Betsy Flaherty


"I am a maximizer, who succeeds by inspiring others to take the journey with me.
My team consistently exceeds expectations, making the impossible possible."


2020-Current Senior Manager, Strategic Communications - Sustainability, John Deere

  • Create a consistent and actionable narrative for John Deere around sustainability broadly defined to include a range of economic, environmental, social, and other outcomes important to our customers, employees (salaried and production), communities, investors, and brand fans
  • Responsible for guiding internal and external campaign strategy, developing compelling messages and content, ensuring message discipline, managing internal creatives and outside agencies, and providing strong analytical results
  • Serve as a business partner to relevant stakeholders across the enterprise to develop strategic communications initiatives across multiple teams including: finance, investor relations, labor relations, corporate social responsibility/foundation, global brand and communications, and divisions
  • Collaborate with key global band and communications team members, along with outside agencies to bring communications to life 
  • Elevate positive brand perception of the company's sustainability story 
  • Collaborate with global stakeholders 
  • Maintain brand processes to ensure consistent high-quality communications 


  • 2019-2020 Creative Strategic Enablement Manager, John Deere
  • Lead a team of ten; oversee strategic planning and project managers of "internal advertising agency"
  • Oversee internal and external corporate communications projects, sponsorship activation, and brand campaigns
  • Co-Lead the Visual Services team responsible for scouting, shooting, post-editing, tagging, metadata & storing of all photography and video assets for the company through a mix of staff and freelance shooters
  • Lead the team that activates corporate sponsorships including: FFA, FIRST, The First Tee, & the John Deere Classic
  • Run the Global Marketing Communications Community of Practice; working closely with division marketing communications teams and interfacing with them on projects that span across the enterprise
  • Co-manage agency relationships for the Global Brand & Communications team, which comprises of roughly ten different companies and a plethora of freelancers and other third party suppliers, ensuring the proper mix to accomplish the book of work
  • Responsible for the Visual Services global zero-based budget and roughly $4M activation budget

2017-2019 Senior Brand Manager, John Deere

  • Oversee integrated marketing campaigns, emphasizing the next generations of brand fans and customers
  • Activate corporate sponsorships: FFA, FIRST, The First Tee, and the John Deere Classic
  • Lead the Global Marketing Communications Community of Practice; working closely with the division marketing communications teams
  • Lead member on Digital go-to-market charter
  • Co-lead on Social Media charter; responsible for branding strategy and content creation
  • Work with multiple agencies
  • Lead an internal team of two
  • Budgetary responsibilities

2015-2017 Public Relations & Enterprise Social Media Manager, John Deere

  • Manage company's social media program of 200 internal stakeholders, two dozen agencies, 55 different countries, and 62 different social handles on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Weibo
  • Rolled out Social Media 2.0 revamp to update and modernize infrastructure, processes, and overall program
  • Developed and implemented a global shared services model within hub and spoke decentralized model
  • Formed a cross functional, cross divisional council structure of senior leaders to assist with implementation of program's strategic direction
  • Created and implemented a social customer care model
  • Responsible for corporate content generation, social training program, implementing and enforcing policies/governance, channel reporting and insights, advertising, public relations, and issues/crisis management
  • Serve as expert, liaison and oversee training of all stakeholders on Spredfast Conversations social media management tool
  • Utilize Infegy as enterprise social media listening tool
  • Regularly collaborate with compliance, legal, safety, brand, CSR, digital, marketing research, dealer channel, global regions, customer care, and divisions
  • Budgetary responsibilities

2011-2015 Forestry Advertising Manager, PR & Social Manager, C&F John Deere

  • Developed and rolled out all marketing communications efforts for company's largest two full-tree product launches
  • Nurtured and promoted the John Deere Forestry brand globally
  • Directed and managed the development and distribution of integrated campaigns, content marketing, advertising, product photography, brochures, social media, direct marketing, and public relations efforts
  • Managed over a half dozen agencies
  • Served as editor in chief for the quarterly forestry dealer magazine
  • Analyzed dealer and customer needs including competitive marketing intelligence
  • Budgetary responsibilities

2008-2011 National Resource Center Manager, Ad & PR Manager, The HON Company

  • Responsible for the company's $4M annual investment in the national resource centers located in LA, NYC, DC, Chicago, Atlanta and Muscatine, along with five showroom managers
  • Managed the strategic direction of company's branding
  • Oversaw architect and design firms, contractors, building management teams, and creative agencies
  • Directed the company's involvement in the office furniture industry's largest trade show, NeoCon including showroom management, product management, public relations efforts, advertising initiatives, and employee involvement
  • Responsible for company's and channel partners advertising initiatives
  • Managed comprehensive, company wide public relations program - highlights included partnership with Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and with actor Rainn Wilson, who starred as Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office

2005-2008 Advertising & Public Relations Manager, The HON Company

  • Responsible for the development and execution of the company's first ever $3.1M national advertising campaign
  • Directed and oversaw research, creative development, media placement, and ROI metrics
  • Developed and implemented co-op tandem advertising initiative for all channel partners
  • Managed the company's public relations program for the brand, including key messaging development, executive media training, news releases, case studies, video-embedded news releases, satellite media tours, bi-lined articles, and key sponsorship opportunities in consumer and trade publications
  • Managed advertising agency, PR firm, e-business manager and interactive initiatives, along with advertising and PR specialist

2001-2005 Director of Marketing & Advertising, Anderson Erickson Dairy

  • Responsible for development and implementation of company's $2.5M strategic marketing efforts including all creative for television, radio, outdoor, print, point-of-purchase materials, website development, and public relations in five state distribution area
  • Directed and oversaw all creative development, media buys, packaging design, and served as primary contact for advertising agency
  • Served as lead member of new product development task force; responsible for the introduction of over a dozen new products each fiscal year - responsibilities included overseeing all stages of product development process from market research to product launch
  • Acted as primary spokesperson and liaison for all media relations
  • Wrote and administered company's crisis management procedures
  • Developed and implemented internal public relations recognition program for 600+ employees
  • Managed in-house product sampling team, and marketing assistant
  • Oversaw all special events
  • Developed and designed all internal sales materials and marketing tools
  • Oversaw all in-kind donation requests and served on the committee to review all financial donations

Education
University of Iowa -
pre MBA program

Drake University - BA Journalism & Mass Communication
Major:
Public Relations
Minor: Psychology/Sociology


BMW3379@outlook.com
515-240-8272