Chanel Cathey

Chanel Cathey is the Founder and CEO of CJC Insights, a strategic communications and public relations agency headquartered in New York City. She puts brands and thought leaders on the map and counsels businesses on communications and press strategies. She is a builder and storyteller with a passion for partnering with female founders and minority-owned businesses. Chanel is on the Advisory Board for the Wall Street Journal's Women in the Workplace Series, helping to curate national events and conversations around the future of women and work. She is a contributor to Fast Company and a member of The Female Founder Collective and the ForbesWomen Forum. Chanel was named to The Observer’s PR Power 50 List and received the 2020 ADCOLOR Change Agent Award for using her talents to enhance corporate cultures and create more inclusive industries.

Chanel was previously the Head of Corporate Practice at Hunt & Gather. She was responsible for managing global client partnerships and fostering innovative communications approaches for brands like McKinsey & Company, IBM, Well+Good, iFundWomen, WeWork, Upworthy, IMAX and Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation.

Chanel was also the Director of Corporate Communications at Viacom. In this role, she managed internal and external communications strategy across an iconic portfolio that includes MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures and more. She led strategic communications for ad sales, integrated marketing, data and insights, innovation, and corporate marketing. Chanel also spent time in media relations for ABC News and for Unilever.

She graduated from Fordham University and received her MPA specializing in Management and Policy from New York University. Chanel is on the Advisory Board for TheLi.st, an exclusive women’s community comprised of pioneers across media, technology, entrepreneurship, and business. She also co-chaired the Advisory Board for She’s The First, a nonprofit organization that advances educational opportunities for women and girls. She co-founded ELEVEN, a women’s leadership and empowerment network. Chanel served on the Board of Directors for the AIDS advocacy organization Lifebeat and is an active member of the Jackie Robinson Foundation Alumni Association.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) Fordham University
• MPA New York University

Companies

• Founder and CEO CJC Insights (2018)
• Co-Founder Eleven (2018 — 2018)
• Director, Head of the Corporate Practice, Hunt & Gather Hunt & Gather, Inc. (2017 — 2018)
• Director, Corporate Communications Viacom (2014 — 2016)
• Adjunct Professor Fordham University (2013 — 2015)
• Manager, Corporate Communications Viacom (2012 — 2014)
• Publicist ABC News (2011 — 2012)
• Media Relations Associate Unilever (2008 — 2010)