BCW and Kroll Launch New Podcast Exploring Executive Responses to High-Stakes CrisesMarch 9, 2021

NEW YORK, March 9, 2021 – BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe), a leading global communications agency, and Kroll, the world’s premier provider of services and digital products related to governance, risk and transparency, have introduced Inside the War Room: Case Studies in Crisis, a new podcast that delivers relevant and behind-the-scenes insights on matters related to crisis management, crisis decision-making and executive leadership.

Featured guests are figures who have led responses to crisis events or were firsthand members of crisis management teams. In each episode, guests will explore key decisions that were made when handling a major crisis, how those decisions unfolded, what was learned and what advice they have for leaders who face the inevitable crisis.

“This podcast is meant to help listeners be strong leaders in times of crisis,” said Sherine Ebadi, Associate Managing Director in the Business Intelligence and Investigations practice at Kroll, and one of the podcast hosts. “By talking to the individuals who have led some of the world’s most complex issues, we give other leaders the tools and thinking that will get them through their next challenge successfully.”

Inside the War Room season one guests include:

• Karen Hughes, Former White House Communications Director under President George W. Bush, and current Worldwide Chair, BCW, to discuss the U.S. response to the September 11 attacks.
• Todd Lieberman, Film Producer and Founder of Mandeville Films, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the film industry.
• Daniel Linskey, Former Superintendent-in-Chief of the Boston Police Department and Managing Director in the Security Risk Management practice of Kroll, to discuss the Boston Marathon bombing.
• Abbe Lowell, Co-Chair of Regulatory Defense and Investigations at Winston & Strawn, to discuss defending Representative Gary Condit in the Chandra Levy case.
• David Shulkin, Former Secretary of United States Veterans Affairs, to discuss the U.S. veterans wait time crisis.
• Joseph Wolk, Chief Financial Officer of Johnson & Johnson, to discuss the reallocation of resources within the company so it could focus efforts on creating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ebadi will cohost the series with Michael Estevez, Executive Vice President in the Public Affairs and Crisis practice at BCW, and Jordan Strauss, Managing Director in the Business Intelligence and Investigations practice at Kroll. Inside the War Room is produced by BCW’s Gabrielle Lanzoni as Executive Producer and Kroll’s Kati Hollis as Producer.

“As crisis experts, we collaborate with senior business leaders to help them think through how their decisions and actions will be viewed in the moment and whether those words and actions will move their stakeholders’ views of the organization during the crisis,” said Estevez. “In this series, we walk through that process with our guests. While each of these crises had their own unique challenges, one thing remains consistent: You have to do the right things in order to say the right things.”

The first episode of Inside the War Room will premiere on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, with new episodes released every other Tuesday at 6 AM ET. Inside the War Room can be heard wherever podcasts are available.