Heather Whaling

Heather Whaling is founder/president of Geben Communication. In 2016, she was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the Ohio Valley Region (OH, KY, IN).

After launching the company from her dining room in 2009, Heather’s fresh, data-driven approach to best practices has helped Geben evolve into a highly respected, sought-after, award-winning PR firm with 26 employees in Columbus, Chicago and Seattle.

In addition to delivering exceptional results for client partners, Heather prides herself on using Geben as a platform for doing good. She is a vocal advocate for issues impacting women and girls, especially paid parental leave. After rolling out a 10-week leave policy for new moms and new dads at Geben, her perspective on this issue has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur.com and a variety of local and national media outlets. Additionally, her advocacy for paid leave was a key reason she was dubbed a #ChangeMaker by Deeds Not Words, the organization that mobilizes and activates Millennial women, founded by former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis.

One of Columbus BusinessFirst's 40 Under 40, Heather serves on the boards of The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and The Gladden House. She’s also a trustee for micro-lending platform, Kiva Columbus. She frequently mentors women starting businesses, as well as college students interested in PR.

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