About

I help leaders turn strategy into something employees understand and act on.

I have spent more than 20 years advising CEOs and senior teams across banking, insurance, pensions and institutional wealth. My work is helping them communicate strategy, build engaged and high performing teams, and show measurable results.

I currently lead commercial banking communications at M&T Bank, where I advise the head of the Commercial Bank and its leadership team. Before that I led communications and brand at CAAT Pension Plan, served as chief of staff to the CEO of Foresters Financial, and led communications for the CEO and senior partners at PwC.

I speak on how AI is changing internal and corporate communications, and I hold an MBA from Cornell.

I help leaders make strategy land, so the town hall feels less like a TPS report and more like a conversation.

Host and creator

The Contributors Podcast

Interviews with Canada's top CEOs. Ranked in the top 1% of podcasts globally, with 100K+ downloads and multiple Gold MarCom and Hermes awards.

100K+downloads
Top 1%of podcasts globally
+24%increase in the sales funnel

Link communication to results

Connecting executive communication to business outcomes, so strategy is understood, acted on and reflected in performance.

Raise employee engagement

Turning town halls and leader voices into two-way conversations that build understanding, trust and participation.

Build high performing teams

Aligning leaders and employees around clear priorities, so teams move faster and stay focused.

93%+
trust and understanding after redesigning Commercial Bank town halls at M&T Bank
98%
of employees reported improved understanding of strategy after rebuilding town halls at CAAT Pension Plan
+120%
brand awareness from the Pensions for Everyone campaign
25
people on the integrated communications and marketing team I built and led
Resume

Experience, recognition and education.

Experience

Where I have worked

2024 to present
Buffalo, NY

Head of Commercial Banking Communications

M&T Bank

Direct advisor to the head of the Commercial Bank and its senior leadership team, setting communications strategy across a complex, multi-billion-dollar business.

  • Executive advisory. Shape communication frameworks that speed transformation, strengthen decision-making and align 2,000+ employees to strategic priorities.
  • Enterprise alignment. Redesigned Commercial town halls for transparency and clarity: 93%+ trust and understanding and a 27-point rise in employees who believe the business is on the right track.
  • Performance visibility. Built a Commercial performance dashboard with Finance and senior leaders. 93% of employees reported a stronger line of sight to business results.
  • Leadership relatability. Created executive engagement formats that lifted two-way dialogue from near zero to 15 to 25 comments per article.
  • Thought leadership. Grew senior leader LinkedIn followers by 25%, with 35K+ peak impressions.
  • Frontline transformation. Rebuilt weekly Investment Banking calls: 5x participation and 90% reporting more actionable insights.
  • AI enablement. Lead AI implementation in the Communications team, using tools like Copilot to reshape client intake and speed up internal announcements.
April 2020 to May 2024
Toronto / Remote

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

CAAT Pension Plan

Enterprise communications and brand leader for a $25 billion, 125,000-member institutional pension plan.

  • Team leadership. Built and led a 25-person team across internal engagement, external brand and executive communications.
  • CEO advisory. Partnered with the CEO and senior executives on narratives that raised CAAT's standing with business leaders and institutional decision-makers.
  • CEO network. Created and hosted the Contributors Podcast: 100K+ downloads, top 1% globally, and a 24% increase in the sales funnel.
  • Transformation communications. Rebuilt internal town halls; 98% of employees reported better understanding of strategy.
  • Brand expansion. Led the Pensions for Everyone campaign, raising brand awareness by 120%.
  • Social growth. Scaled LinkedIn from 10K to 50K followers.
Jan 2019 to Apr 2020
Toronto

Senior Communications Leader

PwC

Strategic communications advisor to the CEO and senior partners of one of the world's largest consulting firms.

  • C-suite advisory. Led executive communications for the CEO and senior partners, shaping thought leadership across media and public platforms.
  • AI transformation. Designed and launched a firm-wide AI upskilling strategy with 85% participation, years before generative AI went mainstream.
2016 to 2018
Toronto

Assistant Vice President, Culture & Communications

Foresters Financial

Senior leader for culture, strategy and executive engagement at a global insurance firm.

  • Executive partnership. Worked with the CEO and C-suite to align the company around a 10-year enterprise strategy.
  • Strategy engagement. Led enterprise-wide efforts that reached 80%+ awareness and participation.
  • Change leadership. 91% of global employees understood how their roles contributed to corporate goals.
  • Enterprise alignment. Built an internal engagement program that reached 86% understanding of business strategy and earned a Gold Quill Award of Excellence.
2014 to 2016
Toronto

Chief of Staff to the President & CEO

Foresters Financial

Supported the CEO on enterprise planning, executive alignment and execution of strategic priorities.

