The noticer’s edge: Turning observation into influence and impact

By Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications.

Erin Creagh joined SAP with the intent to play a leading role in transformational communications, to design smart, human-centered employee engagement strategies, and to bring stability and calm to a fast-moving business landscape.

Having shaped her career at some of the most well-known names in tech and advertising — Adobe, Workday, Publicis — in March 2024 Erin brought that depth to SAP as head of North America communications. For her, it was the right mix of mission and scale plus the opportunity to build something meaningful — both for SAP and her comms team.

At SAP, a global enterprise software company, she’s gone deep on what makes this market tick, shaping stories that resonate, building trust with the C-suite and coaching a high-performing team that thrives on empathy and clarity.

Erin’s approach to leadership is rooted in saying “yes” to big, sometimes uncomfortable opportunities, from writing CEO speeches early on in her career, to helping publish a book with no prior experience, to crafting remarks for Betty White. She believes the best growth happens when you’re a little outside your comfort zone.

Today, she’s also helping define how communicators show up in an AI-enabled world, seeing generative tools as an accelerator, not a replacement. Whether she’s crafting a keynote or leading a pre-work spin class, Erin has a keen ability to read the room, meet people where they are and inspire action. She’s also an engaged member of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council.

Read on for smart, grounded takeaways from one of comms’ most thoughtful leaders. You might even be enticed to sign up for a spin class.

Origin Story

DIANE: After many years at other large brands, what led you to your current role as head of North America Communications for SAP?

ERIN: After spending several rewarding years at similar, high-growth, innovative companies, I was looking for my next chapter to combine purpose, scale and leadership. SAP stood out as a company that quite literally helps the world run. That mission deeply resonated with me.

Another big factor was the shift from a global role into a regional one. Leading North America communications has been a refreshing change—it’s allowed me to go deeper into a critical market, get closer to the business and shape stories that resonate locally. I was looking for a new kind of challenge, and this checked that box in the best way.

On a more personal level, I missed managing people. I’ve always loved building and leading teams, mentoring others and creating a space where communicators can grow and thrive. Getting back to that part of my career was really important to me and this role has brought that back in a meaningful way.

DIANE: One of your early mentors is Linda Thaler Kaplan, the advertising legend behind the Aflac duck, “Kodak Moments” and other iconic campaigns. What impact did she have on how you communicate and lead today?

ERIN: From her, I learned that the best ideas are grounded in humor, humanity and unforgettable storytelling. She showed me that great communication isn’t just about being clever — it’s about connecting emotionally and getting people’s attention in a way that sticks.

She, along with her co-founder and co-author Robin Koval, also taught me that kindness is a strength, not a weakness. Their mantra of “the power of nice” and the belief that small things — like showing up prepared, listening well and treating everyone with respect — can lead to big success still guide how I lead and build relationships.

But one of her most defining lessons was about hustle. Linda believed in going after opportunities, even if you didn’t feel 100% ready. She used to say, “Get the gig first, then figure out how to do it,” and “Throw a pie in someone’s face, then figure out how to sell them the whipped cream.” That fearless, creative and resourceful mindset continues to shape how I take on challenges—confident that grit, curiosity and a little bit of chaos can lead to incredible breakthroughs.

Leadership

DIANE: In your career, you’ve shared with me that you’ve said “yes” to a lot of requests. Can you elaborate on that (I’m sure the answer is yes!) and share some advice on how others might advance in their careers with a similar mindset?

ERIN: Early in my career, I made a habit of saying yes — even when I wasn’t sure I was fully ready. One of those yeses was agreeing to help write speeches for the CEO of my first company. I didn’t have formal training in executive communications, but I dove in—and that one decision ended up shaping my entire career. It led to incredible opportunities, including helping write a speech for the iconic actress Betty White and working on the publication and launch of a book, even though I had very limited experience in publishing at the time.

Each of those moments pushed me out of my comfort zone, but they also helped me grow quickly, build trust with senior leaders and ultimately set me on a path toward leadership.

DIANE: Of all your leadership skills, what’s the one you lean on most to run an effective team?

ERIN: Empathy. Every single time. Whether you’re in a high-growth environment or navigating through a large-scale transformation, leading with empathy creates the kind of psychological safety that helps teams thrive. I believe that when people feel seen and heard, they bring their best ideas forward. They take more risks. They collaborate better.

DIANE: Is it true that one of your earlier mentors actually encouraged you to leave your job at Publicis for an opportunity at Adobe?

ERIN: My first manager in a corporate position was Tricia Kenney, who quickly became my mentor and remains my dear friend to this day. When I was starting my career as a group manager in advertising, Tricia created an environment for me to learn, fail safely, guiding me on how to improve when I did fail, and ultimately growing into the communicator I am today. She provided tremendous support and sponsorship throughout the first decade of my professional career at Publicis. Perhaps the most profound support was recognizing when it was time to fly from the nest and begin the next chapter of my career with Adobe.

Tricia provided the perfect mix of empathy, expertise, encouragement and kindness, and this is what I focus on when leading a team of my own.

DIANE: There’s been slow but steady progress, with small percentages of women in leadership roles and board roles.  What are some tangible ways to speed up change?

