Today’s #WeLeadComms honoree is Canadian communication leader and IABC World Conference speaker Lisa Frizzell.

Lisa has 30 years of experience as a communications leader, primarily in the energy sector. She oversees all aspects of communications at the NWMO including corporate, government and external relations and creative services. She is also Vice-Chair of the board of Scientists in School, a leading Canadian STEM education charity.

Before joining the NWMO, Lisa worked in communications for corporate, academic and government organizations in Canada and the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business.

Her IABC World Conference session is titled Mastering Communication for Emotionally Charged Technical Topics

In this session, attendees will learn how the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is tackling this challenge, including insights from the 2025 Silver Leaf Award winning communications and community relations strategy, which helped the organization to successfully navigate finding willing host communities to be the future home of a deep geological repository for radioactive waste.

Addressing this in today’s era of disruption means operating in an environment where emotions can run high and technical information can be overlooked with the swipe of a finger – especially considering that your topic is the safe, long-term storage of nuclear waste. For communicators faced with sharing complex, technical information on emotionally charged topics, this session will be give critical insights into building audience trust and confidence.

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#WeLeadComms is a partnership between IABC and Strategic.

The communicator’s role is evolving, and #IABC26 is where we’ll explore what’s next.

Join a global network of communication professionals 14-16 June in Toronto for practical insights, peer learning, and new ideas you can take back to your organization. https://wc.iabc.com/.