Uniting Voices: Navigating Global Change and Corporate Innovation

Mary C. Buhay is Chief Growth Officer and Head of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council and PR Daily Leadership Network. A communications executive with more than 25 years of experience, Mary develops communities and stories that connect businesses meaningfully with people—customers, employees, investors, journalists, and other stakeholders—whose trust helps to drive growth. Mary joined Ragan Communications in 2021 from Women Presidents Organization, where she was global director of growth. Mary was previously senior vice president of marketing for G&S Business Communications, a top-15 agency based in New York. In this role, she advised internal and external clients and implemented plans for corporate social responsibility, healthtech marketing and business-to-business communications. Earlier, Mary had roles as corporate officer and senior vice president of corporate communications, marketing and sales for Medialink Worldwide, a digital media-technology venture whose Nasdaq-listed IPO she helped to launch as part of the founding team.

Dan Thomas leads communications and strategic events for the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Before joining the UN Global Compact in 2018, he served as Communications Director for the President of the UN General Assembly, under whose leadership in 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals were unanimously agreed by 193 UN member states. Thomas joined the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General  Ban Ki-moon in 2014 to head up communications, mobilization and outreach for the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Change Team in the lead up to the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. A former correspondent with Reuters and producer for BBC and UNICEF, he has made films in more than 50 countries including Afghanistan, Ethiopia and North Korea.