Christopher Arnold

I shape the stories and communications strategies that build, grow and protect beloved brands in a complex world.

 

Over my career, I've led communications in-house for notable and high-profile consumer brands such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, one of the most outspoken and transformative restaurant companies in a generation, and REI Co-op, the nation's largest member-owned retail co-op. As a trusted and unflappable counselor to senior leaders and a valued source to journalists, I help companies successfully navigate everything from brand evolution to significant milestones and existential crises. During my time at notable public relations agencies and communications consulting firms, I advised clients across a variety of sectors. Currently, I head communications at Darigold, an iconic Seattle-based cooperative of nearly 300 farmers who provide milk and other dairy products to customers in about 30 countries worldwide.

 

My work has won numerous awards, including Cannes Lions and Public Relations Society of America awards. I've been heralded by PR Week magazine for leading one of the "top-20 PR campaigns of the last 20 years," was named "PR Person of the Year" by PRSA Colorado, and honored as one of the Denver Business Journal's Forty Under 40 business leaders. I'm a frequent public speaker, serving as a guest lecturer at colleges and universities, and participating in a variety of leading professional and thought leadership conferences, and taught brand strategy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 

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I'm an ambitious home cook, avid restaurant-goer, certified sommelier, world traveler, and weekend warrior. I live in Seattle with my wife and a rescue dog.