Blockchain in corporate communications: A new avenue to transparency and trust

Mariana Agathoklis is a corporate, brand, crisis, consumer and employee communications specialist with experience across technology, media, consumer products and gaming. Currently, she serves as Head of Communications for Verizon Business - one of three business units at Verizon with 30,000 employees and $30 billion in global business - and Vice President of Corporate Communication for Verizon – overseeing corporate communications, executive communications, public policy, crisis, network and 5G priorities. Previously, Mariana led the MTV communications team, capping off a decade-plus long career with the Millennial and GenZ focused brand. Her work spanned the award-winning “Rock Band” video game franchise, Emmy-award winning public affairs campaigns, linear and digital-based documentary and series publicity, MTV News, major events like the “MTV Video Music Awards,” social media initiatives and more. Mariana began her career at Porter Novelli in Washington, DC and New York City, affording her the opportunity to work with a diverse roster of clients including the Business Roundtable, Safeway, Timberland, Chapstick and The College Board. She graduated cum laude from Boston University’s College of Communications and is an alumna of the Alpha Phi Fraternity. She live in Summit, NJ with her husband and toddler.

Jason has been on a 20-year journey to help his clients and colleagues embrace a modern communications approach that can transform their businesses, their industries, and the lives of their customers. In 2017, this journey brought him to Huge, the global design and innovation agency, where he was tasked with building a client-facing communications offering. As a member of the agency’s global leadership team, Jason merged Huge’s existing social, influencer, and editorial disciplines with a new “earned creative” team, to form a unified global Strategic Communications practice.  Jason and his team took Huge’s mission to, “Make Things That People Love,” and rallied around the mission of helping to, “Make Newsworthy Things That People Love.” By injecting “newsworthiness” into Huge’s work, Jason and his team have created a useful framework for taking more ambitious, innovative, and ownable stances. As a result the Strategic Communications team has architected some of Huge’s most high-profile and creative engagements, which includes Pantone’s first multi-sensory Color of the Year, and the creation of Full Transparency by Verizon.   Prior to joining Huge, Jason spent 11 years as the Chief Creative Officer/Co-Founder of Kwittken, helping to make it one of the most unique and awarded boutique PR agencies in the U.S. Over the course of his career he been fortunate enough to work with a wide variety of organizations including American Express, BMW, Converse, Deloitte, Early Warning’s Zelle, Fresh Direct, Frog Design, JD.com, Kohler, Pantone, Target, Uniqlo, United Technologies Corporation, Vanguard, Verizon, and Walmart/Jet.com, among others, helping them to identify, develop, and articulate their innovation narratives. Regarded as one of the PR industry’s most forward-thinking thought leaders, Jason was named to PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list in 2009, and identified by PRovoke Media (formerly The Holmes Report) as one of the 25 most innovative people in communications in 2014 and 2020. He regularly speaks at global conferences including SXSW and CES/Digital Hollywood, and is a frequent contributor to industry trades and podcasts, as well as national and regional outlets including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Adam Helfgott is Project Lead At MAD Network, a custom blockchain purpose-built for enterprise applications with early adoption in the advertising technology space. Helfgott is also CEO of MadHive, an end-to-end software platform that leverages cryptography, blockchain and AI to power modern media, with customers ranging from broadcast giants to high-growth DTC brands. Early on, Helfgott recognized the need for new industry standards. Along with TEGNA and IBM, Helfgott founded non-profit consortium AdLedger, with a mission is to create open technical standards that leverage blockchain and cryptography in digital media. Today AdLedger encompasses more than 90 members, representing brands, publishers, agencies and tech companies. Prior to MadHive, Helfgott built and sold marketing technology companies, and has advised leading companies including IMG/WME, and Gem, an enterprise blockchain company.