Laura Anton
Waxhaw,NC
Summary
Dynamic brand marketer and client manager recognized for strong business acumen and use of research and analysis to identify unique opportunities, create compelling strategies, and deliver actionable plans that drive growth. Key strengths include leading innovation, facilitating complex problem-solving, advising customers, and influencing audiences across functional and cultural boundaries; self-motivated, adaptable, and flexible; enjoys cross-functionally collaborative environments and continuous learning.
Experienced and enthusiastic Consultant with track record of success across wide range of industries. Possesses exceptional interpersonal, problem-solving and analytical skills to provide advice and expertise to client organizations improving business performance. Experienced in all aspects of operations, strategy and finance.
Overview
34
34
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Consultant
Executive Consulting Services
2008.01 - Current
- Identify unique opportunities, create strategic solutions, and deliver profitable growth for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100, including AT&T, Ericsson, Microsoft, Customer Focused Strategies, Bank of America, Techniques, Kaisan Consulting, Vonage, Apex, Purple 7 Consulting, and BankWyse Digital Commercial Bank
- Evaluated digital-asset custody service solutions regarding regulatory compliance, security, and fiat/DeFi interoperability; developed compelling competitive position and communications strategies and devised social media content and tactics to increase brand awareness and target audience engagement 10-fold
- Assessed Telecom mHealth (mobile health) solutions globally, with in-depth competitive analyses of British Telecom, Orange, Deutsche Telecom, Telefonica, Telenor, Vodaphone, Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and Telus; identified SWOT and recommended unique market opportunities
- Investigated telemedicine ecosystem in India, including hospitals, HSPs, government, universities, and telecommunications providers: Uninor, AirTel, AirCell, Tata, and BSNL; evaluated market potential, identifying key challenges and opportunities for entering market
- Analyzed remote patient monitoring solutions in telecom and home automation: evaluated competition and identified aging-in-place product opportunities; recommended solutions and go-to-market strategies
- Deciphered Telecom industry competitor OTT strategies with Microsoft, Skype, Facebook, Google, and Apple: identified market disruptors and partnership opportunities and estimated implications; proposed value-proposition strategies to enhance partnerships and grow revenue
- Recommended service solution architecture, proposed, designed, and led creation of new corporate website and customer portal.
- Conducted thorough market research and analysis, providing valuable insights for client decision-making.
- Assisted clients in navigating complex industry challenges with strategic recommendations.
Vice President Visa Marketing Consulting
Visa Inc.
2005.10 - 2008.01
- Led Visa Marketing Consulting Southeast Division and collaborated cross-functionally to inspire a culture committed to analytical approaches for driving growth, profitability, and accountability
- Demonstrated proficient leadership skills to motivate employees and build high-performing teams by forming and managing a marketing-consulting team that, in partnership with client services, grew $340 billion in sales volume by over 10% with strategic, innovative, and actionable marketing solutions
- Improved organizational effectiveness and cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders by initiating and co-leading a collaborative process for creating issuer-specific, cross-functional account plans that resulted in faster decision-making, more effective resource allocation, and efficient ROI enterprise-wide
- Championed talent development programs, promoting employee engagement and retention while enhancing overall workforce capabilities by recommending and leading quarterly divisional training events focused on sharing experiences and building competencies
- Enhanced organizational capabilities by leading development of 3-dimensional Socioeconomic-Lifestyle-Behavioral data analytics and segmentation capabilities to create innovative marketing programs based on multi-variate data analyses; leveraged these analytics to identify and understand key drivers for penetration and attrition and formulate strategies to enhance performance objectives; designed targeted marketing approaches that cost-effectively increased card activation (+36%) and usage rates (+12%), decreased attrition rates (-10%) and enhanced ROI (+440%), netting $15MM in incremental revenue
- Elevated customer value proposition by initiating and directing bank-specific brand-equity research to guide support for more compelling and unique payment-product positionings, which were adopted and integrated
- Aided client services in high-value contract partnership negotiations by proposing and securing internal commitment for the use of all Visa value-added services and sponsorship assets upfront, then restructuring the proposal to include commitment to incremental value via VMC support, resulting maximizing profitability and mitigating risks for Visa organizational support, as well as successfully securing two major partnership agreements with our largest issuer.
Founding Partner / Chief Marketing Officer
Sona MedSpa / June 3 Group, Inc.
