About This Episode
In this episode of Change Makers, Michael Hayman sits down with Bradley Akubuiro, Partner at Bully Pulpit International (BPI), to discuss an exciting new chapter as Seven Hills joins the BPI family. This transatlantic partnership is set to create a powerful force for change, with Bradley stepping into the role of co-host for future episodes, bringing fresh insights from both sides of the Atlantic.
Bradley reflects on lessons from his early days working with civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson and shares insights into BPI’s roots in the 2008 Obama Presidential campaign.
With a mission to make meaningful change possible – from addressing diversity and equity challenges to navigating the political forces shaping corporate responsibility, this conversation explores how business leaders can inspire trust, drive progress, and make an impact across borders.
Bradley Akubuiro
Bradley is a Partner at Bully Pulpit International (BPI) where he focuses on corporate reputation, executive communications, and high-visibility crisis management and media relations efforts. He also provides equity, diversity, and inclusion counsel to clients.
Previously, Bradley was the Chief Spokesperson and Head of Global Media Relations for The Boeing Company, the largest aerospace manufacturer in the world. In this role, he was responsible for leading Boeing’s team of media relations, media research, and media intelligence professionals enterprise-wide in their efforts to advance and protect the company’s interests around the globe. Akubuiro provided leadership and counsel through the company’s response to COVID-19, the national conversation around race, and several news-making challenges and milestones in its effort to return the previously grounded 737 MAX to commercial service. He was a founding member of Boeing’s enterprise-wide Racial Equity Task Force.
Prior to joining Boeing, Bradley served as Global Director, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs for United Technologies Corporation (UTC) where he led the corporate media relations and public affairs functions for the $77B Fortune 50 company around the world. In an earlier role, he was deputy communications leader for the global military jet engines business at Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies.
Prior to UTC, Bradley served in roles as a management consultant at the firm Booz Allen Hamilton, a policy advisor to Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., a governance reform consultant to the Republic of Liberia following 14 years of civil war, and as the founder of a Chicago-based non-profit focused on policy development and advocacy.
A nationally recognized expert in his field, Bradley has been quoted by outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and The Washington Post, and his columns have been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine, where he is a regular contributor.
In 2022, Bradley was named 40 Under 40 by both PRWeek and Crain’s Chicago Business. He currently serves on the board of directors for Rethink Media and for The 19th News – a fast-growing newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics, and policy. He is a former member of the board of trustees for the DC Central Kitchen and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford.
Bradley received his Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing at Northwestern University where he’s an adjunct member of the faculty and currently serves on the school’s Board of Advisers.
