B.J. Talley - Distinctive Edge Partners

career accomplishments

Led strategic communications and reputation management for more than 25 corporate M&A transactions and major systems implementations, ranging in size from $25M to $8B.

Built a world-class, global communications team to position $12B TE Connectivity as an industry-leading, purpose-driven industrial technology leader, driving more than $2B in revenue growth and securing the company’s first-ever positions on Fortune’s lists of Most Admired Companies & Companies Changing the World.

Successfully mitigated the reputational impacts of dozens of major corporate issues and crises, from activist investors to international piracy incidents.

industry expertise

A strategic partner at Distinctive Edge, B.J. brings vast experience across: aerospace, logistics, defense, industrials, and manufacturing, helping organizations leverage strategic communications to drive growth, engage stakeholders and protect what they’ve earned.

He draws on two decades of experience leading strategic communications for government agencies, international private firms and Fortune 500 publicly-traded companies to deliver outcomes that drive growth and protect assets.

In addition to serving as a strategic partner at Distinctive Edge, B.J. founded global strategic communications agency, Gladius. He led global communications at TE Connectivity, a $14 billion industrial technology company; Exelis, a leading publicly traded aerospace company acquired by Harris Corporation in 2015; and Maersk Line, Limited, the U.S. subsidiary of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group. He also spent time as a consultant with Booz Allen and as a civilian public affairs officer with the U.S. Navy.

B.J. brings deep experience building, training, and scaling corporate communications teams, employee engagement, crisis communications, public company financial communications and plant and field operations enablement. Having managed numerous company and executive transitions he is uniquely qualified to help organizations unlock value from change. From acquisitions and spinoffs to executive transitions and strategy resets, B.J. bring skill and experience helping clients capitalize on opportunities, mitigate risks and minimize disruptions for any change.

B.J. is passionate about empowering the next generation of communications leaders as a visiting professor and adjunct instructor at American University. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina (Go Heels!) and an M.A. in communications from George Mason University.