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Aberdeen Strategies
Providing strategic communications counsel and practical solutions so you can focus on your business.
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Practical Ideas.
Expert Counsel.
Thoughtful Execution.

Aberdeen Strategies is a communications consultancy that provides candid and thoughtful advice to corporations, NGOs, and high-profile individuals. We thrive on solving difficult issues involving complex situations. We operate in several practice areas,  including public and media relations, organizational design, strategic philanthropy, corporate culture development and crisis management. Aberdeen Strategies also specializes in interim communications management services. We provide interim chief communications officers (CCOs) to corporations while permanent positions are being searched.

David Webster is the president and founder of Aberdeen Strategies. He is an executive communications professional who has advised Boards, CEOs and senior leadership teams in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, reputation management, building performance cultures, managing transformational change, proactive public relations, crisis management, investor relations, government relations and effective corporate giving. David’s 30+ years of domestic and international experience span several industries, including financial services, energy, manufacturing, retail, automotive, technology, real estate and construction.

Prior to founding Aberdeen Strategies, David was the chief communications officer and head of public affairs for Sunoco, Inc., a Fortune 100 energy company based in Philadelphia. Previously, he led communications for one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, Centex Corporation, and Regions Financial, a top-10 bank holding company based in the Southeastern United States.

David also served as senior vice president of business affairs at Chase Card Services, the world’s largest issuer of Visa credit cards. While at JPMorganChase, he and his team created co-branded product and media relations campaigns in partnership with many of America’s best brands like Disney, Southwest Airlines, and Starbucks.

Earlier in his career, David held senior communications positions at Bank One, First USA and Pennzoil Company. He has a masters’ degree in communication from Regent University and is the founding chair of the Communications Advisory Council at the College of Charleston.  David is a former member of the Arthur Page Society and past member of the board of directors of Philabundance, one of the nation’s largest metropolitan hunger relief organizations.

Professional Partnerships

Aberdeen Strategies partners with other firms and specialists to deliver the creative and analytical solutions your company requires.  Partners are chosen for their proven record, and we are always involved to manage the project through completion.

Key Industries

Financial Services

Technology (Automotive, Data, Telecommunications)

Energy & Infrastructure

Manufacturing

Health Sciences

Defense

Our experience does not end there. We also serve not-for-profit ventures, higher education, real estate and construction (both commercial and residential building, domestic and abroad), and hospitality among others.

Practice Areas

A Unique Offering

Interim Communications Executives

Aberdeen Strategies specializes in providing highly experienced senior communications professionals to serve in interim roles as chief communications officers (CCOs) for large organizations, both public and private. These CCOs provide operating oversight of the communications function while a permanent position is filled.

Public Relations

External communications, whether through the news media, social media, community relations or other channels, is a core strength for Aberdeen Strategies.  From creative product promotion campaigns to one-on-one interview training for senior leaders, we help you devise a public relations strategy that supports your business goals.

Internal Communications

Corporate leaders know that having engaged employees is crucial in today’s competitive environment. Our firm has a proven track record of helping companies formulate an internal communications strategy that focuses the organization on what matters most for success. From gap analysis to redefining your corporate culture for higher levels of performance, we have the experience and specialized expertise to help.

Corporate Positioning

Reputation Matters
Protecting your brand and enhancing your corporate reputation is a vital part of adding value at any business. We can help lay out a strategy and offer practical ways to better position your company for the challenges ahead. Aberdeen Strategies helps companies reposition their brands with employees, customers and other constituencies.

Culture Definition & Development

Building Strong Cultures
Most senior leaders realize that the corporate culture affects business results, but few know how to proactively improve the culture over the long-term. We have deep experience with companies of all sizes and can help guide you through the process of building a high performance culture that supports your business goals.

Strategic Philanthropy & Community Relations

Most companies know the value of good corporate citizenship and strong community relations. We help you match your community involvement with your strategic business direction to build a more effective program that better supports your brand and engages employees. Our experts can also help you find ways to operate your foundation more efficiently so your staff can concentrate on other aspects of your business.

Organizations Designed for Performance

We help companies and organizations design communications teams with best-in-class structures that meet today’s business needs of high performance and efficiency. Today’s communications approaches are evolving rapidly, and structural change is sometimes necessary to meet the challenge. We take a data-driven approach to help you design and implement a talent structure that is adaptable and effective for a digital environment. And, we use elements of our CORE Review to identify key leverage points.

Crisis Management & Special Situations

Aberdeen Strategies will work closely with you and your legal and financial advisors to navigate through a crisis. We also help companies prepare for crises with plans and spokesperson training.

Insights

No Time for Going Dark

The headlines this week were stark, even fearful: “Plunging prices could force a third of U.S. oil firms into bankruptcy” read the Wall Street Journal. History seemed to be repeating...

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Attitude Adjustment

We all know that attitude makes a big difference in a person’s view toward work, other people, the future and opportunity. Given that companies and organizations are made up of...

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The Importance of the Inside Game in Crisis Communications

Crisis communications is the corporate equivalent of combat experience. There’s no substitute for fighting in the trenches, dealing with the fog of war, and revising plans and tactics on the fly...

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No Time-Outs

In today’s world, not moving forward with your communications initiatives while waiting for a chief communications officer to be recruited can put your company at a serious disadvantage. Yet, that’s...

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How Reinforcing a Corporate Culture Drives Reputation

“Great story!” I got that two-word message from our CFO one Monday morning. He was commenting on an article in a national business magazine about one of our bank’s...

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Keeping the Barbarians BEYOND the Gate

With shareholder activism and failing say-on-pay votes increasing again this year, it is as important as ever for CFO’s to have a consistent investor relations strategy and an Investor...

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The Simple Truth About Brands

How can something so simple be so hard? The simple truth is that a brand is a simple truth. Let me share something I learned from 36 years of brand development...

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What Makes a Culture "Cool?"

What makes for a cool corporate culture? This question came up recently when we were asked to help insert a level of cool into an established and very successful organization...

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