C-Speak: The Language of Executives

Salient Ventures CEO Diane Hessan has always wanted to “lead something big,” as she shares in the latest episode of PNC C-Speak. That desire was the impetus for leaving her role with a small startup and founding Communispace, now known as C Space, in Boston. These days, she leads angel investment firm Salient Ventures in its efforts to support early-stage companies that show a lot of promise. Hess...

Massachusetts, says Locus Robotics CEO Rick Faulk in this episode of C-Speak, has “lots of robots looking for a problem as opposed to a problem looking for a robot.” That’s because numerous companies lose sight of two things: adhering to their core mission and catering to their clients’ specific needs, according to Faulk. Faulk points to targeted growth as an integral element in Locus Robotics’ ev...

Jim Heppelmann, chief executive officer of Boston-based digital transformation firm PTC, admits he can get a little bored if things start to feel routine — and he says that’s a good thing.    “I’m open to changes, very much so,” he says in this episode of PNC C-Speak. “It’s a good set of skills, I think, for a CEO to be able to imagine things working differently and be impatient enough to go after...

Dr. Brent Chrite faced unusual challenges when he stepped into his role as president of Bentley University in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are a residential, place-based university, and that operating model no longer held,” Chrite said in this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast. “We had to recalibrate everything from knowledge transfer, to pedagogy, to what it means to be an engaged facu...

Lauren Solotar has seen a lot of changes in her years at the May Institute, from when she first joined the team as vice president and chief psychologist in 1996 all the way to her current role as CEO. But she’s most excited about the nonprofit’s dedicated efforts to bring on the “best and the brightest from around the country” as it begins building out centers of excellence to better serve individ...

Jim Sullivan joined NWN Carousel – a Boston Business Journal Fast 50 company – as CEO in May 2019. His deep knowledge of the enterprise technology space came in handy starting March 14, 2020, when NWN Carousel’s customers started to flood the company with urgent pleas for help amid the emerging, global spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of commerce across many se...

As a veteran of the Army and the son of a Vietnam War veteran, Imari Paris Jeffries understands the importance of serving his country and the community. Now president and CEO of Embrace Boston, he has been serving the Boston community in leadership roles since joining the team of JumpStart Boston, an early education organization, at the age of 18.   “While I've worked at congregate care organ...

Pratt Wiley says he grew up in The Partnership, a leadership development organization for people of color formerly run by his mother. Now president and CEO, Wiley says some of the sessions were even conducted in his parents’ home in Brookline. Years later, while working in the Obama administration as an advocate for voting rights, Wiley saw the need for an organization like The Partnership in just...

When Manny Lopes started working at East Boston Neighborhood Health in East Boston after finishing high school, he never thought the “part-time gig” would launch him on a long, successful career in health care. His nonlinear journey extended to other states, but Lopes — nominated as a Power 50 Movement Maker by the Boston Business Journal in 2021 — always intended to return to Boston, where he was...

Andrea Silbert’s longtime mission has been to advance gender equity and women’s economic prosperity. That explains, in part, why Silbert, president of the EoS Foundation, has been named a 2022 Power 50 Movement Maker by the Boston Business Journal, her second time on the BBJ’s list of distinguished recipients.  Silbert launched her professional life in the field of finance after earning a degree f...

The future of the Boston Red Sox is about inclusion, according to Zineb Curran, the organization’s senior vice president and chief communications officer. Curran notes the Red Sox have already made historic progress from a coaching standpoint, naming its first Black coach, a woman, on a pro team as well as its second female coaching staffer. “Now we have two women in uniform,” says Curran, which f...

Marcus Wilson’s company, NOBULL, is driven by a shared philosophy: “If you want to be better, you have to put in the work.” As a result of putting in the work over the years, the startup co-founded by Wilson has established a partnership with the New England Patriots – QB Mac Jones is a NOBULL spokesperson – and an upcoming sponsorship of the NFL Scouting Combine.  “It’s all about helping to build...

