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Senior Counselor and Global Lead
Washington, D.C.

A strategic communications counselor who has served as a former government official and lawyer, Charles applies his experience to help clients navigate enterprise, reputation and legal risks to make good decisions in a complex external environment. At ������Ƶ, he conceives and executes campaign strategies for organizations to promote and protect their reputations. He regularly counsels senior leadership and boards of directors on governance and reputation management issues. His past experience includes serving as President Ronald Reagan’s director of press advance, special assistant to Secretary of the Treasury James A. Baker III, counselor and spokesperson for the Office of Independent Counsel under Kenneth W. Starr, and counsel to Judge William Webster following the Rodney King case. His honors and accolades include PRWeek “Campaigns of the Year” in multiple categories and PRSA Silver Anvil for Public Affairs.

Director and U.K. Lead
London

Stephanie is a Director in the Issues & Crisis practice in London and leads ������Ƶ’s Litigation & Legal Affairs practice in the UK. An Australian-qualified lawyer, Stephanie brings an internationally-trained legal perspective to her communications work. Prior to working in communications, she spent 5 years in private practice at global law firm DLA Piper where she specialised in corporate and commercial law and trained in the firm’s litigation practice. She has provided support and training for organisations such as the London Stock Exchange, Euroclear, Google DeepMind, Afiniti, Royal Bank of Canada, Zurich Insurance Group, FedEx, HEINEKEN, DP World, Norgine, Janssen, Worldwide Fund for Nature, and The Walt Disney Company, and has worked on landmark legal proceedings including the Financial Conduct Authority’s 2020 insurance test case relating to COVID-19. Stephanie ranked among Lawdragon’s Global 100 Leaders in Strategy & Consulting in 2023.

Executive Vice President and APAC Lead
Hong Kong

As part of the ������Ƶ APAC leadership team, Antoine leads the firm’s Issues & Crisis practice for Asia Pacific, responsible for accelerating the firm's advisory services across the region. Bringing two decades of international communications credentials with multinational corporations, governmental organizations and global brands including Microsoft, Huawei, Qualcomm and Boeing, Antoine operates across ������Ƶ's servicing teams to drive client value and support the agency's development in key Asian markets. Prior to joining ������Ƶ, Antoine held leadership positions in Asia including with Burson-Marsteller, as the firm’s Hong Kong CEO, and WE Worldwide, as the agency’s China MD. Before working in Asia, Antoine was leading the Corporate Affairs department at Hennessy (LVMH) in Paris, a global role focusing on the Asian and French markets. Antoine is fluent in French and English and has working knowledge of Chinese Mandarin.

Senior Vice President and West Coast U.S. Lead
Washington, D.C.

Jason Levin Senior Vice President and West Coast U.S. Lead | Los Angeles Jason Levin has provided high-level communications, media, crisis and issues management strategic advice and counsel to a broad range of clients in corporate, nonprofit and government settings. He has led award-winning public affairs and public relations campaigns and specializes in equipping organizations to navigate complex issues environments. Prior to joining ������Ƶ, Jason led the Public Relations and Crisis Communications practice at Cerrell Associates, a public affairs firm based in Los Angeles, where he handled the firm’s most contentious and high-profile work. In this role, Jason conceived and executed integrated communications and issues management efforts on behalf of corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and public agencies. A veteran of government and campaigns, Jason began his career working for candidates and elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels – including time spent working at Los Angeles City Hall and in the United States House of Representatives.

Executive Vice President and Labor Lead
Washington, D.C.

Mark Floyd Executive Vice President | Washington, D.C. Mark.Floyd@edelman.com Mark Floyd joined ������Ƶ after more than 35 years in legal practice as global outside or in-house legal counsel for national and multinational, public and privately held companies from start-ups to well established fortune 100 businesses, across a number of industry sectors. As legal counsel, Mark has managed, supported, or served as “first chair,” in both strategic and tactical roles, in single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action litigation at the trial and appellate levels in federal and state court as well as agency hearings. Mark brings to ������Ƶ a specialty focus in the full range of traditional labor and employee relations matters, as well as associated legal compliance, policy development, investigations, and litigation.

Managing Director, ������Ƶ Smithfield
New York City

Ira provides strategic counsel on high-stakes, event-driven situations to C-suite executives and boards of directors of leading public and private companies. Areas of focus include M&A, activism defense, ESG investing, litigation and crisis. With deep-rooted storytelling skills Ira creates compelling corporate and investor narratives. He has extensive experience producing comprehensive business case assessments in addition to producing regulatory and financial white papers. Prior to ������Ƶ, Ira was a managing member at Arch Research, a consulting firm that produces deep dive securities research. The majority of his career has been spent as an event-driven investor generating actionable trade ideas.

Crisis & International Affairs Director    
Paris

Alexis is an experienced crisis professional with a strong experience in litigation & regulatory issues.​ Alexis Madelain is Crisis & international affiars director at ������Ƶ France. A lawyer by training, Alexis advises clients on crisis communications and corporate reputation issues, with a special focus on litigation and regulatory issues.​ With a career that combines crisis communication, litigation communications, and public affairs, Alexis held the position of Director of Crisis & litigation communications at Havas Paris where he worked for 4 years. ​ Alexis is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and Waseda University in Japan. Alexis began his career as a parliamentary group aide in the Senate of France before joining Lysias Partners, where he worked as a lawyer specializing in business criminal law and international law.​ Alexis has spent over 20 years in the UK and the US and is fully bilingual, with a triple French, American, and British culture.​

Senior Advisor    
Dallas

Laura is a seasoned strategic communications counselor who has advised clients on crisis response, reputational threats, and risk management for two decades. ​Laura is known for crafting purposeful and tailored strategic plans for clients who need to navigate a crisis, protect their organization’s reputation or wish to achieve a specific business objective. She has steered clients through a number of crises, including government investigations, and handled media relations in several high-profile civil and criminal cases.​ She is experienced at working with teams comprised of a client’s employees and outside advisors, including liaising with outside counsel as required. Laura is a graduate of the University of Texas and holds law degrees from Columbia (LL.M.) and South Texas (J.D.). Prior to attending law school, Laura worked in the Texas Legislature as the staff director for the House Committee on State Affairs; major policy initiatives included medical malpractice reform and legislation to regulate public utilities. She clerked for the Texas Court of Appeals after law school and spent three years as a litigator in Houston. After receiving her LL.M. in constitutional law, with a particular focus on civil rights, she became the Legislative Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, where she developed an expertise in information privacy, and later served as the Director of the Alliance for Consumer Rights, with patients’ rights—related to HMO’s in particular—among her priorities.​

Executive Vice President and Head of ������Ƶ Smithfield 
Japan

Takashi Hirono is an Executive Vice President and Head of ������Ƶ Smithfield Japan. His expertise lies in activism defense, investor relations, and special situations including crisis management. Takashi excels at providing strategic communication counsel to C-suite executives across diverse industries. He is adept at engaging with regulators and policymakers, both in Japanese and non-Japanese organizations, to develop effective communication strategies. Takashi's career commenced at the Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho Bank), the nation's development bank established by the Japanese government. During the turbulent 1990s, he worked in the bank's planning staff, addressing and resolving various crisis situations. Subsequently, he assumed advisory roles at Deutsche Bank's securities unit and UBS. He played a key role in numerous M&A and financing transactions, including acting as a lead advisor for capital markets communications during the merger of Sumitomo Metal Industries and Nippon Steel Corp. .