Candice Warltier’s journey as a communication professional is quite impressive and very inspiring. In her career, she’s had the opportunity to partner with many interesting organizations and help communicate issues spanning from the dangers of the Asian Longhorned Beetle to the value of occupational environmental and health and safety professionals in a workplace to launching a book for a healthcare concierge company.
How it all started
Prior to founding CS-Effect, Candice worked at a boutique PR agency in Chicago. “I was exposed to many aspects of the profession,” she said. “At that time, many of our clients demanded to be on the front page of the WSJ or on Oprah. Now, as a result of the digital revolution, the ways in which we communicate have changed, and as a result, what we do for our clients has evolved.”
20 years of making a difference with strategic communications
CS-Effect is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. The company has grown by 50 percent over the last two years despite the global pandemic. Clients reach out to CS-Effect for a variety of communication needs including support on staff reductions, DE&I and organizational culture, issues that continue to elevate the need for even greater strategic communications.
“We remain focused on helping our clients change behavior, elevate their brand, enhance reputation, and drive growth through integrated communications and marketing strategies,” Candice said. “Today, my team and I are working with many clients on thought leadership strategies and positioning them as experts on various topics and getting them in front of their audiences via speaking engagements and media coverage. Additionally, we are seeing more clients face issues management and crisis issues.”
Progressing through communication professional career milestones
Based on the IABC’s Career Assessment Tool, Candice falls into the Strategic Advisor stage of her communication professional career path. “As a strategic advisor at CS-Effect, I consult with a diverse client base on their communications strategies,” she shared. “This entails helping them to align their communications goals with their strategic plan, identify target audiences, develop messaging and strategies to help them reach those goals. I also advise them on how to measure success and establish specific metrics for each initiative.”
Advice to those who desire to move up
If you’re looking to advance your career from a generalist/specialist stage to a strategic advisor stage, here is Candice’s advice: “I think the best strategists are those who have had a tremendous amount of diverse experiences. I recommend trying to immerse yourself in all aspects of communication, from external to internal. I also think that those young professionals who work in an agency should ask to work with more than one type of client.”
Learning from Others
To honor Women’s History Month, Candice reflected on how female leaders’ influence impacted her career and leadership style. “Early on in my career, I worked for a woman who had started her own PR agency. I was inspired by how committed and driven she was, prioritizing clients who aligned with her values and principles,” she recalled. “While this leader was great with clients, her approach with her team wasn’t as effective. The kindness and empathy I bring to my organization today are based on years of learning what doesn’t work from the other side of the desk.”
Benefits of being an IABC/Chicago member
Being new to IABC/Chicago, Candice hopes to connect with other communications professionals and share best practices. She’s taken advantage of online tools and resources and attended the 2022 IABC World Conference virtually, learning a lot from an impressive speaker lineup. “My colleague is on the IABC Board, and I have seen the tremendous value that belonging to IABC brings to an organization,” she added.
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