Maria Poveromo
SVP & Chief Communications Officer
Cisco
Maria is Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Cisco. As a member of the executive leadership team, she promotes the company’s brand and reputation with powerful global storytelling and integrated communications.
Cisco’s Global Communications organization leverages an multi-channel approach to campaigns and launches, delivering impactful messaging to media, analysts, influencers, customers, and employees alike. As its leader, Maria brings a wealth of experience, an international perspective, and a passion for leadership and creative execution.
Prior to Cisco, Maria held leadership roles at a number of major technology companies, as well as with influential nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad. This included time as a vice president of communications at IBM and an 18-year stint at Adobe, where she ultimately led global communications during the company’s transition to the cloud and growth from 2,000 to 20,000 employees.
A strong advocate for social justice and gender equality, Maria began her career at Equal Rights Advocates, a San Francisco-based organization fighting for gender justice. And she has lived in Italy and in France, where she worked to support cross-cultural programs.
In addition to mentoring hundreds of women over her career, Maria has been named one of the Top Women in PR by PRNews and one of the 25 Smartest Women on Twitter by FastCompany. She is also passionate about giving back to the community, is currently on the Board of Second Harvest, and was most recently honored by the YWCA.
She lives in San Jose with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of pets.
Jennifer Gottlieb
Global President, Chief Client Officer
Real Chemistry
Jennifer Gottlieb is the global president and chief client officer of Real Chemistry (previously W2O), a leading global health innovation company that uses real-world evidence, proprietary technologies and analytical insights to address the demands of our ever-evolving healthcare ecosystem.
A healthcare pioneer, visionary leader, and business innovator— Jennifer inspired Real Chemistry’s one-company approach, which has fueled its focus on customer-centric solutions through numerous acquisitions and decades of growth. Since 2006, Jennifer has built Real Chemistry into the health innovation powerhouse it is today through customer development, operational excellence, and by expanding Real Chemistry’s well-respected data and analytics capabilities.
Jennifer’s career has been dedicated to commercial, corporate and clinical customers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors as they navigate the ever-changing industry landscape. Jennifer has earned a reputation as a go-to counselor for industry-leading biopharma executives, with a sixth sense for what they need. She knows what success looks like because she has been an integral part of the most significant pharmaceutical launches, campaigns, acquisitions, crises, and innovations over the last thirty years.
Jennifer lives and breathes her people-first philosophy, inspiring her teams, customers, and colleagues to continually aim higher, to always be pushing the boundaries towards a healthier future for all. A career-long champion of inclusionary workplaces, Jennifer serves as the executive sponsor of Real Chemistry’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice and fosters an environment where everyone’s voice matters. Always leading from the front, when the pandemic brought increased pressure on women in the workplace, Jennifer spearheaded the launch of Real Chemistry’s Lean In Circles, which now support more than 200 women across 25 interest groups.
Jennifer is a member of Real Chemistry’s board of directors and has held numerous leadership positions at the company since joining in 2006, including chief operating officer and head of client services. Prior to joining Real Chemistry, Jennifer ran the healthcare practice at WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe (now BCW).
Committed to industry education and a strong believer in mentorship, Jennifer is an active industry contributor as an author, speaker and board member. She is an advisory board member of the W2O Newhouse Center for Social Commerce at Syracuse University, which develops students’ digital acumen and skill sets for today’s business reality.
She serves as a board member of the Ad Council, Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Expect Miracles Foundation. She is a member of the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation (WBL), Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), New York Women in Communications (NYWIC), and Fast Company’s Impact Council. She also supports and volunteers with the North Shore Autism Circle.
Jennifer is the recipient of numerous industry accolades, including PharmaVOICE 100 (2022), PRWeek’s Health Influencer 30 (2021), MM+M’s Pinnacle Award (2021) and Hall of Femme (2020), PharmaVOICE 100 (2019) and PRWeek’s Hall of Femme (2018), among many others.
Jennifer resides in New York with her husband and two daughters.
###
About the Institute for Public Relations
Founded in 1956, the Institute for Public Relations is an independent, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations.™ IPR creates, curates, and promotes research and initiatives that empower professionals with actionable insights and intelligence they can put to immediate use. IPR predicts and analyzes global factors transforming the profession, and amplifies and engages the professional globally through thought leadership and programming. All research is available free at www.instituteforpr.org and provides the basis for IPR’s professional conferences and events.
Media Contact:
Brittany Higginbotham
Communications Associate
brittany@instituteforpr.org
