President and CEO

James Savage

image Savage headshot (1)

James Savage currently heads Kingsbrae Global LLC, a strategic corporate communications and risk management consultancy. Clients in 2021 have included DFW Airport, Hyosung, Kandi Technologies, Munsch Hardt, Continental Electronics, and other significant companies.

Savage was the SVP General Manager of Pierpont Communications in Dallas, Texas from 2015 until founding Kingsbrae in early 2020. As an experienced global communicator, Savage build on his strategic planning, finance, and corporate experience to created Pierpont’s first financial services and healthcare practices.

He has developed and executed successful initiatives for hospital systems, clinically integrated networks, accountable care organizations, physician placement firms, healthcare capital firms, and medical device (MedTech) companies across the US. Examples include

Savage joined Pierpont after successfully leading the corporate practice as SVP of Edelman in Dallas, where he contributed to the reputational and business success of Texas, national, and global clients. In his agency roles, he has led successful initiatives for financial services firms such as BNY Mellon, Citibank, BOK Financial, and Associated Bank, healthcare entities such as Methodist Health (Dallas), Central Georgia Health/Navicent and Seton Health System, and technology firms such as Hyosung, Symantec, Juniper, and Microsoft, in addition to serving clients in manufacturing, logistics, aviation, automotive and multiple other verticals.

He also led the financial communications practices for both Pierpont and Edelman offices, overseeing IPO, earnings, M&A, and other special situation communications for public companies, REITs, physician-owned hospitals, and law firm lateral partner acquisitions.

Before joining Edelman, he was Managing Partner of Reputation Leadership Group (RLG), an international communications and reputation management consultancy. He earlier served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications and Brand Marketing at Canada’s Western Financial Group, the insurance division of Desjardins Financial, the world’s largest credit union. This followed several years as Vice President of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (FRBC)., where he successfully pioneered the use of social media (including the Fed’s first YouTube content) as part of the Fed’s educational and community outreach during the 2008-11 financial crisis. He developed a new online policy magazine (Forefront), and proactive launches promoting the Bank’s research work. Savage’s department sharply increased the measured levels of awareness, reputation, and understanding of the Fed’s important work, tracked through a pioneering PR and reputation measurement program now used by several Fed regional banks and the International Monetary Fund.

Before joining the Fed Savage led corporate communications and brand marketing at Philips Healthcare’s national Canadian division. Savage’s programs more than doubled Philips domestic market brand awareness and favorability measures across all modalities (Nuclear, MR, CT, U/S, X-ray, Cardio) as well as consumer health. In addition to pioneering digital and experiential programs for Philips within the market, he also developed Philips first public affairs/advocacy, healthcare policy, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, as well as shepherding the company through labor disputes, large-scale restructuring, health crises (SARS, Philips Avent BPA scare), M&A activities and environmental challenges. He worked with major hospital groups across Canada as well as the Cleveland Clinic, Emory Healthcare, and Kaiser Permanente. In addition, he led communications programs for Philips consumer health brands such as Sonicare, Avent, Lifeline, and HeartStart.

Notably, he developed and executed the first Philips Healthcare Index, a thought leadership vehicle comprising a large-scale survey and analysis of healthcare public policy and technology initiatives. The Index was later adopted in multiple countries and exists today at the Future Health Index (www.futurehealthindex.com).

His first role at Philips entailed all communications for the divestment and sale of the Philips Broadband Division, working closely with the corporate M&A group and subsequent leading all M&A communications for regional acquisitions (Intermagnetics, Lumileds, HeartStart) as well as for multiple labor actions, layoffs, and facility closures.

Before joining Philips, he led Raincoast Group, Dallas-based global tech communication, and marketing consultancy, serving as a lead international advisor to Canada’s National Broadband Task Force, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council’s (APEC) Internet committee, and the Canada-Texas Business Council. Before founding his own company, Savage was Vice President, International Corporate Communications for GTE Corporation (now Verizon), having also served the firm in marketing and strategic planning roles supporting the company’s expansion in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe, as well as leading the international communications efforts for multiple M&A teams globally.

Early in his career Savage was Associate Director of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC), and also served as an international policy analyst for the Canadian Federal Department of Communications. He began his career at the International Institute of Communications (IIC) in the United Kingdom.

Savage has an M.Sc. with distinction from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an Honors BA from the University of British Columbia. He is the author of The Politics of International Telecommunications Regulation (Westview Press) and has edited six other books and two magazines. He is on the Advisory Board of the corporate communications program at Southern Methodist University and for the Institute of Public Relations Research Conference. He also serves on multiple local boards and committees including the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, the Canada-Texas Chamber of Commerce, the Dallas Regional Chamber’s International Task Force and Innovation Task Force, as well as the Dallas County Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star.

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