Accor

Curating and launching Accor’s flagship Supreme-luxury lifestyle brand in North America

Brand Build | New to the World Luxury Hotel Brand

Sienna Senior Living

Led Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Business Intelligence at Sienna Senior Living. Architected the company’s first enterprise BI platform—now a cornerstone of strategic decision-making.

Commercial Strategy | Vice President - Marketing, Brand Strategy & Business Intelligence

Brought a new brand to life. Launched Aspira—a fresh Active Retirement Living experience built for today’s aging population.
As VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy at Sienna Senior Living (TSX:SIA), I led the full brand development and go-to-market launch across Canada.

Brand Build & Launch | Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

A global role leading the Distribution strategy and execution, Distribution operations and Call Centre, B2B Sales and support for the group.

Key responsibilities included

✅ Turnover of $500 million business segment
✅ Manage $25 million expense budget
✅ B2B marketing, sales, contracting, and management 
✅ Responsible Distribution Channel technology and strategy
✅ Responsible for the Global Call center
✅ Lead a global team of 100+ team members

Commercial Strategy | Senior Director, Global Distribution & Channel Strategy (Marketing)

Shangri-La Group

Based in Corporate Headquarters of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong.
The role entails managing Corporate Reservations, Customer Contact Centers & Distribution for the group.
Established a new contact centre in Guangzhou, China, to support inbound and outbound interaction in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Commercial Strategy | Director Distribution Management & Corporate Reservations (Marketing)

Based in Corporate Headquarters of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong.
The role entails developing new Marketing concepts
Establishing and opening new hotels; Led Brand and Marketing to open hotels in Brisbane, Singapore, Puteri Harbour (Malaysia), Abu Dhabi, Muscat, amongst others

Brand Build & Launch | Director of Sales & Marketing - pre-opening hotels (new markets development)

Based at Shangri-La Hotel, Doha, Qatar
Hotel Pre-opening Executive Committee member
Leading Sales & Marketing

Brand Launch | Director of Sales & Marketing

Based in Traders Hotel Dubai
Leading the Sales & Marketing Department
Responsible for Revenue, Sales, Distribution, Events & Public Relations teams.

Director of Sales & Marketing

Based at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok
Leading the Revenue Management Department
Responsible for Revenue Management of all revenue-generating areas of the hotel, Pricing and Optimising yields.

Director of Revenue Management

InterContinental Hotels Group

Based in Holiday Inn Silom, