In nearly two decades of work in Silicon Valley, Nicolle Henneuse has earned a reputation as a clear thinker, skilled communicator and effective manager. But whether she’s developing a communication strategy, redesigning an intranet, leading project teams or facilitating the cultural integration of thousands of new employees, Nicolle always tries to align business objectives with company culture to enhance employees’ productivity and overall work experience.

"Good communication helps people understand that what they’re doing makes a difference," she said. 

Before joining ROI Communication, Nicolle spent more than seven years at Cisco Systems, where she worked to align business and employee communications, establish and reinforce an e-culture, and streamline employee processes through innovative web tools, including the use of online games for employee training. As a senior manager and then director, she directed a team of 27, and saved Cisco millions of dollars through insightful redesigns of key business processes, the intranet, and organizational resources.

Nicolle credits her effectiveness to understanding the employee audience. "Communicating with employees is different than communicating with customers," she said. "It’s not about marketing, spin and selling. It’s about straight talk, and making the link clear between a company’s business goals, its culture, and employee interests and concerns."

Earlier in her career, Nicolle worked as a freelance writer and in communications roles at Silicon Graphics, IBM, DHL Airways and elsewhere. She holds a B.A. in Journalism in Creative Arts from San Jose State University, and in 1999 was awarded a U.S. patent for a web-based scheduling tool.