  • CEO advisory. Primary strategic partner to the CEO on decision-making, prioritization and cross-C-suite collaboration.
  • Strategic planning. Led a multi-year strategic plan that improved organizational efficiency and alignment by 20%.
  • Leadership alignment. Established a forum for the top 50 executives, driving 30%+ increases in empowerment, accountability and optimism.
  • Executive visibility. Launched a CEO blog with 91% positive ratings and regular engagement from nearly 30% of employees.
2008 to 2014

Progressive communications and marketing roles

Foresters Financial, Toronto

2004 to 2008

Communications Manager

WaterCooler Inc., Toronto

2000 to 2003

College Marketing Representative

The Walt Disney Company, Toronto

Recognition

Awards and credentials

2026

Editor's Choice Winner, Banking Tech Awards USA

Led recognition efforts behind M&T Commercial Bank's win for its AI-driven continuous credit monitoring partnership with RDC.AI.

2023

Hermes Creative Awards, Best Series and Best Episode

For the Contributors Podcast.

2022

MarCom Awards, three Gold awards

Best podcast series, best podcast episode and best web elements, for the Contributors Podcast.

Foresters Financial

Gold Quill Award of Excellence

For an internal engagement program that built 86% understanding of the company's business strategy.

Credential

Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP)

Certification in strategic planning, executive advisory and enterprise-level influence.

Education and service

Education, teaching and community

2023
Ithaca, NY

Master of Business Administration

Cornell University

2004
Toronto

Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing Major

Toronto Metropolitan University

2024 and 2025

Executive Coach, Cornell Executive MBA Program

Coached New York-based executives and rising leaders on communication, influence and strategic decision-making.

Board

Renascent Foundation

Board member for the foundation, which supports addiction recovery services.

Speaking

Conferences and keynotes

Talks on AI in communications, executive alignment and leadership visibility.

Russell Evans on stage giving the keynote at Ragan's Employee Communications and Culture Conference, with the audience in the foreground
Keynote, Ragan's Employee Communications and Culture Conference, May 2026.
July 2026

Advanced Learning Institute Internal Communications Conference

Featured speaker on the challenges facing internal communicators today.

July 2026

Ragan's AI Communications Virtual Conference

Spoke on the impact of AI on internal and corporate communications.

May 2026

KeynoteRagan's Employee Communications and Culture Conference

Delivered the highest-rated session of the event, on executive-level approaches to alignment, leadership visibility and organizational performance.

May 2026

Staffbase Voices Americas

Spoke on AI's impact on internal and corporate communications.

Topics

Talks I give

Keynotes and sessions for senior leaders, communicators and mixed audiences.

Business leaders

How internal communications drives business objectives

How CEOs and their teams can use employee communication so that strategy is understood, acted on and reflected in performance.

Leaders and communicators

Why AI makes real communication more valuable

People quickly tell whether a message came from a person or a machine. What that means for how leaders and communicators use AI, and where a human voice matters most.

Communicators

Rebuilding the town hall

How a town hall built around business goals, simple performance indicators and interview-style segments raised trust and understanding above 93% at M&T Bank.

Book me to speak

To invite me to speak, email evansrussell@gmail.com or message me on LinkedIn.

Podcast

Host and creator

The Contributors Podcast

Interviews with Canada's top CEOs, built at CAAT Pension Plan to strengthen executive networks and elevate strategic conversations. It won two 2023 Hermes Creative Awards, for Best Series and Best Episode, and three Gold MarCom Awards in 2022.

100K+downloads
Top 1%of podcasts globally
+24%increase in the sales funnel

Featured episodes

9 Nov 2022

A Thriving Future – How Deloitte is harnessing optimism for a better Canada

My conversation with Anthony Viel, CEO of Deloitte Canada and Chile, on opportunities for Canada, talent strategy, and his immigrant journey and leadership lessons.

6 Apr 2022

A New Era of 'Enabling' – How CIBC is leading modern change in the banking Industry

My conversation with Victor Dodig, CEO of CIBC, on how the bank approaches modernization, including its investments in technology, sustainability, employees and Canada's future after the pandemic.

9 Mar 2022

Removing the Burden – How one organization is reshaping Canada's access to healthcare

My conversation with Zahid Salman, CEO of Green Shield Canada, on widening access to dental, oral and mental health care, the barriers to care, and the future of Canada's healthcare system.

Media

Articles and coverage

Pieces I have written and coverage of my work. More on LinkedIn.

14 Sep 2026

Written by meAI;DR: Why AI Made Real Communication More Valuable, Not Less

Strategic. My argument that people now quickly sense whether a message came from a person or a machine, which makes live town halls and direct-to-camera video more valuable.

10 Apr 2026

InterviewWhat Channels are Actually For: a deep conversation about #internalcomms channels

Strategic. A conversation with Jeff Corbin and me, from a PRSA Internal Communication Certificate course, on what internal channels are for, including fragmentation, cascading, informal networks and AI.

25 Mar 2026

FeatureInside M&T Bank's town hall rebuild: Dashboards, interviews and focused agendas

Ragan Communications. A feature by Sean Devlin on how the Commercial Bank rebuilt its town halls around business goals, with simple performance indicators, interview segments and follow-up questions that test understanding.

11 Oct 2023

Press releaseCAAT Pension Plan's Award-Winning Contributors Podcast Tops 100,000 Downloads

CAAT Pension Plan. Announcement that the Contributors Podcast, which launched in October 2021 and has hosted top Canadian CEOs, passed 100,000 downloads after winning several industry awards.