Like many communications executives, Peter Thonis first honed his storytelling skills by working in journalism as a city editor for a newspaper. Today, along with a team of about 200 associates, he spearheads communications strategies as CCO at Verizon, a business that, in turn, facilitates communications between its 130 million customers.

Before Thonis landed at Verizon, he worked with some heavy hitters in the tech field. In the mid to late 1990s, he held VP posts in ...