Fractional Chief Communications Officer for
VC/PE-Backed and Scaling Companies
Executive communications leadership for organizations navigating growth, scrutiny, and risk, with a clear path to permanent hire when the timing is right. I work with CEOs and executive leadership teams who need senior communications leadership at the table now without rushing a full-time C-suite decision.
experience that Scales
Your Executive Communications Partner
Jen Davis, MBA
When organizations scale quickly, visibility increases faster than communications infrastructure. Brand narratives fragment, risk multiplies, and leadership teams feel the pressure from investors, employees, regulators and the market.
I founded SummitEdge Communications to solve a recurring leadership gap I’ve seen throughout my career: organizations entering critical growth phases often need communications leadership, but aren’t ready to make a permanent executive hire.
I’ve spent more than two decades operating inside complex, highly visible organizations where brand equity, reputation and leadership credibility directly impacted business outcomes. I’ve served as a Chief Communications Officer reporting to CEOs, advised executive teams through growth, transformation and change and built communications teams from scratch and designed to scale.
My experience spans the highly regulated food industry and consumer-facing environments, where brand trust, reputation, and leadership credibility directly impacted business outcomes.
Photo credit: @stephgrantstudios www.stephgrantstudios.com
Who I Work With
I partner with venture capital/private equity-backed startups and mid-sized growth-stage companies at critical moments of scale, when visibility increases, stakes rise and the absenece of executive communications leadership becomes a buisiness risk.
Communications leadership is critical to effectively promote and protect the brand, mitigate risk and bring clarity to moments that matter most.
My work is best suited for:
- VC/PE-backed startups and growth companies preparing for their next phase of scale, integration, or exit
- Mid-sized growth-stage companies looking to crystallize their narrative and intentionally build their reputation as they scale
- CEOs who know they need senior communications leadership now but want to validate fit, impact and value before committing to a permanent C-suite hire
In many cases, my fractional role serves as a deliberate test drive for future full-time leadership, helping organizations move forward with clarity and confidence.
Core Services
Engagements typically focus on:
- Executive narrative and positioning aligned to growth and valuation goals
- Leadership communications during transformation, integration, or transition
- Reputation and risk readiness, including crisis preparedness and governance communications
- Building or stabilizing communications functions in advance of permanent leadership
cEO & Executive Team Advisory
Provide strategic counsel to senior leaders navigating complex decisions and visibility moments. Ensure messaging is aligned with business strategy and organizational values. Act as a trusted, neutral partner during high pressure situations.
Corporate & Brand Reputation
Build and protect corporate reputation through clear positioning and consistent narrative development. Align brand story across media, investors, employees, and external stakeholders. Strengthen trust and credibility over time.
Crisis Readiness & Issues Management
Prepare organizations to respond confidently to reputational threats and emerging issues. Develop playbooks, protocols and real time response strategies. Help leaders communicate with clarity and control during moments of risk.
How To Work With Me
Phase 1: Executive Communications Assessment & Alignment
I start by embedding directly with leadership to understand the business you’re driving, the risks you’re carrying and how communications is actually functioning internally and externally.
This phase quickly surfaces:
- Where the narrative lacks clarity or alignment
- Where brand and reputational risks emerge as the business scales or changes
- Where communications is helping and where it is unintentionally creating friction
Outcome: You and your leadership team gain a clear, shared understanding of what needs to change, what to prioritize, and where communications must evolve to support the business.
Phase 2: Embedded Fractional CCO Leadership
I step in as an active member of the leadership team, providing hands-on executive communications leadership where it matters most.
In this phase, I work with you to:
- Crystallize the company narrative and sharpen executive positioning
- Build brand credibility while actively protecting reputation
- Identify and mitigate communications and leadership risk before it escalates
- Align teams, stakeholders and decision-makers as the business scales or transitions
Outcome: Communications becomes a stabilizing, strategic asset — not a reactive function chasing issues after they surface.
Phase 3: Decision Point — Fractional or Permanent
As the business priorities sharpen, I work with you to assess what the organization truly needs from communications leadership going forward.
At this stage, you’re able to decide whether:
- Continuing with fractional executive leadership is the right long-term model, or
- Transitioning the role into a permanent Chief Communications Officer position makes sense
Outcome: You move forward with confidence, without rushed hires, misaligned roles, or unnecessary risk.
About SummitEdge Communications
For more than two decades, I have worked alongside CEOs and executive teams inside complex, challenging periods of intense stakeholder, investor, media, and employee scrutiny.
Through that work, I saw a recurring gap: organizations need the strategic thinking of a Chief Communications Officer at the table, but want to validate impact, fit and value before making a long-term executive commitment.
I founded SummitEdge Communications to address that need.
As a former CCO reporting directly to the CEO, I understand how critical it is for communications to be fully aligned with business strategy and translating complexity into clear, credible narratives that build trust and momentum. My Fractional CCO “Test Drive” model provides immediate leadership during transformation while allowing organizations to assess long-term fit in real time.
Schedule a Conversation
Whether you are building your brand and reputation, navigating transformation, preparing for increased scrutiny, or taking the next step in building a communications capability, I provide the leadership to help you move forward with confidence. Reach out to begin a strategic conversation.
Contact Information
jendavis@summitedgecommunications.com
Business Hours
Monday through Friday
9 AM to 5 PM ET