2002.08 - 2005.11
- Launched new business in the medical spa industry that generated +$3.8MM annual sales revenue per center
- Created advertising and strategically placed media to generate over 10,000 calls per center
- Created pricing and promotion strategies and sales techniques that generated nearly 50% close rates
- Generated the highest revenue-per-client rates in the industry, making Sona Med Spa of Alpharetta the largest laser hair removal and skin rejuvenation center in the country at that time.
Consultant
Maternity Arrangements Fractional/Part-time
2000.01 - 2003.06
- Consultant, The Coca-Cola Company (1/03 to 6/03): Recruited by Coca-Cola Customer Marketing Director to reverse declining carbonated soft drink sales and grow overall beverage volume for CCUSA-Fountain key customer Darden/Red Lobster; conducted market-specific brand preference and taste profile research, recommended and sold restaurant-level optimal product mixes that maximized “revenue-generating beverage” volume at the expense of tap water incidence; Sold-in two new products, Minute Maid Light Lemonade and Barq’s Root Beer, which grew revenue-generating beverage incidence by two share points and generated $6.2M in incremental sales
- Director Retail Channel Marketing, AFC-Cinnabon (2/01 to 10/01): Reversed the decline of carbonated soft drink sales and grew overall beverage volume for CCUSA-Fountain key customer Darden/Red Lobster by creating a brand-optimization approach for recommending market-specific, restaurant-level product mixes that maximized “revenue-generating beverage” volume at the expense of tap water incidence; Sold-in Minute Maid Light Lemonade and Barq’s Root Beer, which grew revenue-generating beverage incidence by two share points and generated $6.2M in incremental sales
- Director of Marketing, Zyman Marketing (10/00 to 10/01): Recruited by former Coca-Cola CEO Sergio Zyman to lead marketing for a marketing consulting agency and to promote his book releases (The End of Marketing a We Know It and xxxxxx) and speaking engagements.
Senior Manager New Brands
The Coca-Cola Company
1998.07 - 2000.10
- Created and managed the first cross-functional, new-product development process and team to align all CCUSA-Fountain resources for new product initiatives; enhanced efficiencies and success by securing cross-functional commitment at all levels of management; eliminated non-branded product introductions
- Developed DASANI food service strategy and business plan to secure CCUSAF senior management and bottlers’ commitment to launch by conducting value-chain assessment and creating test and roll-out plans, including five-year volume/profit forecasts, customer/consumer propositions, brand portfolio optimization rationale, and channel-specific pricing, selling, distribution, and equipment strategies
- For this work, received award for Leadership and Creating Value through Marketing Excellence 7/99
- Recommended and led new product development and test market of Cafielle Frozen Cappuccino for CCUSA-Fountain: identified opportunity; directed consumer research; developed product, brand, and equipment strategies; secured senior management commitment for substantial capital investment; developed test-market and roll-out plans, including five-year volume/profit forecasts, consumer/customer value propositions, brand portfolio optimization rationale, and channel-specific pricing strategies
- For this work, received award for Creating Value through Marketing Excellence 11/99.
Segment Manager, Consumer Marketing
GTE Wireless Products and Services
1996.01 - 1998.01
- Recruited by a former Proctor and Gamble executive in a newly formed group commissioned to redefine marketing at GTEW
- Developed a segmentation approach based on simultaneous analyses of consumers’ socio-economic, lifestyle, and usage data; Identified key segment growth opportunities and recommended consumer-relevant segment-specific solutions, including full national and area-specific marketing plans for growing share; Approach was so successful that marketing and sales were restructured to align with specific consumer segment objectives and adopted the segmentation approach for GTE enterprise-wide; for this work, received the GTE Consumer Marketing Excellence Award in 2/97.
Product Manager, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation
Ralston Purina Company/Ralcorp Holdings
1993.10 - 1996.10
- P&L responsibility for Beech-Nut Nutrition infant cereal, infant juice, and toddler foods businesses (sales: +$43MM) Developed and executed strategic business plans that included profit forecasts and strategies with tactics for new product and packaging innovation, promotion development and implementation, and distribution/SKU optimization; led enterprise-wide, in-store programs and new-product opportunities; with jar, business cohorts grew brand’s total category share over 50% by focusing on core markets with targeted programs that strategically communicated specific, competitive quality points of difference
- Led multi-functional team through largest product re-stage in brand history involving package structure change: developed strategy and concept; directed four stages of consumer testing, prototype development, and cost analysis; achieved top management buy-in; and commercialized solution that eliminated competitive disadvantages, enhanced margins, and increased customer satisfaction 320%
- Exceeded cereal total volume objective by 43% and increased share in California from 8% to 52% by increasing distribution and creating unique value-add programs
- Led package redesign, improving shopability by 18% and increasing brand recognition by 38%
- Created an on-pack feeding guide/coupon booklet program, which increased consumer conversion from cereal to jars by 48%; secured tie-in partners to self-fund program by 75%
- This program was recognized as innovative in 12/95 Promo Magazine and 6/96 Food & Drug Packaging, Food & Beverage Edition.
