Michael Stern Email & Phone Number

Delivering fractional go-to-market leadership for forward-thinking managed services, professional services, and SaaS organizations. I specialize in working with:• Founders and CEOs who need strategic GTM leadership to improve performance.• Private equity firms seeking to help portfolio companies maximize their market potential.• Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) looking for a marketing copilot to drive top-line growth.Core services include:• Foundation: Aligning marketing, sales, and product teams with clear messaging, consistent positioning, and market readiness.• Activation: Launching impactful campaigns, demand-generation programs, and ABM initiatives that deliver measurable results.• Operation: Streamlining marketing processes with data, automation, and AI to scale effectively.Whether you’re redefining a category, struggling to break through a crowded marketplace, or wrestling with rising customer acquisition costs, I can help. If this sounds like you, let’s talk.

New York, Ny, Us

Following acquisition by Kroll, I expanded my Crisp CMO responsibilities to direct the sales, marketing and product strategy for a new growth initiative designed to consolidate more than 500 individual service lines into a solution selling framework that helped clients to discover the firm’s full complement of risk solutions, introduced new products under that framework and collaborated with the firm’s global team of practitioners to convert $106M in new, upsell and cross-referral revenue expansion. • Created a uniquely ownable and comprehensive risk taxonomy, which articulated the way in which the firm’s Integrated Risk Intelligence capabilities address the pain points of specific ideal customer profiles, creating a new buyer-led approach for sales.• Market tested this approach with the introduction of Kroll Private Equity Risk Detect, a new risk intelligence solution for the firm’s high-value PE clientele, including demand generation, event activation and a quarterly Global PE Risk Index content marketing program. • Generated a $5M gross pipeline in under 90 days, working in close collaboration with the firm’s Due Diligence, ESG, M&A and Enterprise Sales teams, exceeding launch expectations and uncovering new integrated revenue opportunities for the firm.

Leeds, England, Gb

Acquired by Kroll in May 2022, Crisp is a Real-time Risk Intelligence company that protects brands, assets and people from reputational damage, security threats and online harms. As Chief Marketing Officer, I was hired following an investment by Baird Capital to help reposition this AI-enabled business for successful acquisition. This included re-articulating the company’s unique selling proposition with the company’s Executive Team and collaborating with the Chief Revenue Officer to create an agile go-to-market strategy to accelerate new logo and existing client incremental growth.• Working with a commercial team of 20 global sales & marketing professionals, created a series of analyst- and third-party sponsored content marketing programs and agile demand generation campaigns to establish Crisp as the authority on Real-time Risk Intelligence.• Created a go-to-market strategy in partnership with the Chief Revenue Officer, which accelerated ARR growth 60% in 18 months, increased average deal size by 25% and reduced average sales cycles from nine to four months.• Ensured the company’s original vision of a “digital world that is safe for everyone” remained ever-present by hosting industry events and securing influential thought leadership positions within vital industry groups and NGOs, such as the World Economic Forum.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Leo Burnett, a member of Publicis Groupe, is one of the world's largest agency networks with 85 offices and more than 8,000 employees worldwide. As the Samsung Consumer Electronics Global Business Lead, I oversaw the agency’s relationship with Samsung’s Visual Display, Home Appliance and Global Marketing Center business units. This included directing global strategy and creative solutions, Publicis Groupe agency partners and Leo Burnett offices across the globe who serviced Samsung locally.• Expanded the Samsung global agency relationship, adding the Visual Display (televisions) and Home Appliance business units to the Leo Burnett roaster, in less than 12 months, generating $750M in incremental revenue for Publicis Groupe.• Led the team responsible for winning the Samsung Visual Display business - the largest Leo Burnett new business win of 2018 and one of two incremental wins contributing significant growth to Publicis Groupe’s advertising, media, and digital relationship with the Samsung brand globally.• Introduced Samsung's first consumer-facing, multi-device experience (IoT) communication on behalf of its Home Appliances business, a cross-functional campaign that measurably increased brand lift and purchase intent.

Calgary, Alberta, Ca

Critical Mass is Omnicom’s premiere digital experience design agency with more than 950 people working in 11 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America. As a member of its Executive Team and Client Services Director, I developed a proven and profitable methodology for retaining and growing clients throughout the acquisition of, and merger with, Zócalo Group - the premier social/digital marketing agency within Omnicom.

Chicago, Il, Us

Zócalo Group was a full-service digital and social media agency established in 2007 and fully acquired by Critical Mass, Omnicom, in 2016. As a founding member of its Leadership Team, I built, managed and retained an integrated agency team from scratch, fostering talent from within to guide C-suite clientele across CPG, food/beverage, hospitality, personal care, technology and retail industries on how to measurably become the most talked about and recommended brands in their categories.

Chicago, Il, Us

New York City, New York, Us

Developed and managed successful public relations programs for clients like Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Kimberly-Clark and FedEx, with a special focus on integrated assignments, multi-office teams, incremental growth and financial performance.

Naperville, Il, Us

Created integrated marketing communications programs, with a special emphasis on agricultural/commodity industries, specifically working with clients like Bayer CropScience, General Electric and Underwriter Laboratories.

St. Louis, Mo, Us

Created public relations programs in the food & agribusiness practice, specifically on clients like Ocean Spray Cranberries, Kellogg's and The Catfish Institute.

Journalism, Business Communications

Mba, Entrepreneurship