Leslie is the architect of groundbreaking, award-winning research into CEO and corporate reputation, CEO transitions, CEO and employee activism and reputation recovery. She has counseled Fortune 500 companies and organizations around the world.

Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross is one of the world’s most widely recognized experts on reputation—how reputations are built, enhanced and protected. She spearheaded the first comprehensive research on CEO reputation and its impact on company reputation and business performance. Her article, Reputation Warfare, was published in Harvard Business Review (HBR). Leslie’s work has been widely covered in many top-tier global publications such as the Washington Post, Times of London, Fortune, New York Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fast Company, WSJ, Quartz and HBR.

Leslie is the author of two books, CEO Capital: A Guide to Building CEO Reputation and Company Success and Corporate Reputation: 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation. She regularly posts her annual outlook on reputation trends.

As chief reputation strategist at the global marketing and communications firm Weber Shandwick, she developed best practices for companies on CEO and corporate reputation management, often based on research such as The CEO Reputation Premium, Socializing Your CEO and The Company behind the Brand. She originated Weber’s recent series on CEO Activism and how companies are responding to mounting hot button social issues. She also conceived first-of-a-kind research on Employee Activism. Other thought leadership initiatives she helped develop and which she counsels organizations on include Civility in America (nine annual surveys) and The Changing Landscape of Consumer Activism: Boycotts and Buycotts.

Before joining Weber Shandwick, Leslie was Chief Knowledge & Research Officer Worldwide at Burson-Marsteller and Marketing & Communications Director at Fortune.

Leslie is a frequent public speaker on CEO and corporate reputation management, having spoken at prestigious events such as the WSJ CEO Forum, and having been named among the 7 Best Reputation Risk speakers. She was chosen one of the “100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics” by Ethisphere Magazine as well as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America.

You can follow her at @reputationRx