Moët Hennessy USA’s head of comms on how to earn a seat at the table and keep it 

Yunice Emir is head of corporate communications at Moët Hennessy USA, the luxury wine and spirits division of LVMH. An award-winning communications executive with more than 15 years of experience, she previously held leadership roles at Coca-Cola Co. Throughout her career, she has advised senior leaders, shaped high-impact narratives and built strategies that strengthen reputation and deepen stakeholder relationships. She was named a 2025 Ebony Power 100 honoree, one of Luxury Roundtable’s 2025 Luxury Women Leaders to Watch and an inaugural member of Essence’s Power 40.

Known as The Conn3ct, Emir is also a speaker, coach and author of “The Unspoken Authority: The Conn3ct Method,” a guided journal built on her framework of purpose, presence and power. Whether in the boardroom or on the stage, she helps professionals sharpen their executive presence, earn trust and confidently own the authority they already have.

What was your first job (comms or PR), and what did it teach you that you still use today?

My first corporate role was as a sales capabilities manager at a globally recognized company headquartered in my hometown of Atlanta, helping deliver training to the North American frontline sales team. It required project management, cross-functional collaboration, and reporting, which, admittedly, wasn’t my favorite part.

I knew I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy the role when I applied, interviewed, and ultimately accepted it, but it got me inside the bubbly gates of THE Coca-Cola Company. Growing up in Atlanta, working there once felt so aspirational that I hadn’t seriously considered it a possibility until it actually became one. And getting in the door was all I needed. People who know me know exactly what that means.

The role helped me learn the business and, most importantly, learn the people.

 “Once inside those ‘bubbly gates,’ affectionately known as the Happiness Factory, I met brilliant, generous people who became mentors, advocates, and champions.” Those relationships eventually helped open the door to my first official PR role, managing some of the company’s largest brands, despite not having a traditional PR/comms background or direct experience. I’m forever grateful for my CCNA PAC trio for believing in me and betting on me!

I still carry multiple lessons from that experience: Never tell yourself no. Be relentless in your pursuit. If you can see yourself somewhere, you can get there with determination, grit, and resilience because you will get told no. I learned to embrace the idea that every no is one answer closer to the next yes. Be excellent where you are, stay curious, and build meaningful relationships. Finally, believe in the possibilities! Your path can take you somewhere you never imagined.

You advise the CEO and leadership team. What have you learned about earning and keeping a seat at that table?

You earn the seat through trust, sound judgment, and contribution. You keep it by continuing to grow.

In my role, I need to understand the priorities, anticipate questions, identify opportunities, and bring recommendations that help leadership make well-informed decisions. That requires preparation, discretion, and the confidence to offer a perspective even when it differs from others in the room.

It also requires accountability. I ask for feedback. I own my mistakes, correct them, and apply what I’ve learned. Yesterday’s success doesn’t replace today’s responsibility to contribute, so I have to keep moving.

Who helped you get here, and what did they do that made a real difference?

The people who told me yes. And, equally, the people who told me no.

The people who said yes gave me opportunities, advocated for me in rooms I hadn’t entered, and often believed in me before I fully believed in myself. They helped me recognize strengths I was still learning to own.

The people who said no taught me discernment and resilience. Some revealed blind spots or areas where I needed to grow. Others reminded me that delay doesn’t mean denial, and that rejection can sometimes be protection or redirection.

Both shaped how I lead. I know what it means and how it feels to have someone see, embrace, and nurture your potential, and I want to be that person for others.

People kept coming to you with the same questions about their careers. What did you notice in those conversations that made you want to build a framework?

The questions sounded different, but a common thread kept emerging: “How did you build your brand?” “How do you walk into a room with that presence?” “How do you stay positive and find ways to keep going?” Sometimes, the conversation ended with, “Can you be my life coach?”

I noticed that people and leaders could often describe what they admired in someone else more easily than they could name what was powerful about themselves. I first noticed this pattern in myself.

They had talent and experience but needed help recognizing their strengths, articulating their value, and deciding how to act on it.

That became the foundation of The Conn3ct® Method: inspiring and empowering people to identify, embrace, and amplify their superpowers by conn3cting their purpose, presence, and power. Purpose asks what matters to you. Presence explores how you show up. Power is about owning your strengths and putting them into action.

Through The Conn3ct®, I bring that approach to leadership, executive branding, and communications through speaking, coaching, and The Unspoken Authority, my recently published guided reflective journal (which is now available, yay!) The journal invites people into that exploration for themselves, creating space to move beyond titles and expectations and consider how they want to live and lead.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice on her first day in PR, what would it be?

Be open and be bold.

Be open to learning, feedback, relationships, and opportunities that don’t resemble the plan. Be bold enough to ask the question, share your perspective, and pursue the opportunity before you feel completely ready.

You can be a learner and still have something valuable to contribute.

One of the members of my CCNA PAC trio often says I’m a consummate example of “fake it ’til you make it.” I agree. I’ll say yes and figure it out. That’s another life lesson I picked up behind the bubbly gates.

If you weren’t in comms, what would you be doing instead?

Something in travel and hospitality, curating experiences that make people feel welcomed, cared for, and inspired.

I love discovering places and noticing the details that make an experience memorable. There’s a common thread with communications: understanding people and creating meaningful conn3ction.

Thankfully, I get to incorporate those aspects into both my role and my daily life. Ultimately, my work, passion, and purpose are centered on inspiring and empowering people to live, love, and celebrate their best lives. Optimistically, of course!

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn.