#WeLeadComms: Thelma Gecolea

Today’s #WeLeadComms honors go to Philippines-based communication leader Thelma Gecolea.

In her words:

“I started my career chasing stories — literally. Street demonstrations, political unrest, politicians who did not always want to be heard and communities who were never given the chance to speak. As a young journalist, I learned early that the most important stories were rarely the loudest ones.

“This restlessness to find the real story eventually led me somewhere unexpected. From journalism, I moved into development communication, building programmes and materials for grassroots communities across the Philippines. The work was quieter but the need to create impact was just as urgent. It was about converting complicated policies into something a mother in a resettlement area could understand. It was about making sure that the marginalized were not just talked about but genuinely spoken to.

“From development communications, my work brought me to the Australian Embassy, UNDP Manila, and the EU Delegation to the Philippines. I spearheaded public and cultural diplomacy work, managing multi-million-euro campaigns involving high-level stakeholder engagement. I designed and implemented initiatives to shift perceptions, to build bridges, and to move institutions.

“Over the years, the audiences, the platforms,  and the stakes might have changed. But the basic tenets in communication have remained constant. Messages need to be clear. Trust has to be earned.  And the stakeholders whether they are in a cabinet meeting or a community hall need to feel that what they are being told is honest, relevant, and genuinely meant for them.

“These are what I bring now to every engagement as an independent communications consultant. Not just three decades of experience but the instinct of a journalist, the heart of a development communicator, and the discipline of someone who has believed that effective communication is the discipline of clarity, the art of relevance and the integrity to ensure that every message resonates with meaning.”