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Blackbird.AI in partnership with PRWeek: The Narrative Attack Influence Operation Playbook

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In this session, Blackbird.AI’s Director of National Security, Larysa Lacko, who spent 8 years at NATO HQ leading the Information Environment Assessment team and advising senior leadership on countering disinformation, joins Franky Saegerman, Former Head of Digital Insights & Social Media at NATO and 30-year information warfare veteran, and Eileen Sheil, Assistant Vice Provost of Communications and Public Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine, to examine how narrative intelligence and social listening combine to create a modern cognitive defense capability. Together, cover how narrative attacks manifest, the risks leaders must communicate internally and/or externally, and what it takes to build a resilient cross-sector defense strategy.

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About the Speakers

  • Franky Saegerman, Retired NATO – Head of Digital Insights & Head Social Media
    • Franky Saegerman is a known speaker in the cybersecurity world and has presented at a large number of global events over the last years, more recently at Black Hat Las Vegas, Black Hat Asia and Sector 2025 in Toronto. During his 30 years of service at NATO as Head of Digital Insights, he has presented to a broad range of audiences, from Ambassadors to Students, from Academics to Military Audiences, from Subject Matter Experts to Newbies. Franky gave several guest lectures at TCU (Texas Christian University), UTA (University of Texas in Arlington) , NATO Strategic Centre of Excellence Riga , NATO School Oberammergau
  • Larysa Lacko, Director of National Security, Blackbird.AI
    • Larysa Lacko is Director of National Security at Blackbird.AI. She brings over a decade of experience across multilateral and national government settings, including NATO HQ and the Canadian government, operating at the intersection of strategic communications, data-driven insights, and public policy. As Head of Information Environment Assessment at NATO HQ, she led the production of assessments informing senior decision-making and defense policy planning, was instrumental in building consensus around NATO’s strategic approach to countering state-sponsored influence operations, and spearheaded the Alliance’s engagement in multilateral counter-disinformation efforts with the European Union and the G7. She also served as a regular lecturer at the NATO School in Oberammergau, training Alliance practitioners across civilian and military contexts
  • Eileen Sheil, Assistant Vice Provost, Communications and Public Affairs, Weill Cornell Medicine
    • A leader in global corporate communications, Sheil has broad experience in health care public relations, crisis management and digital communications. She received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Currently, Sheil is the Assistant Vice Provost of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City and responsible for protecting and enhancing the reputation of Cornell University’s medical school. Most recently, she was the Chief Communications Officer at Cue Health, a medical device company based in San Diego, where she built a communications team and strategy for the new publicly traded company.

Speakers

Franky Saegerman

Franky Saegerman

Former Head of Digital Insights & Social Media, NATO

Larysa Lacko

Larysa Lacko

Director of National Security, Blackbird.AI

Eileen Sheil

Eileen Sheil

Assistant Vice Provost, Communications and Public Affairs, Weill Cornell Medicine