KWAME INC: President & Founding Partner
Envisioned and founded a personal brand management, multi-media holding company, speaker bureau, executive coaching platform, and strategic consulting firm. Since its inception in 2004, Kwame Inc. has focused on multi-cultural marketing, brand elevation, professional speaking, political activism, social justice, and global corporate Diversity & Inclusion strategies to include thought leadership, industry best practice design, cross-pollination, and implementation for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.
KRIMSON BY KWAME: CEO, Brand Strategist & Founding Partner
Created, marketed and sold a brand vision for an upwardly mobile, Gen X - Gen Z professional men’s apparel fashion brand. Krimson by Kwame executive neckwear was eventually sold in 4 National retailers to include: Macy’s, Belk, Dillard’s, and JC Penny department stores in 140 US Markets, via E-commerce, and at live, curated pop-up trunk-show consumer immersion activations. KBK reached multi-million-dollar sales revenues, was showcased by extensive digital influencers like Kim Kardashian, Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, and global pop sensation Ne-Yo. The brand reached its influencer height when it was chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her coveted O Magazine O-List.
goldman sachs: Associate, Private Wealth Management NYC
Invested and managed assets for ultra-high net worth clients, families, and foundations with a minimum of $10 Million in investible assets. Co-led an advised strategic portfolio investment in Goldman Sachs proprietary hedge funds, special purpose vehicles, private equity, real-estate, and trust & estate platforms. Co-led and created an investment management team in Goldman Sachs largest global client office which managed nearly $100 Million in assets. Created the first ever Black Enterprise 100 & Goldman Sachs co-branded investment conference to recruit and advise the top 100 African-American owned corporations in America.
PROCTER & GAMBLE: Regional Account Manager, Health & Beauty
Directed brand management, marketing, and sales strategies for iconic P&G health and beauty and food and beverage brands to include: Ivory soap, Crest, Scope, Pantene, Pert, Pepto Bismol, Metamucil, Aleve, Sunny Delight, Crisco, Pringles, Duncan Hines etc. for the Food Lion national retailer sales team.
NEWSWEEK: Global Contributor
Authored original thought leadership opinion editorials on topics ranging from global immigration, racial justice, diversity & inclusion, and US Presidential politics. All original content distributed globally on Newsweek digital to over 5 Million digital readers.
HBCU HEROES: Co-Founder & Corporate Development Director
Brand directed and co-created an education outreach and advancement foundation to level the funding and resource playing field between HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) student-athletes and PWI (Predominantly White Institutions) colleges. Raised over $1 million dollars in corporate partnership grants and in-kind product and service donations from JP Morgan Chase, Intel corporation, Dell corporation, and the Arthur Blank Foundation, etc. Amplified and created core brand messaging strategies and digital corporate communication messaging for social justice, voter participation, social media effectiveness, Covid-19 response, racial justice, E-Sports, higher education advancement, and STEM careers.
Kwame Inc.'s Client Commitment:
Our clients are our partners and our reputation, we shall always work to better and strengthen both. It is our commitment to listen first and act second as we strive to uphold the highest level of client service and satisfaction. Together, WE uplift the world, one moment, one mind, one smile at a time...Always forward through excellence!
CLIENT CASE STUDIES:
Our Client Case Studies provide brief snapshots and examples of the original intellectual property that comprises our multifaceted services, events, media, speeches and solutions we have delivered for our global clients over the past decade.
Client Case Study #1:
Need: Provide a road map and best practices analysis and content delivery for race-based diversity & inclusion program creation and enhancement. How can Google begin to leverage the key learnings from its progress in gender-based inclusion programs for recruitment, retention, and promotion for women to enhance similar efforts for Black and Hispanic firmwide Googlers? What does that skill transfer look like?
Solution: Developed and shared best practices analysis from leading firms and client partners across a broad section of industries. Which companies were already leading on race-based inclusion and how were they specifically doing that? In tandem, hosted a launch series internal webinar summit on Race and Tough Conversations at Google along with thought leaders Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, and Michael Skolnik to break down the systemic barriers to advancement in tech and beyond and share firmwide social solutions that could be innovated and reapplied at Google.
Client Case Study #2: Pepsi
Need: Expand and innovate on our national Millennial multicultural marketing efforts, while preserving core brand messaging and empowering our consumers and their communities through education, entertainment, sports, and technology. How do we crack the code?
