Over the past 25 years, I’ve successfully worked as a management and marketing consultant, freelance writer, keynote speaker, spokesperson, media guest, freelance writer and reporter, author, sometime exhibiting artist and occasional actress.
Clearly, being a one-trick pony is not my strong suit – and that’s my strong suit.
My work as a CEO brand manager, marketing consultant, personal brand specialist, and business brand strategist has taken me to more than 50 countries around the world. As a New York City brand strategist, I serve clients on the East Coast and throughout Europe. With several additional satellite offices, I offer Pacific Rim, West Coast and San Francisco Bay Area personal brand strategy and marketing services.
I believe the power of what I contribute lies precisely in the unique mix of who I am and what I’ve done over the years. Having sat on both sides of the media — as a journalist and a guest — has given me a deep understanding of the intricacies of today’s on- and off-line media environment.
As a writer, actor, and keynote speaker, I’ve experienced the world of performing in various contexts, and the decades I spent doing communications consulting with Fortune 500 companies has infused my systems approach to modern marketing and branding with a solid foundation of best practices. Below are the small details that make up the big picture of my professional life.
Marketing and Management Consultant
Karen Tiber Leland is the Founder and President of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding and marketing strategy and implementation firm helping CEO’s, executives and entrepreneurs develop stronger business, team, personal and CEO brands.
Drawing on 25 years of consulting experience, Karen takes a systems approach to help her clients effectively navigate the wired world of today’s business landscape while powerfully communicating their messages to the public, potential customers and media.
She has worked in more than 50 countries with a highly diverse group of industries. Her clients have included: Apple Computer, Google, AT&T, LinkedIn, Avis Car Rental, Johnson & Johnson and Capital One among others.
Karen attended Antioch University where she majored in Organizational Development. She has also intensively studied a number of learning/communication methodologies and has extensive training or certification in neuro linguistic programming, action learning, acting for public speaking, and quality/continuous improvement.
Personal Branding Best-Selling Author
Karen Leland is the best-selling author of ten books, which have sold more than 450,000 copies and been translated into more than a dozen languages including German, Spanish, French, Chinese and Korean. Her books focus on personal branding, business brand strategy, CEO brand, marketing, and leadership. They include:
Writer & Content Developer
Karen has written more than 200 articles on business, food, travel, health and lifestyle for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including: Self, Woman’s Day, Inc. Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Entrepreneur, The Christian Science Monitor, Hemispheres and others.
In addition, Karen has written book proposals, e-books, training advertorials, catalog copy, blogs and marketing and public relations materials for both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies including: Lufthansa Airlines, Marriott Hotels, Banana Republic, American Express and others. She has ghostwritten blogs, e-books and book manuscripts for a wide variety of experts and enterprising clients.
Karen also has extensive experience writing for the Web and developing blog content for various websites, including More.com, allbusiness.com, webworkerdaily.com, realsimple.com, Pinkmagazine.com, Sheknows.com and others. Karen writes regularly for Inc.com, Entreprneur.com and Forbes.com
Brand Strategy Media Guest and Expert
Karen is a frequent guest expert on personal branding, CEO branding, executive presence and business branding for radio, television, print and online media. She has been interviewed by The Today Show, MSNBC, Fortune, Inc, Fast Company, NPR, CNN, Bloomberg, Oprah, Sirius, and others. She previously wrote segments and conducted on-camera interviews as a freelance reporter for Comcast.
In her capacity as a publicity expert, Karen has secured bookings for her clients in hundreds of media outlets including:
- Ladies Home Journal
- Self
- Woman’s Day
- Redbook
- The Wall Street Journal
- Time Magazine
- The New York Times
- Cosmopolitan
- CNN
- The Today Show
- Harvard Business Review
- Good Housekeeping
- Black Enterprise
- Fortune
Keynote Speaker and Spokesperson
Karen is an international keynote speaker for a wide range of conferences and organizations, including:
- IBM
- Apple Computer
- UPS
- Bank of America
- John Hancock
In addition, Karen has been hired as a spokesperson for IBM, Apple UPS, Computer, Bank of America, John Hancock and more. Ms. Leland’s spokesperson projects on behalf of her clients have involved giving keynote speeches, webinars, workshops, radio and television interviews, presenting at trade shows and conferences and meeting with members of the press.
Board Member
Karen supports and has been a board member of a number of organizations including:
100 Cameras helps kids around the world who have had challenging experiences to tell their stories through photography to improve how they view themselves and their role in their community.
The Hoffman Process is a week-long personal mastery retreat. One study showed participants experienced lasting significant reductions in depression and anxiety, and significant increases in emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, compassion, vitality and forgiveness.
Venture Greenhouse, associated with Dominican University in Northern California is an incubator focused on socially and environmentally responsible early-stage companies with a commitment to positive economic impact.
Artist, Actor, Would Be Cowgirl
In addition to her work in the business world, Karen has a lifelong commitment to the arts. Karen’s mixed media paintings, prints and photography have been shown in the Sausalito Art Festival, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, The American Craft Council Show and the Celebration of Craftswomen.
Her passion for the arts encompasses performing as well. She has performed throughout the Bay Area and Los Angeles as Sarah in Company; Desiree in A Little Night Music; Reno Sweeny in Anything Goes; Mona in The Guest Lecturer; Cleo in The Most Happy Fella, Theresa in How The Other Half Loves, and recently as eight different characters in The Laramie Project. Karen’s acting credits include voice over and on camera work for industrial films, and online programs.
Karen attended the Theater Arts program at Cal State University Northridge in Los Angeles County, California and did further study at Antioch University where she majored in Organizational Development.
When she is not busy making art and acting, Karen is passionate about channeling her inner-cowgirl and hopefully becoming a much better horseback ridder in the years to come.
At SMG we serve clients across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Currently, we have 3 onsite locations:
Looking For a New York City Branding and Marketing Strategist? Book Initial Consult at No Charge.
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