Philippe Reines, Ben Kobren, and Becky Fertig Cohen bring decades of experience working both in-house and externally for American companies ranging in size from Fortune 20 to budding startups, federal, state and local government, and on behalf of high-profile individuals. Whether navigating a complex international or domestic public policy issue, tackling a public relations crisis, preparing corporate executives for congressional hearings, or repairing a brand’s reputation, CKR provides an unmatched combination of public and private sector expertise in communications and government affairs to deliver tailored solutions that meet your unique circumstances.
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PHILIPPE REINES
Philippe Reines co-founded the strategic advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies LLC in 2013. He has specialized in unconventional projects involving highly publicized crises requiring swift and creative strategies. Prior to entering the private sector, beginning in 2002, Philippe served as a spokesman and senior adviser to Hillary Clinton while she served as U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State, and presidential candidate. From 2002-2009, Philippe was then-Senator Clinton’s Senior Advisor & Press Secretary, and in 2007-2008, concurrently served on Clinton’s presidential campaign as a communications advisor and spokesman. From 2009-2013, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications and Senior Communications Advisor to then-Secretary Clinton. Prior to the Senate, Philippe worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as Communications Director for Representative Jane Harman. He has frequently appeared on MSNBC, FOX, BBC, NPR, CNN, and many other broadcast outlets, and his wide-ranging opinion pieces have run in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Politico, The Daily Beast, CNN, and Axios. Philippe was a Visiting Lecturer at Tufts University and New York University, teaching courses in presidential politics and public relations strategies, respectively. A New York City native, Philippe earned his political science degree from Columbia University.
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BEN KOBREN
Ben Kobren has led communications and public policy functions for numerous high-growth startups. From 2017-2021, Ben served as the Head of Communications and Public Policy at Color Health, the multibillion-dollar population health technology company. He then served in the same role at Neeva, the AI-powered search engine acquired by Snowflake in 2023. As part of Apple’s corporate communications team from 2015-2017, Ben oversaw external communications for supplier responsibility covering 1.2 million workers and thousands of suppliers impacting human rights, labor, and the environment. Ben played an instrumental role in neutralizing existential threats to Apple’s business, including encryption and U.S. Government requests for backdoor access to the iPhone, as well as global taxes and China. In addition to the private sector, Ben has extensive experience in the public sector. He served as an advisor to Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate, both presidential campaigns, and at the U.S. Department of State, where he was Communications Director for both the Office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. Ben is a licensed attorney in New York and received his degrees from Emory University and the University of Michigan Law School.
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BECKY FERTIG COHEN
Becky Fertig Cohen has extensive experience in management, strategic planning, government relations, and public policy. She spent 11 years serving in multiple senior-level roles at the Legal Services Corporation, the largest funder of civil legal aid in the country, including eight years as Chief of Staff and three as Corporate Secretary. Becky helped run the day-to-day operations and provided strategic direction for the 150-person organization, which receives an annual federal appropriation of over $500 million. She served as the main point of contact for the 11-member Board of Directors. Becky also has wide-ranging government relations and public policy experience at the federal, state, and local levels. From 2010-2012, she served as a Congressional Liaison Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development to advocate its interests before Congress. Prior to that, Becky spent several years in the New York Governor’s Washington, D.C. office serving as Deputy Director and helped to develop and implement federal legislative and advocacy strategies for New York. Becky began her career working for then-Senator Hillary Clinton, serving as Regional Representative for Central New York. Becky is a licensed attorney in New York and D.C., and she earned her degrees from Colgate University and Syracuse University College of Law.