard from 1973 to 1979.
The Second Edition of Reputation First: Building a Crisis Communication Strategy, Chris's fifth book, was released in late 2023, providing a sweeping look at corporate crisis reputation issues in 2023 along with detailed Sidebars on the three most dramatic and far reaching crises during the year: Bud Light, Norfolk Southern and Adidas. The first edition of that book was published in 2022. The Power of Reputation was released in hardcover in April 2012 and in two Chinese language editions in 2015 and 2016. Along with his wife, Reina, they are the authors of Peanut Butter and Jelly Management – Tales From Parenthood, Lessons For Managers. The book has been published seven times, including two hardbound and a second edition paperback U.S. version, plus French, Korean and Chinese translations and for distribution in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Published in 2020 for college students, he is the author of Ramen Noodle Resume – In a digital world, how to write a resume for the job you want … before college graduation comes around and those ramen noodles run out.
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