Meet Daryl Drabinsky, Senior Director, Head of Digital and Social Communications at CVS Health and one of the fantastic speakers that will be taking the stage at Zignal Summit 2019 on April 25th.

Ahead of the event, we spoke with Daryl to learn a little more about her background, her thoughts on the communications industry and why she’s excited for Zignal Summit 2019.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I worked for CTV Canada as an intern in the programming department. It was a really fun first job, I learned a great deal and MuchMusic (basically MTV Canada before MTV came to Canada) was in the same building, which was everything to a 17-year-old.

Q: How did you get into the communications industry?

A: I went to business school right after college, then worked on the agency side doing digital marketing, communications, strategy and business development. I was then hired by White & Case, a global law firm, to build its digital communications practice. I later joined DLA Piper, one of the largest global firms, to lead its global digital team.

My current boss actually found me on LinkedIn and helped bring me over to Aetna, which has since been acquired by CVS Health. Digital functions can sit in both marketing and communications; I have always been on the communications side, which has helped me grow my career as a communicator and a digital strategist.

Q: How has the industry changed since you first started? How has that change impacted your work?

A: More and more people understand the importance of digital across all functions, which means you can spend less time persuading and more time doing. In the beginning, digital and social functions were very siloed – paid, social, web, etc. Now that we’ve been doing this for a while, the integration of these functions is more critical. Digital and social are considered part of the overall communications strategy and have a seat at the table for planning and developing strategies and campaigns, which was not the case when I started.

Q: What are you most excited for as the industry continues to evolve?

A: I’m excited for digital and social practices to continue to grow and expand, and to see how this growth affects communications teams and communications employees’ career paths. It will be interesting to see how newer positions and roles, especially senior roles, continue to evolve.

Q: What advice do you have for other communications professionals?

A: Regardless of your background, work across the team so that you understand all areas of communications. Whenever you’re partnering across the business, even if it’s across your own communications team, you need to understand the motivations, background, goals and audiences of your partner. If you can understand and adapt to those requirements, you will be seen as a valuable partner, rather than just someone who is just adding extra work to your partner’s plate.

Q: What are you most excited about for Zignal Summit 2019?

A: I’m excited to meet other attendees and speakers and learn how Zignal is helping other companies progress in their communications goals.

Excited to hear more from Daryl? Register for Zignal Summit 2019 here.