Hi, I'm Steve Dnistrian.
Thanks for visiting my website.
I've started this business to share my experiences and insights in order to make a difference.
My hope is to help professionals and leaders achieve great things in all facets of brand + strategic communication.
Ultimately, my objective is to create value for you and your organization, value that is real, measurable and enduring.
As a trained journalist with a knack for story-telling, I decided early in my career
that I wanted to explore the full spectrum of the communication business, not just one discipline.
And I decided to work for different types of businesses, in different industries, not just one.
I decided to shape my career path this way because I wanted to understand, at a very granular level,
how various marketing communication disciplines work and can work together.
I also recognized that I loved learning just as much as I loved the business itself.
That's why I decided to jump around a bit and explore different work environments.
And so, over the course of my career, I've delved deeply into public relations, advertising, branding,
market research and more, while immersing myself in the disruptive force of social, digital and mobile communication.
I've worked in the practice of communication and the business of communication.
To boot, I worked for market-leading organizations in both the public and private sectors,
where the art and science of communication is very different, indeed.
The Business of Communication
Before launching the advisory firm that bears his name, Steve served in two
Chief Operating Officer roles at Omnicom Group Inc., one of the world's largest
holding companies in the marketing communication industry.
Omnicom’s branded agencies are well-known leaders in all segments of the industry, including advertising; media planning and buying; digital direct and promotional marketing; public relations and other specialty communication
services. The company reported global revenues of more than $15 billion in 2019.
Steve joined Omnicom as the company’s first Chief Operating Officer for Public Relations. In that capacity, he worked with the company’s market-leading public relations agencies to drive growth through shared objectives and growth aspirations, while leading M&A activity and driving operational improvements across the portfolio.
He later assumed the expanded role of Chief Operating Officer for
Enterprise Initiatives, responsible for company-wide programs
focused on profitability and operational effectiveness.
The Practice of Communication
Prior to joining Omnicom, Steve held senior communication leadership roles
with global responsibilities at Johnson & Johnson,
one of the world’s most respected health care companies.
As global head of communication for Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain, Steve supported the company’s successful efforts to centralize its vast, global manufacturing and supply chain networks. While in this role, he managed significant crisis communication situations involving product recalls experienced in the company's consumer, medical device and pharmaceutical divisions.
In an earlier role, building on J&J's successful sponsorship of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Steve led J&J's corporate reputation-building initiatives during the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. The Shanghai Expo set attendance records with more than 73 million visitors.
Some 246 countries and international organizations participated in the Expo.
As VP of Communication for Johnson & Johnson Surgical Care,
a portfolio of businesses with $20 billion+ in global revenue at that time, Steve provided communication support and counsel to the worldwide chairman and the surgical leadership team, while coordinating a global team of professionals overseeing
all aspects of communication for these businesses.
During his first role with J&J's Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Steve was appointed to that company's global management board after successfully leading and executing the company’s first organizational brand strategy. Day to day, he managed the global communication function supporting the company's leadership and business operations around the world.
The Power of Communication
With a cocaine epidemic ravaging every corner of the United States during the mid- to late-1980s, the advertising and media industries joined forces to create the non-profit Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the largest public health media campaign in U.S. history.
As chronicled in case studies by the Harvard Business School and Harvard School of Public Health, the organization applied research-based marketing strategies to change consumer attitudes and reduce demand for illicit drugs. Research shows significant reductions in illicit drug use in America at that time, in direct correlation with the organization's mass media campaigns.
As one of six managing directors of the organization, Steve was responsible for all facets of government, media, community and stakeholder relations at the organization.
He was elected to the board of directors as its youngest member.
During his years at the Partnership, Steve worked alongside the organization’s chairman, James E. Burke, the former Chairman & CEO of Johnson & Johnson. Burke was at the helm of J&J during the infamous Tylenol poisonings. Burke would later receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the public and private sectors.
Inspirations
So that's my professional background.
In terms of sources of inspirations that have defined me...
FAMILY
My wife and I are the proud parents of three children. Parenting is, by far, among the toughest jobs anywhere. The mission is straightforward: Ensure your kids have every opportunity to succeed and live happy lives, on their terms. But the work is tough. We try our best.
SON OF IMMIGRANTS
My parents came to the United States from two different ends of Europe, both seeking a better life. Against all odds, they achieved the American dream. Their courage and perseverance continue to serve as a source of inspiration for me.
PROFESSIONAL INSPIRATION
Jim Burke, the former chairman & CEO of Johnson & Johnson, and later, chairman of the non-profit Partnership for a Drug-Free America, tops my list for so many reasons. He taught me everything I needed to know about business and integrity, but more importantly, how to carry yourself in this world with dignity and grace. Today, I serve on the board of The Burke Foundation, honoring Jim's commitment to the health and well-being of children.