Solution: Developed a targeted, multi-year strategic marketing plan, community outreach and brand ambassador effort for Millennials that includes engaging events and festivals; continuing education through university level master classes, symposiums, and scholarships; web, mobile, and print messaging; and empowering internship opportunities that create access with noteworthy industry and government partners.
Client Case Study #3: Spotify
Need: Illuminate an on-ramp for career success for HBCU (Historically Black College and University) students so they can more effectively plan a path to success and entree in Media, Music, and Technology. What are the career success strategies that you have seen or employed personally that can help them?
Solution: Drilled down on a concrete list of career advancement tools, techniques, platforms, guideposts, and networks from Inroads, Wall Street, Consumer Marketing, Media, and personal ventures in entrepreneurship. Shared instructional anecdotes and pitfalls with HBCU students along with a panel of experts from Facebook, LinkedIn, and senior Spotify HBCU alums as part of the firmwide Opening Act program for nearly 100 promising college students.
Client Case Study #4: American Airlines
Need: Reach and engage potential business traveler customers on the web by creating original and applicable content for their busy lives. Give them a "magnetic" reason to visit American Airlines website and sign up for our loyalty programs.
Solution: Created and filmed a series of web vignettes focused on business leadership and strategies designed to help the busy traveling professional. Short motivational and strategic messages that would help them better organize and execute in their professional lives. Business guru tips to staying on top that were offered as a reward for travelers who came to the site.
Client Case Study #5: Verizon
Need: Spark a national dialogue with our consumer base on the need for female, multicultural, and millennial participation in STEM, (Science Technology Engineering and Math) education and career paths in multiple key target markets. How does technology impact, mold, and enhance the everyday lives of our consumers and how does Verizon enable that change?
Solution: Rolled out and hosted, a national consumer symposium series in multiple key target markets to deliver original content and grow demand for STEM across the US in conjunction with local market stores, NGOs, schools, and media allies/affiliates. Delivered kick off address for all content at Verizon Corporate HQ.
Client Case Study #6: Ernst & Young
Need: Attract, inform, and recruit highly skilled mid-career professionals to the firm's practice groups, partners, and culture.
Solution: Engineered "Success to Significance" keynote speeches and partner level, open panel discussions in multiple US cities to peel back the curtain on the industry and what it takes to succeed in the business from top-tier partners and noted professionals. All content geared towards answering the key demographic target question - "How can someone with minimal experience in the advisory, accounting or consulting industry transition into the firm and rise to the top, what are the transferable skills from your current profession?"
Client Case Study #7: Moody's
Need: How do we begin the difficult "Diversity & Inclusion" conversation for minorities in financial services? How do we continue to address and attack the lack of diversity in our highest ranks and encourage career sponsorship opportunities in middle management and beyond? What are the business case tactics that will help us excel as a company by breaking down unconscious biasis that inhibit maximum employee contribution? We need to spread the existing C-Suite strategy and mission, top down, throughout our organization and at every level in an authentic way. All of our employees are valuable and their path to success and promotion has no limit.
Solution: Produced a two-part town hall Q&A forum on minority career path techniques and pit-falls on Wall St. Compiled and delivered first hand anecdotes and industry best practices for both positive and negative career advancement. Town hall A focused on middle management buy in and audience concerns, while Town hall B followed with summary high-level key learnings, analysis, and recommendations for C-Suite leadership participants.
Client Case Study #8: American Heart Association
Need: Increase our core messaging, resonance, and employee effectiveness with a community audience that continues to struggle with heart related health issues like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and poor diet choices.
Solution: Engaged key stakeholders, internal employees, staff, and executives on effective strategies and tactics via symposium, keynotes, and high-level planning retreats to enhance the execution of their health mission and unique ways to register with their at-risk audience.
Client Case Study #9: United States Coast Guard Academy
Need: Uplift and educate our graduating future officers on core leadership lessons, overcoming obstacles, team building, and the power of diversity from the business world and life.
Solution: Delivered "Lessons from the Boardroom" keynote lecture, followed by Q&A discussion to drill down on key leadership anecdotes, scenarios, problems and solutions encountered over the course of a multi-industry, multi-geography, and multi-assignment career spanning from Consumer Products to Wall Street to Entrepreneurship.