A World Tour in Tech Communications with GlobalFoundries’ CCO Laurie Kelly

Hailing from Massachusetts, GlobalFoundries (GF) Chief Communications Officer Laurie Kelly’s local roots run deep – she even crossed paths with founder Phil Greenough back in their agency days in Cambridge! Laurie and the team at GF have been a valued partner of Greenough Communications for over three years, with milestone moments ranging from GF’s IPO in 2021 to their most recent celebration of the $1.5 billion in funding as part of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act.

In a fireside chat with our CEO, Nikki Festa O’Brien, Laurie joined the Greenough team for an engaging discussion of the tech landscape and the milestone moments she has supported along the way. From hocking AOL floppy discs in football stadium parking lots to navigating international markets in Abu Dhabi, Laurie has been on the ground floor of every technology evolution for the last three decades and shared lessons from her experiences.

How did you end up in Communications? Was it always your north star, or did you take a detour on your path here?

Very few people can say they always knew they wanted to pursue communications. When I went to university, there was no PR or communications major—the closest was probably marketing, with just a chapter on PR. I studied economics, and initially worked in mutual funds at State Street Bank. It was a roundabout path into communications that led me to where I am today.

I’m a people-person, so after banking, I really wanted to explore sales. I went and worked for a headhunting company. After that, I started doing temporary work before the temp. agency hired me. I worked at that agency for several years before I moved overseas and taught English as a foreign language in what’s now the Czech Republic. After realizing that teaching wasn’t for me, I returned to my connections and friends at the temp. agency, where they placed me as a receptionist at the Weber Group, and later became an assistant to Larry Weber, who was running the agency. That’s when I realized my love for communications –the work, the clients, account teams, and projects.

After working with Larry on his plans to expand in California and overseas in London, and after another year abroad, Weber brought me on as an entry-level executive. Despite being several years out of school, they encouraged me to work my way up the ranks, and I’m so glad they did. Agencies are the best training grounds, especially when looking to change fields. 10 years later, I moved to the client side, where I am today!

You’ve been on the agency side, worked on various clients, had your own consultancy, and are now a C-level executive in our field. If you could whittle all your learnings down to three pieces of advice for us, what would they be?

1. Do whatever it takes to build your own confidence. Years into my career, when I became VP of Corporate PR at SAP, I was sitting around the table with the most senior executives at the company. I earned my way there but still needed to feel more comfortable. I felt in over my head and thought, “what can I do to build my own confidence?” That led me to go back to school part time and get my MBA. It doesn’t have to be an MBA—build your communication skills, build your network, it can be anything, but do whatever it takes to help you feel confident, so that when you're in that meeting and have a seat at the table, you're not second guessing yourself. Lots of people are going to second guess you. You don’t want to be one of them.

2. Recognize that you don’t have to be the one with all the answers. It took me a while to get to this point because I always thought, in a room with senior executives, if I didn’t have exactly what they were looking for, I had failed. But our role as communicators isn’t to have all the answers, it’s to help the group come to the messages that will resonate in the market, that we know are right, that we believe we can sell and that everyone is comfortable with. My role is to guide them to right answers regardless of who is in the room.

3. Approach everything with the greatest of integrity. If you don’t have integrity, and aren’t honest with yourself and others, you have no credibility. Whether it’s for a media engagement, speaking opportunity, or event, ensure you’re doing it all with integrity.

What has been your favorite role, campaign or client, and why?

Years ago, when I was on the agency side, we worked with a client, Agfa, a film camera company that introduced the first digital cameras. They weren't personal cameras yet, but big digital cameras. We executed a massive education campaign about digital photography targeting sports journalists and insurance companies. It was really fun because it was a completely new technology at the time. We also worked on Kodak’s digital business, which was interesting—it failed because Kodak never thought it would take off and never invested in it. I guess they were wrong…

Lexmark was also a great client to work with, as it was a printer company that spun off from IBM. We did a campaign to launch the first sub-$100 printer, a printer that you could buy and have at home. I know I’m dating myself, but this was a completely novel idea at the time! We also launched a scanner, and developed a campaign with a character we called the “Scan Man.” Those were exciting times as the consumerization of tech had begun, and we were there to tell the story.

I also worked with AOL back when AOL was essentially synonymous with “going on the Internet.” A floppy disc was the only way “in” and we drove across the country, from Dallas to Boston and out towards the West Coast, with 18-wheeler trucks outfitted with 10-12 workstations. People would line up to retrieve their floppy disk to create an AOL account that would allow them to go online. We went to football games and would recruit athletes to hand out disks and get people excited about AOL. We created an entire community. We even narrowly avoided getting the truck stuck on Storrow Drive. Some things don’t change!

And, of course, the GlobalFoundries IPO. The work we did, the lessons I learned, how well it was received in the market and all the amazing broadcast we did—it was really amazing.  

You are truly a global woman! Tell us about your travels. How has adapting to different languages and cultures helped you personally and professionally?

My first time living overseas was in the Czech Republic, teaching English. We were there when the Berlin Wall came down. My now-husband spoke Russian, but I couldn’t speak either language. What I learned from that experience is how important it is to understand the language—you don’t have to be fluent, but there were many times I completely misunderstood stories. You can hear things in a lot of different ways—which is so critical to the work we do in communications, how you talk about things, and how different audiences hear messages.

I was determined to learn the language when I moved to northern Germany. I went to language class every morning, studied hard, and even worked in a local cafe because I didn’t want to put myself in that position again. I completed my MBA there and did my thesis on the difference in communications between American and German companies—not just the language, but how it’s used and perceived. When you’re in a foreign environment, you need to be aware of your expectations and assumptions when it comes to culture and communications.

I moved from Frankfurt to Cairo, then Cairo to Dublin.  Both of my daughters are truly global citizens and were always very open to the experiences. Then we moved to Manhattan before transferring to Abu Dhabi, where we stayed for four years. I learned a lot while living there and worked on a number of unique projects—we hosted the first-ever global semiconductor summit in 2010 with no budget limit - a truly unique opportunity. We brought in all the major industry players, and that’s when GlobalFoundries began.

Where do you get your news?

I get my news from many different channels. I love the New York Times and read the Economist, the Huffington Post, the Financial Times, and Bloomberg—all online. We’re bombarded by news all day, but you must take the time to read beyond the headlines. I also read the Times Union, our local paper, to stay ahead of anything that might surprise us. Understanding how other people are getting their news is critical, too, so I try to keep that perspective in mind.

We loved having you in our 2024 predictions piece last year! We completely agree that internal and external communications are converging, and that the employee is the most important stakeholder for brands. Do you foresee any other changes or shifts in our profession that we should watch?

I’m not a fortune teller, but my fear is information overload. Finding ways to break through the noise and determine what’s important to audiences now is more critical than ever. For GlobalFoundries, the chip shortage brought semiconductors into mainstream conversation.  However, we have more information than before, yet we seem to be somehow less informed than ever. This is where connecting with other communications professionals for perspectives is so interesting. I’m glad we did this!

Thanks so much for joining us, Laurie! Our team loved participating in your 2024 communications retreat this month where we were able to continue this conversation!