Gretchen Devero
Director of Strategy at SYLVAIN- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Krystal Plomatos
You know how at any company there’s always someone whose command of business news and cultural shifts just seems to be both deeper and wider than everyone else? That’s Gretchen. She’s the type of strategic leader that teammates jockey to get time with so they can run their early hunches by her. She’s got the instincts and vision that makes work sharper, faster. That’s another thing that makes Gretchen indispensable to a team—she doesn’t hoard her knowledge. She’s the heartbeat of teams. That skill is great for the caliber of the work, but just as important (arguably more) is how Gretchen brings the kind of electricity to a team’s culture that Harvard Business School writes articles about.
Debi Blizard
Gretchen is a strategy superstar. We worked together at Sylvain Labs, and to this day she's one of my favorite people to partner up with. Gretchen has the rare ability to think vertically -- diving deep into a problem space -- as well as to think laterally -- exploring parallels that surface novel insights. She is an inherently creative strategist, talented at building strong strategic narratives which translate well to design. Gretchen is also an entrepreneurial force. She is an endless stream of big ideas - a hidden talent that helped us land many pitches, spin up unconventional approaches to projects, and inspire the company to explore new directions (like creating our own hot sauce). But besides all of this, Gretchen is simply a wonderful, genuine person who will change your outlook for the better, guaranteed.
Krystal Plomatos
You know how at any company there’s always someone whose command of business news and cultural shifts just seems to be both deeper and wider than everyone else? That’s Gretchen. She’s the type of strategic leader that teammates jockey to get time with so they can run their early hunches by her. She’s got the instincts and vision that makes work sharper, faster. That’s another thing that makes Gretchen indispensable to a team—she doesn’t hoard her knowledge. She’s the heartbeat of teams. That skill is great for the caliber of the work, but just as important (arguably more) is how Gretchen brings the kind of electricity to a team’s culture that Harvard Business School writes articles about.
Debi Blizard
Gretchen is a strategy superstar. We worked together at Sylvain Labs, and to this day she's one of my favorite people to partner up with. Gretchen has the rare ability to think vertically -- diving deep into a problem space -- as well as to think laterally -- exploring parallels that surface novel insights. She is an inherently creative strategist, talented at building strong strategic narratives which translate well to design. Gretchen is also an entrepreneurial force. She is an endless stream of big ideas - a hidden talent that helped us land many pitches, spin up unconventional approaches to projects, and inspire the company to explore new directions (like creating our own hot sauce). But besides all of this, Gretchen is simply a wonderful, genuine person who will change your outlook for the better, guaranteed.
Krystal Plomatos
You know how at any company there’s always someone whose command of business news and cultural shifts just seems to be both deeper and wider than everyone else? That’s Gretchen. She’s the type of strategic leader that teammates jockey to get time with so they can run their early hunches by her. She’s got the instincts and vision that makes work sharper, faster. That’s another thing that makes Gretchen indispensable to a team—she doesn’t hoard her knowledge. She’s the heartbeat of teams. That skill is great for the caliber of the work, but just as important (arguably more) is how Gretchen brings the kind of electricity to a team’s culture that Harvard Business School writes articles about.
Debi Blizard
Gretchen is a strategy superstar. We worked together at Sylvain Labs, and to this day she's one of my favorite people to partner up with. Gretchen has the rare ability to think vertically -- diving deep into a problem space -- as well as to think laterally -- exploring parallels that surface novel insights. She is an inherently creative strategist, talented at building strong strategic narratives which translate well to design. Gretchen is also an entrepreneurial force. She is an endless stream of big ideas - a hidden talent that helped us land many pitches, spin up unconventional approaches to projects, and inspire the company to explore new directions (like creating our own hot sauce). But besides all of this, Gretchen is simply a wonderful, genuine person who will change your outlook for the better, guaranteed.
Krystal Plomatos
You know how at any company there’s always someone whose command of business news and cultural shifts just seems to be both deeper and wider than everyone else? That’s Gretchen. She’s the type of strategic leader that teammates jockey to get time with so they can run their early hunches by her. She’s got the instincts and vision that makes work sharper, faster. That’s another thing that makes Gretchen indispensable to a team—she doesn’t hoard her knowledge. She’s the heartbeat of teams. That skill is great for the caliber of the work, but just as important (arguably more) is how Gretchen brings the kind of electricity to a team’s culture that Harvard Business School writes articles about.
