CARLA PLOUIN Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Position
O V E R V I E W
E X P E R I E N C E
Active marketing executive with proven track record of developing effective B2B integrated marketing plans and surpassing objectives.
www.carlaplouin.co m
More than 12 years of experience in global marketing communications. Strong multiple-project management and proactive team building skills. Excellent budget planning and monitoring. High-performance and results-driven. Special interest in integrated marketing programs and innovative solutions for cause-based organizations. Trilingual: English/Spanish/French.
Consultant, Marketing Communication & Business Development Melle Global Marketing Communications LLC, Atlanta GA (2011 – present) Developed strategic and operational B2B and B2C marketing plans for small businesses including professional services, software development, financial services, real estate, video gaming and marketing/PR agencies; Coordinated a dozen targeted trade shows and special events from ideation through follow-up; Designed and produced marketing tools for more than 15 companies, including logos, ads, brochures, manuals, micro sites, and presentation kits; Completed 10 business, marketing and budget plans and coached implementations. Director, Account Management and Interactive Media Georgia Department of Economic Development, Atlanta, GA (2005 – 2011) Sales and marketing arm agency leading the State’s initiatives to attract and grow investments, exports, tourists visitation, and film and video projects. Directed the marketing and business communication's cross‐functional team of 10 people; Responsible for the marketing and communications strategic plan for B2B and B2C groups: Investment, Exports and Innovation, triggering a 15% annual lead generation increase for investment and exports; Led international marketing and communications efforts in 14 countries, tripling the marketing production output to an annual average of 80+ printed ads and 150+ press articles representing a 350+ million circulation; Managed and optimized the agency’s $4‐million dollar domestic and international marketing budget; Created agency’s first‐ever marketing ROI tracking and budget control systems; Led content strategy and oversaw annual production, organization and coordination of 80+ collateral pieces, 100+ trade shows with corresponding CRM follow-up system, 30+ VIP delegations or missions, 50+ interactive sales and promotional presentations, and 4 websites with 6 languages and corresponding SEO/SEM; Implemented branding policy and the corresponding state’s rebranding campaign; Led account management with outside agencies for interactive, advertising and PR, providing strategic overview and cross‐projects consistency for value added propositions, branding and messaging; Nominated for best international PR campaign in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Received the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) “best of all categories” award in 2009. Director, Marketing Paragon Path, Inc., Marketing and Business Development Consulting, Atlanta, GA (2001 – 2005) Developed and implemented strategic and operational marketing plans for 8 industries including financial services, printing, optical equipment, video games, and telecommunications with budgets up to $1,500,000; Designed and produced marketing tool kits for interactive, print, on-line, broadcast, website and e-commerce; Managed a team of seven to develop and create sales tools and training programs in English and Spanish for client accounts including Sprint, Alltel and Lucent in the USA, Telmex and Alestra in Mexico; Increased client sales training program delivery by 50% over 18 months; Coordinated 40+ trade shows and special events from ideation through follow up with budgets up to $500,000;
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E X P E R I E N C E
Developed go-to-market strategies, market researches and entry strategies for domestic, international and industry-specific targets; Implemented customer data base, CRM, eCRM solutions and systematic event follow-up procedures; Developed and implemented media and public relations plan for TV, radio, web and press for 3 clients in 5 countries; spearheaded on budget and on time two back-toback 3-month national awareness and advertising campaigns in Bolivia and Guatemala.
mailto:plouin c@gmail.com
Director, International Project Development Procorfi Consultores, S.C., Mexico City, Mexico (1999 – 2001), International Development Consulting Group Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development in Mexico, Representative Office for the PNC Bank in Mexico and Central America.
Led international business development team, prospecting and promotion in Mexico and Central America; Coordinated trade missions to Mexico which included networking, logistics, matchmaking and follow-up; Consulted with Pennsylvania companies on how to do business in Mexico; Created and supervised market research and market entry strategies; Developed community relations and PR opportunities with key contacts within the Mexican government, educational institutions and public/private companies/publications; Designed and developed corporate promotional materials and website. Market Analyst Alcatel-Lucent, Telecommunications, Strategic Planning, Mexico City, Mexico (1998 – 1999) Researched and developed economic market reports and key customer account plans; Produced the company’s first in-depth competitive telecommunications survey which led to product repositioning in Central-America; Evaluated product lines and recommended positioning solutions for better market implementation; Co-organized press releases, press conferences and events with Mexican and French Heads of States.
E D U C A T I O N
Masters, International Relations: University of La Sorbonne, Paris, France (1998) Emphasis on Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) impact on foreign trade policy, economy and international marketing; Thesis on NGO contributions to economic development in Latin America. Graduated with honors. Masters, International Trade and Marketing: International Trade and Distribution, Paris, France (1996) Graduated magna cum laude. Continuing Education: Emory University: Cross-Cultural Business Management / Project and Multiple Projects Management; Southern Center for International Studies: International Management; Ex-Im Bank: International Direct Foreign Investment; Franklin Covey: Managers’ Course 7 Habits for Highly Effective People; Burton Training Group: telecom Train the Trainer sales training; Georgia State University: Export-Import / International Business Workshop series. Professional Associations: Member of AIMA, AMA, NAIR and PRSA. Board of Advisor of AISEC.
I T
Technology savvy and proficient use of: CRM, CMS & data bases: GoldMine, MS Access, ACT!, SharePoint, Basecamp, SalesForce, Mavenlink, HubSpot. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook; Open Office; Google Docs; WordPress. Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, CSS5 and basic HTML programming.