“Cladogenesis” is a term used by evolutionary scientists to describe the relatively sudden division of an existing species into two or more separate lines – thus creating new species – often in response to radical change in the environment.

The rapid elevation of communications leadership has given many practitioners a seat at the table but has left them to fill the role without a guidebook. Looking at how the top communications spot has changed since the 1990s – and what its trajectory might look like into the next decade – shows just how extensive this change has been.

Digitalization, automation, robotization, artificial intelligence – our society is in the midst of a fundamental transformation. It impacts on companies and of course on executive search firms as well, says Michael Ensser, Managing Partner of Egon Zehnder Germany, in an interview with German business daily Handelsblatt.

Executives who join companies to lead a digital transformation process are faced with a range of barriers, and may even abandon the project in just a few months. He or she will walk away frustrated and tired of fighting against the tide. The reason for this is that these professionals are hired with the support and incentive of the CEO, but soon find themselves alone.

The combination of overlapping social media networks with passionate and vigilant consumers means that chief marketing officers and chief communications officers are never more than one errant tweet or unflattering video away from a crisis. But while crises generate urgency and headlines, managing a brand today is a 24/7 operation of monitoring, messaging and refinement.

PRWeek, eBay, Egon Zehnder, and Edelman convened senior PR pros from Silicon Valley to discuss best practices and big issues facing the comms and tech sectors during a March panel discussion at eBay's headquarters in San Jose.

For nearly 40 years, women have outnumbered men in U.S. colleges, but as women move through the workforce, the scales tip in the other direction. Surprisingly, the U.S. market has fallen behind the rest of the world when it comes to gender diversity in the boardroom.

We recently held a private dinner for 20 CMOs from some of San Francisco’s most disruptive companies in the hospitality, food, insurance, financial services and media sectors.

How can companies do more to promote gender diversity, asks the Financial Times? Setting specific diversity goals and measuring progress towards them is a good start, says Karoline Vinsrygg, Leader of Egon Zehnder’s Global Diversity Council.

Virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize digital marketing, write Egon Zehnder consultants Amanda Roberts and Sarah Van Dyck for CMSWire.