Russ Klein

Background

About Russ Klein

With over 30 years of c-suite marketing leadership and innovation experience, I am the President and Chief Operating Officer at PROOF Hard Ice Cream, a disruptive and fast-growing company that combines premium ice cream with distilled spirits. I am also the Principal at Whisper Strategy Consultancy, an angel investor, inventor-owner of multiple technology patents, and a management consulting group with expertise in various industries and domains. Previously, I was the CEO at The American Marketing Association, where I led a transformation of the world's foremost knowledge-based organization devoted to marketing, resulting in membership growth, record retention, all-time high impact scores for AMA Journal Portfolio, record alliances revenue, world-class work culture, and solid financial health. I have also led marketing teams and organizations through three verifiable business turnarounds for Dr Pepper/7UP Companies, Burger King Corporation, and Arby's Restaurant Group, generating record-setting returns for shareholders and creating iconic campaigns such as "Whopper Freakout" and "Subservient Chicken". I am an original thinker and creator of proprietary processes for design targeting, creative briefs, digital initiatives, social currency, and omni-channel media strategy. I have been named to top marketer lists spanning three decades, and I have been featured in several books and publications as a thought leader and influencer. I have also mentored and coached over 60 members of my teams who have gone on to the C-suite. My mission is to share my knowledge, insights, and passion for marketing with the next generation of leaders and innovators.