Melissa Waggener Zorkin
Global CEO
Global CEO
Melissa Waggener Zorkin is the founder and Global CEO of WE Communications, one of the largest independent communications agencies in the world. With more than 1,500 employees, WE Communications is a powerhouse agency in over 100 international markets and has made a substantial impact in the communications industry across the globe.
Melissa has cultivated partnerships with revolutionary brands, including Microsoft, Pfizer, General Mills, Nike and others, while keeping purpose at the center of the agency and her career. She uses a simple yet powerful formula for success, putting people and purpose at the heart of every decision. Melissa stays true to the agency’s mission to use the gift of communication to inspire positive action, for clients and the world.
She is an inductee of the PRWeek Hall of Fame, as well as the PRWeek Hall of Femme and the ICCO Hall of Fame. Under her leadership, WE has been recognized as PRovoke North America’s Technology PR Agency of the Year. PRWeek named WE as one of its Best Places to Work since 2020. And since 2019, the Human Rights Campaign has designated WE as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.
Mentoring the next generation of communications professionals ranks high on Melissa’s list of priorities. She serves on the boards of the University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Public Relations and ColorComm. In 2021, WE Communications launched the Young Changemakers award in partnership with PRovoke Media to celebrate women from underserved communities who have the power to revolutionize the industry. WE also has established the WE Communications Catalyst Scholarship Fund in partnership with the United Negro College Fund to provide financial resources to BIPOC students in Washington and Oregon.
Through work with local and global non-profits, Melissa has helped women entrepreneurs start their own businesses, lifted female voices, and voices of color, across industries and championed numerous social impact initiatives that serve communities across several regions, most notably in North America and Africa.
Melissa speaks regularly about her commitment to purpose-driven leadership, addressing audiences and events such as Cannes Lions, Mumbrella360, ColorComm, SHEQUALITY, Global ICCO PR Summit and the Indie Summit. She also shares her insights on current events, ethics, and innovation through WE’s blog.
When she’s not working, Melissa enjoys traveling and outdoor activities, around her home in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Speakerships & Interviews
Colour Me PR Podcast Episode #3: #ColourMeEnough, Interviewee, Colour Me PR, Mar. 14, 2024
Igniting the Industry - Making Change With Purpose, Moderator, PRovoke (Young Changemakers), Mar. 7, 2023
Celebrating National Mentoring Month With Insights from Past Mentors, Panelist, ColorComm, Jan. 20, 2022
What Do Customers Want From Brands in Uncertain Times?, Interviewee, PRWeek, Sept. 22, 2021
Bellwether Survey: Comms In Command, Interviewee, PRWeek, Sept. 9, 2021
CEO Round Table: Cannes Condensed, Speaker, PRovoke Media, June 24, 2021
WE Global CEO Joins Luminaries Salon Series, Interviewee, Communication Leadership University of Washington, Apr. 9, 2021
Make Business Better, Interviewee, Quartz, Feb. 12, 2021
The Power of Communication in Uncertain Times, Speaker, USC Annenberg, Feb. 2, 2021
The New CEO Is All About 360 Degrees of Respect, Speaker, Mumbrella 360: Reconnect, Dec. 8, 2020
The New Leadership Principle: Inside Is The New Outside, Speaker, ICCP PR Global Summit, Nov. 4, 2020
Building a Global Agency is an Epic, not an Episode, Interviewee, PR Council Agency-Ready Certificate Program, July 23, 2020
Allyship Panel: How to Become Effective?, Panelist, ColorCommCon, June 29, 2020
Keeping Communications Fresh, Interviewee, ColorComm Office Hours, May 1, 2020
Fireside Chat: Leading With Purpose In An Age Defined By It, Panelist, PRWeek's PRDecoded, Oct. 17, 2019
The New Brand Loyalty For The Purpose Age, Speaker, ICCO Global Summit in Holmes Report, Oct. 14, 2019
Respect 360°: Meet the New CEO, Speaker, PRAXIS in Reputation Today, Oct. 10, 2019
Diversity, Technology & Fake News, Interviewee, Euronews, June 28, 2019
Why purpose matters and not just for marketers, Interviewee, CNBC, June 19, 2019
SHEQUALITY: Total Transparency for Leadership, Interviewee, PR Council, August 2018
Articles
Navigating the Boundaries: Charting the Course for AI Governance & Responsibility, PRovoke, Mar. 25, 2024
Creativity, Collaboration and Our New Partner: Generative AI, USC Relevance Report, USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, Dec. 15, 2023
PR Industry Leaders Join CEOs Call for Gun Control, PRovoke, June 1, 2022
Are We Using Our Inside Voices?, USC Annenberg, Nov. 30, 2020
How A Resilient Purpose Can Help Your Business Thrive, Quartz, July 13, 2020
PRWeek US Power List 2020, PRWeek, July 7, 2020
Making Us Better, PRovoke Media, May 11, 2020
Together, We Rise, Thrive Global, Mar. 6, 2020
Brands can close the Thunberg/Trump Divide, PRWeek, Jan. 23, 2020
Purpose is the new bottom line, Quartz, Dec. 18, 2019
Microsoft's 'three-part test' for getting involved, PRWeek, Oct. 17, 2019
A New Brand Loyalty For the Purpose Age, PRovoke Media, Oct. 14, 2019
Global study: Women in PR want action to improve gender diversity, PRWeek, Oct. 14, 2019
Respect 360°: Meet the New CEO, Reputation Today, Oct. 10, 2019
GWPR Calls For Action On Gender Inequality, GWPR, Oct. 10, 2019
Informed consumers creating perfect storm for brands, 360 degree respect way ahead says WE's Brands in Motion report 2019, PRMoment, Oct. 2, 2019
WE study: Consumers are Ready to Keep Brands in Check, PRWeek, Sept. 17, 2019
PRWeek US Power List 2019, PRWeek, July 1, 2019
Most Influential Business Leaders in PR, Industry Leaders Magazine, July 2019
Blogs
Why I'm Eager to Make Toast in 2023, Feb. 21, 2023
What's Your Version of a Patagonia Moment?, Oct. 20, 2022
Protecting Equal Healthcare Access for All, May 9, 2022
To Support Press Freedom and Our Planet, Take a Stand for Truth, May 5, 2022
To Create Change for Women, Unleash Your Bravery, Mar. 7, 2022
Full Visibility: The Importance of Truly Seeing Others, July 8, 2021
IWD 2021: This Year, Women Unleash Their Superpowers, Mar. 4, 2021
Inside Is The New Outside, Jan. 26, 2021
The Power of People's Voices in Action, Oct. 30, 2020
The Urgency of Climate Change, Sept. 29, 2020
A Demand For Equality This Pride Month, From A "Pushy Girl", June 2020
UPDATE: Speaking Truth to Power on World Press Freedom Day, May 2020
An Earth Day Call to Action, April 2020
Can Brands Be the Change we Crave?, September 2019
A Commitment to Purpose - For All: ColorComm 2019, August 2019
Cannes Lions 2019 Through Fresh Eyes, June 2019
Speaking Truth to Power on World Press Freedom Day, May 2019
AI and the Future of PR, March 2019
Awards
E4M Global PR Leader of the Year - Women Achievers Awards 2023
PRWeek Power List 2023, 2022, 2020
Ragan Communications: Communicators of the Year 2022