Assistant Production Manager, CheckMark Communications Division
Ralston Purina Company/Ralcorp Holdings
1991.01 - 1993.10
- Managed internal and external resources in the development and execution of advertising for Ralston Purina brands, including Dog Chow, Puppy Chow, Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Beggin, Cat Chow, Meow Mix, Fancy Feast, Kit & Kaboodle, Whisker Lickin’s, Energizer, Chex, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cereal, WWF Superstars cereal, Muesli, Almond Delight, as well as Beech-Nut, Wonder, and Hostess brands.
Education
MBA -
Saint Louis University
BSBA -
University of Missouri - Columbia
Skills
- B2B2C Business Planning, Strategy & Execution
- Brand Positioning & Architecture, Consumer and Customer Segmentation & Communications
- Innovation, New Product Development, Product Life Cycle Planning & Management
- Advertising, Digital Marketing, Social Media
- Marketing Research, Trends & Insights, Brand Awareness & Perception, Social Listening
- Data Analytics & Reporting
- Cross-functional Organizational Effectiveness
- Partnership Negotiations, Customer Relationship Management, and Requirements Assessments
Certification
- Brand Positioning, The Coca-Cola Company
- Strategic Marketing Planning, University of Michigan Business School, Executive Education
- Management Development III, GTE Executive Leadership Training
- Foundations of Leadership, Center for Creative Leadership
- Building Team Effectiveness, Foundations for Excellence
- Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success, American Management Association
- How to Develop Successful New Products and Line Extensions, Ennis Associates Inc
- How to Develop Brand Management Expertise, Ennis Associates Inc
State
NC
City
Waxhaw
Zip
28173
Awards
- Leadership and Creating Value through Marketing Excellence, The Coca-Cola Company
- Creating Value through Marketing Excellence, The Coca-Cola Company
- Consumer Marketing Excellence, GTE Wireless
- Recognized for marketing innovation in Promo Magazine
- Recognized for packaging innovation in Food & Drug Packaging, Food & Beverage Edition
Timeline
Consultant
Executive Consulting Services
2008.01 - Current
Vice President Visa Marketing Consulting
Visa Inc.
2005.10 - 2008.01
Founding Partner / Chief Marketing Officer
Sona MedSpa / June 3 Group, Inc.
2002.08 - 2005.11
Consultant
Maternity Arrangements Fractional/Part-time
2000.01 - 2003.06
Senior Manager New Brands
The Coca-Cola Company
1998.07 - 2000.10
Segment Manager, Consumer Marketing
GTE Wireless Products and Services
1996.01 - 1998.01
Product Manager, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation
Ralston Purina Company/Ralcorp Holdings
1993.10 - 1996.10
Assistant Production Manager, CheckMark Communications Division
Ralston Purina Company/Ralcorp Holdings
1991.01 - 1993.10
MBA -
Saint Louis University
BSBA -
University of Missouri - Columbia
- Brand Positioning, The Coca-Cola Company
- Strategic Marketing Planning, University of Michigan Business School, Executive Education
- Management Development III, GTE Executive Leadership Training
- Foundations of Leadership, Center for Creative Leadership
- Building Team Effectiveness, Foundations for Excellence
- Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success, American Management Association
- How to Develop Successful New Products and Line Extensions, Ennis Associates Inc
- How to Develop Brand Management Expertise, Ennis Associates Inc
Similar Profiles
Amy CrockerAmy Crocker
HR Consultant at Pivot Point HR Consulting & Executive RecruitingHR Consultant at Pivot Point HR Consulting & Executive Recruiting
Jodi JohnstoneJodi Johnstone
Sr. Recruiter at LVP Executive Recruitment & Consulting GroupSr. Recruiter at LVP Executive Recruitment & Consulting Group
Kirsis C. CashionKirsis C. Cashion
Database Manager at The Batten Group Executive Search & ConsultingDatabase Manager at The Batten Group Executive Search & Consulting