Michelle Sangillo

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved communicating--always in trouble for chatting in class as a kid. As a young adult, tending bar and waiting tables gave me the audience I yearned for. I eventually realized I could make a living by becoming a professional communicator.

My career in corporate communications began in 2001 as a contractor for Pfizer, Inc. in Parsippany, NJ. My gift of gab was recognized as having the potential to engage employees and strengthen community relations and I was asked to rejuvinate the site's environmental community outreach program. In addition to building community relations, I sought to strengthened employee/leader relationships by uniting the two groups to work together for the good of the community. Eventually, I was hired as a permanent employee and added story telling to my employee engagement toolbox.

In chatting with employees, I learned many life stories. Knowing how much people love learning about other people, I pitched an idea for a series called The Getting to Know You Corner to share those stories in a division newsletter. Shortly after the series began, story telling was recognized as an effective way for leaders to win the hearts and minds of their employees. Pressure to feature leaders over regular employees brought another idea to my mind.

I pitched an idea to Pfizer Global Manufacturing (PGM) Corporate Communications, an executive biography series for Pfocus, a publication distributed 120,000~ employees globally. The idea was embraced by PGM's executive leadership team, and they willingly shared their life stories, starting with the VP of Corporate Communications. Employees learned PGM leaders' childhood aspirations, values instilled in them by their parents, how they achieved their success, each story ending with a message to employees. The bios dissolved the icon that shrouded leaders—a good thing in a culture that values equality and inclusion.

I’ve been helping leaders personally connect with employees ever since. I've also worked in community & public relations.

I specialize in Change Management. Millions of changes take place in Corporate America each day and there's a story behind each one. My job is helping leaders tell those stories.