Founder & Brand Strategist
I’m an Effie-winning brand strategy leader with 16+ years of big agency experience across global household brands. I’ve worked across B2B and B2C but in the spirit of keeping things simple, it’s all B2H (brand-to-human).
I’m a strategic problem solver, storyteller, communications expert, and champion of the creative process and ideas. I am compassionate, solution-oriented, and am known for transforming complexity into simple impact.
I’m endlessly fascinated by how consumers move from intent to action, how a single nudge can transform an entire journey, and how brands create meaning.
Innately curious, I absolutely love what I do.
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Customer-Centric Positioning
Translated complex data and category trends into B2B and B2C brand strategies that aligned messaging with human-centered emotional motivators.
Omnichannel Journey Mapping
Developed integrated communications and activation plans across the full funnel, including TV, social, site, CRM, and retail point-of-sale for global brands.
Thought Leadership
Proactively led "MindFuel" sessions and synthesized industry trends to provide clients with actionable marketing opportunities and competitive intelligence.
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Process Redesign
Reimagined annual business planning cycles to link enterprise-level priorities directly to measurable strategic initiatives, increasing organizational agility.
AI Integration
Developed a proprietary business pitch solution (hiAI) that merged human expertise with AI technology to drive personalization and operational efficiency at scale.
Global Systems Implementation
Established and managed a global creative review process across five international regions to facilitate shared learning and best practice standardization.
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Multi-Million Dollar Funding & Award-Winning Results
Spearheaded an integrated recruitment campaign that secured $4.6M in incremental investment. Achieved a 12-year high in program enrollments and earned a 2024 Bronze Effie.
Crisis Management
Authored the COVID-19 strategic roadmap, identifying over 40 actionable B2B and B2C solutions to sustain sales and brand presence during periods of limited media spend.
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C-Suite Communications
Crafted presentations for CMOs, Global Townhalls, and VIP Dealer Counsels to gain buy-in for major brand initiatives and creative executions.
Financial Stewardship
Managed multi-million dollar non-working budgets, master planning, and quarterly reconciliations while ensuring all productions were delivered on time and under budget.
Cross-Functional Team Leadership
Led diverse teams of up to five direct reports across strategy and analytics, fostering high-performance cultures in fast-paced agency environments.
How it all began.
It was early 2008 and I was working at the front desk of The Westin River North. For months, I’d take the Red Line to the State/Lake stop only to backtrack my way up Dearborn with the hopes of bumping into someone outside Leo Burnett who was looking to hire a girl like me.
Then, one unassuming Saturday night in May, I was asked to stay a bit after my shift to cover for my coworker, who was running late. Around 11pm, a tired and unshaven man without a reservation walked in needing a room. Gruffly, he mentioned he worked for Leo Burnett across the river; there must be a corporate rate he could use. I gently noted corporate rates needed to be booked in advance but reassured him we had a nice room available for $342. Disappointed, he gave me his information. As I was entering it into the system, I mentioned I had applied for a few positions at Leo Burnett and no one was calling me back. Interested, he asked, “Oh yeah? What do you want to do?” I said I wanted to work in account, perhaps strategy down the line. He told me he worked on the Kellogg and Nintendo accounts. After handing him his room key and directing him to the elevators, he gave me his business card and asked me to give him a call on Monday; that maybe he could find someone who would call me back.
Monday came. I nervously dialed the number. A woman cheerfully answered the desk phone, “Rick Houghton-Larsen’s office, this is Rosa.” Without much prep, I started, “Hi, Rosa. My name is Rose. I met Rick at the hotel on Saturday night…” taking a beat to swallow, I realized how wrong it sounded. There was no turning back, “…he told me to call on Monday.”
After a short pause, I heard her repeat what I said through the hand-covered mouthpiece, “It’s a girl name Rose. You met her at the hotel on Saturday night? You told her to call you.”
Enthusiastically, Rick took the phone, “Hello, Rose. Here’s what I’m going to do – I’m going to give the phone back to Rosa and she’s going to find some time on my calendar for you to come here and talk to me about what you want to do and why.” And, that was that.
On July 9, I took the train to the State/Lake Red Line stop, except this time I entered the doors to the Leo Burnett Building and made my way up to reception on the 21st floor.
Rosa met me with her kind smile and Rick was in a fine mood. 10-minutes into our conversation, he stopped me mid-sentence to make a phone call. “Hi. Do you have a few minutes? I have a nice girl in my office and you’re a much better judge of character than I. Can you come meet her?”
Ultimately, I started at Leo Burnett five months after that fateful Saturday night at the hotel and coincidentally right before a long hiring freeze.
Luck? Maybe a pinch. But, I like to believe everything happens for a reason.
Let’s Work Together
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