ERIN: Over the course of my 20-year career, I’ve seen firsthand that progress speeds up when companies focus on clear, practical steps. At SAP, there’s a strong emphasis on early talent programs that help identify and develop leadership potential early — not just through mentorship but through skills-building, structured development tracks, and strategic project exposure.

Culture

DIANE: What are some strategies you deploy to keep a hybrid workforce connected to one another and to the business?

ERIN: In my experience at SAP and previous companies, staying connected in a hybrid setup really comes down to being intentional. I’ve found regular check-ins, open communication and making the most of collaboration tools are essential for keeping the team aligned and engaged.

But what really makes a difference are the in-person moments — casual coffee corners, team lunches and occasional offsites. Those face-to-face interactions help build trust and make virtual collaboration feel more natural. It’s about finding the right balance between flexibility and connection.

The Work

DIANE: Transformational communications are a much-required discipline right now – how are you helping lead transformation at SAP?

ERIN: I focus on aligning our communications to business priorities and making change feel personal and actionable for our teams and customers. I draw on my similar experiences at Workday and Adobe—where I also focused on culture-led transformation communications—to ensure we’re not just telling people what’s changing but why it matters.

DIANE:A big part of your job is storytelling for your C-suite. How do you approach this to ensure the authenticity of your voice?

ERIN: It starts with access and deep listening. I join existing meetings as a quiet observer to pick up on each leader’s tone, favorite phrases and topics and the inflections that signal what excites them. Those moments  —whether in a team huddle, an airport lounge, or an Uber en route to a customer meeting — are where their real voice comes through.

Equally important is building trust with their support teams and stakeholder ecosystem. As executive comms partners, we’re an extension of the leaders we support, so understanding not just their message but how they move through the organization is key to making their voice truly resonate.

DIANE: How are you tailoring your communications to adapt to generative AI?

ERIN: At SAP, we’re embedding AI in a responsible, business-focused way — Joule, our AI copilot, is a great example, offering real-time, contextual support to help users work smarter.

In communications, I’m taking a similar approach. I see AI as a creative accelerator — it helps scale content, personalize messages, and move faster without sacrificing authenticity. It’s not replacing human creativity or judgment — it’s enhancing it. We remain focused on ensuring our messaging stays true to SAP’s values.

DIANE: What are some ways you’ve been able to demonstrate the value of comms to the bottom line?

ERIN: By tying our work to business outcomes — like accelerating sales readiness, driving executive visibility, or improving employee engagement — we show how communications influence trust, alignment, and, ultimately, performance. It’s about being strategic partners, not just message deliverers.

We’ve been leveraging the Signal AI tool to help measure the impact of our communications, and it’s very beneficial in providing data to our various stakeholders to help demonstrate the value of comms.

DIANE: What are some effective partnerships you have with your counterparts outside of North America?

ERIN: We’ve built deep collaboration with our Latin America & Caribbean team, especially around integration and aligned storytelling across the region, as well as our other regional communications teams. I also work closely with our global employee communications and PR teams to ensure consistency and impact in our messaging. One standout partnership is with our global strategy & ops team — we’ve worked together to shape the narrative and experience for our internal sales conferences, making sure communications drive both clarity and energy.

DIANE: You teach spin at a local gym and have noted synergies between leading a spin class and comms leadership. Please share!

ERIN: Being a professional communicator has made me a better spin instructor, and being a spin instructor has made me a more confident and effective professional communicator. Both are focused on understanding your audience, meeting them where they are in their journey, curating and personalizing messaging and content, and ultimately drawing people into a story and influencing them to act.

Erin teaching spin

When I take the podium at The Ride studio, setting the right tone and establishing a connection with my audience — which includes a wide range of ages, fitness levels, and backgrounds — all while delivering clear, concise, and effective communication using cues are essential for delivering a successful class. Other key elements are finding the right words for the moment — whether it’s a motivational quote, a personal story, an example from pop culture, or even finding song lyrics to help my riders connect to — is strikingly similar to the process of writing a compelling keynote presentation, an influential social post or an important internal announcement.

Other Tidbits

Hometown:
Long Beach, New York

Mantra:
Resilience has been a theme these past few years, so “The comeback is greater than the setback” always resonates with me.

Favorite song:
Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

Best Advice:
More of an example than advice. My parents demonstrated the importance of a strong work ethic and a strong character. We didn’t have much in a material sense, but we had everything we needed because of the hard work and sacrifice our parents made to ensure a bright future and the confidence that we could achieve our dreams.

Worst Advice:
One of the worst pieces of advice — especially for women — is the subtle message to “be polite no matter what.” I think a lot of women grow up with a version of the advice to take up less space, to make yourself smaller, to avoid conflict, and to be polite, even in a situation that might make you uncomfortable.

But I’ve learned that politeness should never come at the expense of your boundaries or your voice. Being respectful doesn’t mean being a pushover. You can be kind and direct at the same time. You can stand up for yourself without being combative. You don’t have to tolerate bad behavior just to avoid making waves.

The most valuable growth comes when you step into your full presence, take up space unapologetically, and speak up — even when it’s uncomfortable.

To all Wonder Women: If you’re looking to connect with other women leaders in communications, consider joining us for the next Ragan’s Leadership Retreat & Summit in September 2025: Details are here.

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