Paul Gennaro, SVP, Chief Brand & Communications Officer, Voya Financial, at FCS New York CMO Luncheon Series

Paul J. Gennaro is senior vice president, Brand and Corporate Communications, and chief brand and communications officer for Voya Financial (NYSE: VOYA), which helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better.  Serving the financial needs of approximately 13.8 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $8.5 billion in revenue in 2018.  The company had $568 billion in total assets under management and administration as of September 30, 2019.  Mr. Gennaro oversees all internal and external communications, brand, advertising, research and consumer insights, and meetings and events for Voya – serving as a strategic advisor to senior management, setting the overall communications strategy, and both further defining and protecting the company's reputation with key stakeholders.  He also serves in a chief of staff capacity, managing governance of Voya’s Executive Committee and Enterprise Leadership Team (ELT), and is a member of the ELT.  A recognized thought leader on ethics and corporate reputation, Mr. Gennaro has been named one of the “100 Most Influential in Business Ethics” by the Ethisphere Institute; one of the “Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business” by Trust Across America; one of the “50 Most Powerful People in PR” by PRWeek magazine; and among those in PRWeek’s Global Power Book.  Sixteen of his 32 years in the communications profession have been in top global roles where he has overseen more than 50 M&A-related transactions, an award-winning initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, a CEO transition, a global rebrand, multiple new business launches and numerous business integrations. Prior to joining Voya in Jan. 2015, Mr. Gennaro was senior vice president, Corporate Communications, and chief communications officer for AECOM – a $20-billion, fully integrated infrastructure firm, with nearly 100,000 employees serving clients in more than 150 countries around the world – since 2006.  Previously, he led all global corporate and marketing communications for Johns Manville, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.  He has also held communications leadership roles for global brands such as Ingersoll-Rand, Dell and American Express.  He began his career as a print/broadcast journalist and public affairs officer for the U.S. Navy.  Externally, Mr. Gennaro is a board member for Ethisphere LLC, the parent of the Ethisphere Institute, which annually selects the World’s Most Ethical Companies, and serves as chairman of Ethisphere’s communications advisory board.  He also serves on the board of directors for Disability:IN, a national nonprofit that helps the business community drive performance by leveraging disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain and marketplace; on the board of advisors for the Emory University Center for Ethics; and as a trustee for the Institute for Public Relations. Mr. Gennaro is a member of three prominent organizations for the most senior global brand, corporate communications and public relations executives: the Arthur W. Page Society, The Seminar and The Wisemen.  He has been honored with PRWeek magazine’s PR Professional of the Year award; the John W. Hill Award, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New York chapter’s most prestigious honor; and the International Business Award for Communications Executive of the Year.