Gil Meyer is a crisis management expert who inspires creative change in how organizations approach crisis management. He is a sought-after speaker who shares his experiences from the front lines of crises in the corporate world.
Gil worked for DuPont for 29 years, serving in a wide range of Public Affairs and Regulatory Affairs roles. For 12 years he directed the corporate global issues and crisis management programs for DuPont.
While leading the “all risks” crisis management program at this highly diversified company, Gil coordinated response to a wide range of situations including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the 2008 financial crisis, the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Superstorm Sandy, industrial accidents and a variety of product quality challenges. He has also dealt directly with Greenpeace, PETA and other activist groups.
Gil gives presentations and conducts workshops on crisis management, emerging issues, and future trends. For 20 years he conducted 4-hour crisis management workshops for rising stars in the fresh produce industry, an industry challenged by high profile controversies. He has addressed audiences in Europe and many parts of Asia in many different industries.
Because of the great diversity of his experiences in DuPont, Gil's expertise is highly relevant to all sectors including accounting, aerospace, agriculture, automotive, banking, charities, construction and facility siting, education, environment, financial services, food (retail and B2B), governmental organizations, green energy, health care, housing, hospitality, industry associations, insurance, labor & employment, litigation, manufacturing, oil and gas.
Gil is the author of Corporate Smokejumper: Crisis Management Tools, Tales, and Techniques, a groundbreaking book that provides an inside look at the gut-wrenching challenges that can befall any organization in today's fast-paced and complex world. The book describes the tools that Gil developed over his decades of work in the field and provides real-world examples of crisis management in action—the good, the bad and the unbelievable. This essential guide is laced with wit and wisdom that can only be obtained from behind the closed doors where intense crises are addressed.
For six years he served as chair of the Board of Directors of the Issue Management Council. Previously he held positions on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the International Food Information Council (IFIC), a leading organization of the food industry. He also provided pro bono crisis management consulting to Special Olympics Delaware, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware and the Delaware Children’s Museum.
Prior to joining DuPont, Gil served as Deputy Director of the National Institute for Chemical Studies, an organization established to create new ways to bridge between the chemical industry and its concerned stakeholders. Before that, as an EPA contractor Gil led the community relations programs for the Superfund sites east of the Mississippi River. He began his career by working on pesticide controversies as part of the West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service.
Gil and his wife live in the Potomac Highlands west of Washington, D.C. where they enjoy kayaking, mountain biking and hiking. He serves as a docent for the Nature Conservancy.
Gil holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in plant pathology, both from West Virginia University.