Page has launched the Polansky Future Leaders Fund, a permanent fund established through a founding gift from 2025 Page Hall of Fame inductee and former Weber Shandwick Global CEO Andy Polansky.
The Fund is focused on supporting, inspiring and empowering emerging talent and increasing diversity among senior leaders in the communications profession.
O’Dwyer’s caught up with Polansky to talk about what the fund means to him.
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| Andy Polansky |
Polansky is retired now after spending years traversing the globe for Weber Shandwick. He’s still advising senior executives and boards and spends additional time with those early in their careers as well as students on college campuses.
Polansky believes public relations and communications is a promising career track for young people even with the threat of AI eliminating positions.
“There will continue to be demand for communicators who can help organizations navigate the changing environment as well as the transformative impact AI is having across the enterprise,” Polansky said. “Our point of view and judgment is highly valued in the C-Suite.”
Polansky stressed the need to understand the technology as it continues to evolve, but also underscored the communicator's broad role.
“It's never been more important to earn engagement and trust from all of a company's stakeholders,” he added.
The Fund will begin supporting Page’s Future Leaders Experience, a two-year executive education program that prepares high-potential communications professionals for senior leadership roles.
The curriculum is built around six areas key to the evolving C-suite:
- Societal Value: Focuses on the value created through either a product or service and how to determine goals to build a commitment to delivering on that value.
- Corporate Brand: Explores how to deliver a brand experience with every touchpoint with every stakeholder that is aligned with the brand promise.
- Corporate Culture: Learn how to strategically build and align organizational culture to energize employee engagement and support.
- Commtech: Discover how to use technology to engage with stakeholders and earn their support.
- Leadership: Master the skills to work effectively as a strategic advisor to an organization’s leadership.
- Corporate Advocacy: Takes aim at building public support for an organization’s priorities.
Classes are led by Page members, building access to a lifelong network of senior communications leaders. Polansky emphasized how indebted he is to the leaders who invested in him as he was rising through the ranks. “It’s key to have a network of peers in addition to good judgment and technical skills,” Polansky emphasized.
Polansky acknowledged the inherent challenge to increasing the eligible pool of candidates and explained that plans are in the works to expand the program outside the U.S. Also, the training is now open to non-Page member companies for the program year 2027 - 2028. Deadline to sign up is Oct. 30.
Polansky stressed that the Fund is not a one-time gift but a permanent fixture for the Page community, giving others an opportunity to contribute in the years ahead. “More on-ramps need to be created to widen the opportunity for individuals whose organizations don’t have the budget or funding for this type of professional development.
In-person sessions in different U.S. cities plus virtual engagement through online platforms make up the class schedule. Full tuition for Page members is $19,500. Non-member is $20,000. The fee includes all course materials and meals.
While the program began in 2009 with a cohort of 20, today two cohorts engage concurrently bringing the total number of participants to between 50 and 60.
“It is important to continue investing in the future of the communications function,” Polansky said. “Creating this fund is my way of paying that forward.”
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