Session Overview
The role of communicators can feel like it’s in constant flux. Facing rising expectations, growing remits as organizations evolve, and with AI drafting content at speed, teams are facing sharp questions about value. This session examines these questions and digs into how Comms teams can add the value that AI can’t.
Hosted by Unily’s Kaz Hassan, this panel brings together Laura Kennedy (Life Time), Adib Abrahim (American Airlines) and Joanna Parsons (The Curious Route). Together, the panel takes a candid look at the skills that matter most, discuss whether the fundamentals of the craft have changed, and argue that value conversations have moved beyond speed and now focus on judgement and taste making.
You’ll also get the scoop on how communications teams at Life Time and American Airlines used AI to deliver measurable, value building initiatives. See how Life Time built an AI evaluator that reviews every newsletter topic for actionability, relevance, and usefulness. You’ll also see how American Airlines uses a media pitch agent to speed up outreach, with a human check on every message before it goes out.
The panel closes by tackling trust, governance, and misinformation, including why trust comes down to whether leaders’ actions match their words, and how to give junior communicators room to experiment within clear guardrails.
What you’ll learn
Watch the session to discover:
- Why a communicator’s value lies in judgment and context
- How to build reusable AI skills that free up time for strategic work
- Why the biggest opportunity for internal comms is helping leaders communicate better
- What has to stay human, including empathy, intuition, and strategy, with AI as an enabler of strategy rather than its creator
- How to give junior communicators room to experiment within clear guardrails
Meet the speakers:
Kaz Hassan - Principal, Product Strategy & Market Intelligence, Unily
With 10 years in employee experience and more than 20 intranet rollouts reaching over a million employees, Kaz is a data-driven thought leader who isn't afraid to challenge the status quo.
Laura Kennedy - Director, Team Member Communications, Life Time
Laura Kennedy is a seasoned communications leader with more than a decade of experience helping employees feel connected, informed and inspired. As Director of Team Member Communications at Life Time Inc., she leads efforts to align teams around company goals, support leaders in communicating more effectively.
Adib Abrahim - Managing Director, Brand, Advertising, Creative, Digital and Studio, American Airlines
Adib Abrahim is the Managing Director of Digital Strategy, Brand, Advertising, Creative, Content and Studio at American Airlines, where he leads how the brand, creative and content comes to life for both customers and the airline’s more than 130,000 global team members.
Joanna Parsons - CEO, The Curious Route
Joanna Parsons has 15+ years internal communications experience and is the founder of The Curious Tribe, the world's best membership community for internal communications professionals. A content creator and thought leader in the field, she has built a LinkedIn following of 59,000+ comms professionals and shares regular insights through her newsletter and YouTube channel.