NHL Broadcaster and Ex-Havas CMO Team Up for Speekes, a Media Consultancy
She has years of experience in communications and media, most recently as the global chief of marketing at Havas. He's a veteran sports broadcaster who played professional hockey as a goaltender for several NHL clubs.
Together, Megan and Kevin Weekes, who also happen to be married, are the founders of Speekes, a new advisory and media investment company based in NYC and Miami.
First-time entrepreneurs, they were inspired to create their venture after realizing how much time they spend fielding calls from friends and colleagues eager to tap into their expertise on how to develop trust with the public, Megan says.
"There has been so much social change and so much happening in the cultural ethos that it really feels like, for so many people in the business community in particular, that the ground beneath them has changed so drastically," she says. "Our purpose is to help people, brands and businesses to be their best selves."
Along with professional acumen, the couple brings their multi-cultural background to the table, notes Kevin, who, in 2009, became the first Black hockey analyst in the NHL's 91-year history.
"We know what it's like to walk into a room and not necessarily be fully valued based on where you are on the gender wheel, or where you are on the color wheel. And, quite frankly, those are nuances that not everybody understands, not everybody's very fluent in or cognizant of," he says.
Which is why they encourage leaders, whether dealing with employees or the public, to always listen with humility.
"The actual DNA of how leaders need to operate in this era is a fundamental change from the sort of 'command/control' approach of the past," Megan says. "It's much more about lessening hierarchy, openness to perspective and listening."
The duo also recommends that leaders take a firm position on the issues of the day.
"People aren't transacting with businesses and brands and public personalities in a way that they used to. There's a whole new set of expectations. They expect brands to have a mission that they can believe in and a leadership team they can trust," says Megan, who has worked with Disney, PepsiCo and TD Ameritrade and others over the course of her career. "So, our sense is that brands today and leaders today are more like societal authorities. These are people who are advancing social issues. They're doing good together with doing good business. We believe those two things can coincide."
"Internally, a lot of your employees are looking for that as well,” Kevin adds. "They're looking for a more meaningful sense of stability and alignment. When those core beliefs are in place, those pillars are in place, that sets up a whole different atmosphere internally, and ultimately, you can then reflect that externally to the marketplace."
Beyond advisory services, the startup has a speakers division for appearances at seminars and keynotes.
Speekes will also invest in companies and projects "that we believe are making a positive impact on the future of the world and supporting healthy, diverse future economies," Megan says.
"As much as this is an incredibly challenging time," Megan reflects, "it is such an opportune time, and Kevin and I really feel very lucky to be the people that individuals trust with these types of complicated issues. We're here to stand by the side of anyone who's in a position where they feel that they need new skills to operate and thrive in today's environment, and we see so much opportunity in people, progress and profit all living together."
