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Communicator Spotlight J C Lapierre of PwC
, author of Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: PwC J.C. Lapierre is chief strategy and communications officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), but her title should really be chief dot connector, she tells Axios. Why it matters: In her role at PwC, Lapierre talks to business leaders all day, and "more and more CEOs are starting to recognize that communicators are the most strategic asset they need sitting by their side," she says. How she got here: Lapierre has spent more than 25 years at PwC and served in many capacities across risk assurance, human capital, client services, marketing and sales. The role of CCO is technically her first foray into communications. How it’s structured: She oversees a team of more than 700 across all of the functions that communicate with stakeholders — including internal, external, change management, creative, brand, marketing and sales enablement."We've pulled marketing and communications together into one organization ... and ultimately, we drive the strategic agenda because we own every channel. It's an awesome responsibility." Morning ritual: Lapierre enjoys uninterrupted, heads-down time from 5-7:30am. "It's a little bit of personal and professional. That's when I catch up on emails or I'll send out birthday notes and text friends." De-stress routine: Lapierre is solving companies' toughest problems by day, and binging Bravo at night. "Below Deck" is a current favorite. Most used app: Texting and audio apps — on which she listens to everything from Lady Gaga to the "Armchair Expert" podcast. Trend spot: Lapierre is watching the rise of internal communications and transforming the way PwC engages with its roughly 65,000 U.S. employees."We are on a journey to deliver personalized communications — whether it's to our clients or to our people — using real data to determine user preferences. We want to deliver the right information at the right time to help accelerate our strategy." ? Advice: "Take it all in and learn, ask questions and know your voice matters."