As a former MIT math professor, Tom Leighton, Ph. D., approaches business with rigor and a critical eye toward uncovering the truth. As a leader whose company, Akamai Technologies, was deeply challenged during the dot-com era, he also understands an organization’s culture and the people make all the difference in its success.  In this episode, Leighton also outlines how Akamai makes the online exp...

 When it comes to achieving greater patient health outcomes through precision medicine, Reginald Swift, founder and CEO of Rubix LS, realized early on that digital health technologies and research trials must have a focus on inclusion to effectively serve all patients.    In our latest miniseries, PNC C-Speak is highlighting the BBJ 2021 Power 50 Movement Makers, a list of community leaders whose...

Sandy Edgerley describes her career as having three major chapters: first as a consultant for Bain & Co., next as the founder of the real estate development firm Hexagon Properties, and most recently as a co-founder of private social club The 'Quin House, alongside her husband Paul Edgerley.  In our latest miniseries, PNC C-Speak is highlighting the BBJ 2021 Power 50 Movement Makers, a li...

When it comes to the work Daren Bascome is doing with Proverb, the creative marketing agency he founded in 1997, much of the focus is on creating vibrant and purposeful communities. In the wake of the pandemic, the idea of bringing people together into a physical space with a clear purpose has been a rebranding theme in particularly high demand.  In our latest miniseries, PNC C-Speak is highlighti...

An environmental economics teacher set Elizabeth Turnbull Henry on a course that led her to her current role as President of the Environmental League of Boston. Today the organization's mission is to ensure Massachusetts leads the country in environmental policy and becomes a model for other states and nations. In our latest miniseries, PNC C-Speak is highlighting the BBJ 2021 Power 50 Moveme...

For Herby Duverné, everything comes back to community. From founding RISE Together, a company ensuring communities can thrive and build wealth together, to his security organization Windwalker, which has implemented a new product aimed at developing people and talent. In our latest miniseries, PNC C-Speak is highlighting the BBJ 2021 Power 50 Movement Makers, a list of community leaders whose work...

After moving to the US at 11 years old, Mohamad Ali credits the mentors he found in both school and business for his remarkable career trajectory. In this episode, Mohamad explains his commitment to fairness as a leader, how he maintains a strong company culture across over 4,000 international employees, and why action is more important than a perfect plan.

Before joining CarGurus, Jason Trevisan spent 12 years in venture capital, evaluating hundreds of companies on their success and potential.  In this episode, Jason outlines what it was about CarGurus that blew him away, his guiding principles for leadership, and the power of good feedback.

Rob Waldron was the first child born to a Peace Corps representative, and has been dedicated to serving his community ever since.  In this episode, Rob outlines the importance of nurturing potential as a leader, the catalyst that led to Curriculum jumpstarting their virtual program, and the reason he agreed to a 20 year employment contract.

As CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, Kevin Churchwell spends his days planning the next evolution of care.  In this episode, Kevin describes his journey from physician to CEO, his commitment to diversity and inclusion, and his process for staying calm and positive in a crisis.

As an athlete, Angela Ruggiero noticed a gap in the market that led to her co-founding Sports Innovation Lab; a global intelligence firm that helps industry decision-makers better understand their fans.  In this episode, Angela shares how many of the sports philosophies that helped her win 4 Olympic medals can also be applied to business, and the difference between managing and leading.

As the first woman to lead an office for a big four accounting firm in Boston, Jane Steinmetz, is no stranger to stepping outside of her comfort zone and tackling challenges head on.  In this episode, Jane discusses the importance of teamwork, how businesses can navigate through 'The Great Resignation', and why EY's Entrepreneur of The Year is such an outstanding program.

As CEO of Veracode, Sam King credits both vision and passion for propelling the company from zero to over 2,600 customers worldwide.  In this week's episode, Sam shares the importance of networking, trusting your instinct, and why Veracode has adapted to the "new norm" of becoming a remote-first organization.