Rick and Susan Goings Conversations in Leadership – Richard Edelman

The Rick and Susan Goings Conversations in Leadership Series presents marquee events showcasing distinguished leaders who have reached the pinnacle of their fields, offering profound insights and transformative perspectives on leadership.

Richard Edelman is the CEO of Edelman, a global communications firm, and Chairman of Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, the firm’s holding company. Founded in 1952 by his father Dan, Edelman remains independent and family owned with more than 6,000 employees in 66 offices across 28 countries.

Edelman was named CEO in 1996 taking over for his father, who remained Chairman until he passed away in 2013. Now in his 29th year as CEO, he is one of the longest tenured agency leaders in the marketing services industry. During that time, he’s guided the firm’s entry into Digital, Creative, Performance Marketing, Advisory and AI.

In 2022, Edelman was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame, the first PR executive to ever earn this honor. In 2019, he was named the PR Agency Professional of the Past 20 Years by PRWeek and was inducted into the publication’s Hall of Fame; in 2014, he was inducted into the Arthur W. Page Society’s Hall of Fame; Advertising Age named him Agency Executive of the Year in 2008. Edelman is regarded as an industry thought leader and has posted weekly to his blog since 2004.

As the creator of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, he has become one of the foremost authorities on trust in business, government, media and NGOs. Now in its 25th year, the Edelman Trust Barometer is widely recognized as the leading piece of research on trust with its cross-cultural insights regularly cited in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Fortune, Forbes and other media.

Host or Publisher The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership