Rick Phillips is Chief Communications Officer (CCO) for Nationwide, leading Nationwide’s corporate communications programming and serving all corporate, staff and business units within the company. He has responsibility for c-suite communications, media relations and issues management, internal communications, editorial functions of the intranet, executive positioning and company brand communications. Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company, employs more than 33,000 associates throughout the United States.
Prior to joining Nationwide, Phillips led communications teams in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. His corporate experience included Communications Director for Allied Insurance, a Nationwide subsidiary; Public Relations Manager for GuideOne Insurance; and Magazine Public Relations Manager for Meredith Corporation, where he oversaw public relations for Meredith’s magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens and other home and family products.
Phillips gained extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, serving as Vice President of Communications for the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Federation, and later, in the same position for the United Way of Central Iowa. At the Chamber, Phillips instituted a national image campaign for Des Moines; and at United Way, he developed a branding campaign for the state’s largest human services fundraising organization.
Rick is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and also The Seminar, two select international membership organizations for senior public relations and communications executives. He is Vice Chair of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication Advisory Council at Iowa State University. He previously served on the Board of the Insurance Public Relations Council and is a former President of the Central Iowa Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Phillips also served his industry as a Board member of the Insurance Public Relations Council and as Chairman of the Communications Committee of the Insurance Information Institute. He holds the APR (Accredited, Public Relations) designation from the Public Relations Society of America.