Debi Blizard
Gretchen is a strategy superstar. We worked together at Sylvain Labs, and to this day she's one of my favorite people to partner up with. Gretchen has the rare ability to think vertically -- diving deep into a problem space -- as well as to think laterally -- exploring parallels that surface novel insights. She is an inherently creative strategist, talented at building strong strategic narratives which translate well to design. Gretchen is also an entrepreneurial force. She is an endless stream of big ideas - a hidden talent that helped us land many pitches, spin up unconventional approaches to projects, and inspire the company to explore new directions (like creating our own hot sauce). But besides all of this, Gretchen is simply a wonderful, genuine person who will change your outlook for the better, guaranteed.
Experience
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SYLVAIN
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United States
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Business Consulting and Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Director of Strategy
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Dec 2020 - Present
Clients: Uber, Nike, Spotify, Booking.com, American Express, TÜV Nord
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Strategy Lead
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Apr 2020 - Dec 2020
Clients: Nike, VF Corp., Pearson Education, WhatsApp, Babyganics
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Strategy Lead
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May 2017 - Apr 2020
Clients: Hilton Tempo, Nike, Anheuser-Busch, Google, Cadillac (Book by Cadillac GTM strategy), Credit Suisse, Pace (bikeshare), Colgate Palmolive, General Motors, Kik, Waze, PepsiCoDesigned and built a 14ft x 4ft conference table for the New York office
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Strategist
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May 2013 - May 2017
Joined Sylvain Labs 3 years after its founding, when Sylvain Labs had a total of 7 employees. I worked with clients of all shapes and sizes across a variety of industries (see below). Projects mainly consisted of innovation strategy, brand strategy, and product development. Similar to my previous role at Publicis, I launched a biweekly newsletter to keep the team aware of cultural trends, client news (current and prospective), and industry shifts. Named “The Newsance,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to the nuisance of newsletters. Select Clients: Tropicana, Book by Cadillac, Tegu, AB InBev, Aquafina, Mueller (US Entry), Crockpot, Irish Spring, UNIQLO, Ann Inc., BuzzFeed, General Motors, Google Pixel, Master & Dynamic. Speed Stick, 4As Startups: Lílo, a shelf stable acai bowl company Sylvain Side Hustles: Instafame (mini documentary)New Business Show less
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Publicis
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United States
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Advertising Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Brand Planner
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Mar 2013 - May 2013
Brand planner for Citi Enterprise and Tri Honda Dealers. In addition, I continued publishing a monthly trend report and contributing to new business pitches.
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Junior Digital Strategist
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Feb 2012 - Mar 2013
The first hire of a rotation program, working across brand strategy, digital strategy, and analytics. In addition to this work, I regularly assisted with new business pitches and launched a monthly trend report for the strategy department.BRANDS:Non-profit: Big Brothers Big SistersBanking: AXA Equitable, UBS, Citi (bank and olympics campaign)Food and Beverage: Wendys, Taco Bell, InBev, Ferrero RocherPersonal Care Products: Gillette, Oral-B, MustelaAuto: Tri State HondaHome: LG (TVs)Miscellaneous: Online Dating Show less
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AKQA Group
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Advertising Services
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100 - 200 Employee
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Strategic Planning Intern
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Sep 2011 - Dec 2011
Created a global mobile strategy for Johnson & Johnson brands Created a global mobile strategy for Johnson & Johnson brands
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VML
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United States
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Advertising Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Intern
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Jan 2011 - May 2011
Account Management for AMD, Luminex, CoreLogic, St. David's Healthcare, and Casserole Queens. Research for Lone Star Beer. Account Management for AMD, Luminex, CoreLogic, St. David's Healthcare, and Casserole Queens. Research for Lone Star Beer.
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Housing Forward
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Intern
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Jun 2010 - Aug 2010
Marketing for "Help the Homeless Week" kick off breakfast ft. Chris Gardner (12/8/10). Marketing for "Help the Homeless Week" kick off breakfast ft. Chris Gardner (12/8/10).
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Jake Ferguson
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United States
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Advertising Services
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Intern
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May 2010 - Aug 2010
Competitive analyses for homeless relief services. Media planning, digital place-based advertising research for OTG Management. Competitive analyses for homeless relief services. Media planning, digital place-based advertising research for OTG Management.
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Intern
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Jan 2010 - May 2010
Promotion and marketing for running expos and races; communications with vendors Promotion and marketing for running expos and races; communications with vendors
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Ben E. Keith Beverages
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United States
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Food and Beverage Services
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400 - 500 Employee
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Intern
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May 2008 - Jul 2009
Developed signage for Anheuser-Busch. Developed signage for Anheuser-Busch.
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Education
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The University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Science (BS), Advertising -
University of Alabama
Fine and Studio Arts -
Ursuline Academy of Dallas
Community
