Paul Merchán started at Peppercomm, a Ruder Finn company, 18 years ago and now leads communications strategy, media relations and message development across several clients, managing his teams to deliver exceptional results. He is a crisis communications specialist and has coordinated the development of crisis scenario plans, playbooks and real-time crisis management for various organizations.
Operating with a particular specialty in financial services, professional services, technology and B2B, Paul has extensive experience working with a blue-chip client portfolio that includes names such as Cisco, EY, HSBC, Lehigh University, Mazars, M&T Bank, Sharp Electronics, Whirlpool and Wilmington Trust. He is a trusted counselor for these clients, working closely with marketing and communications leads to coordinate external and internal communications.
Paul is also the co-host of the Laughing Matters podcast, where he interviews leaders across business, academia, journalism and politics on how they are using humor to drive a positive cultural environment. He has also published articles on the use of humor in business that have run in outlets such as WealthManagement.com. Born to immigrant parents from Ecuador, Paul is fluent in Spanish and uses this skill for professional translation and interpretation, while bringing a global perspective to his work.