Mike Lawrence

Mike Lawrence, an Emmy-award winning journalist with more than a quarter-century of experience in print and broadcast news, serves as Cone's executive vice president for Corporate Responsibility and Crisis Prevention and Management.

Lawrence offers clients a wealth of experience in issues management, where the ultimate goal is to protect and enhance brand reputation among key stakeholders. Specific expertise includes: issue research, monitoring and analysis; risk assessment; crisis planning and incident management, program strategy and development, and crisis communications. Lawrence’s areas of experience include: food safety, product recalls, product contamination, unionization/strikes, staff cutbacks, employee HR risks, environmental issues, retail customer service issues, consumer/investigative media reports and more. His crisis prevention management work for the maker of Crayola Crayons won two national awards. Current clients include CVS/Pharmacy and Outward Bound.

In the area of Corporate Responsibility, Lawrence leads a Cone practice that specializes in CR strategy, communications, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. Lawrence led the Cone team on a multi-year initiative for Starbucks to enhance and communicate the brand’s commitment to sustainable coffee farming and its relationships with coffee farmers around the world. Other active CR clients include Nestle Waters North America and Mattel.

Prior to joining Cone, Lawrence spent 14 years as a reporter and anchorman at Boston's NBC television affiliate, specializing in business and investigative reporting. In addition, Lawrence has a unique perspective on print media. He was the founding reporter for two broadcast bureaus operated inside the newsrooms of competing Massachusetts daily newspapers, developing close managerial relationships with editors while working on-deadline alongside print reporters.

Lawrence has won five Emmy Awards, including two for overseas reporting in Northern Ireland and one for individual achievement in interviewing skills. He has also received awards from the Associated Press, UPI, and the Radio-Television News Directors Association. He is past president and current board member of the New England local of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA), as well as a member of the board of directors of the non-profit organization “Coffee Kids.”

Follow Mike on Twitter: @Mike_Lawrence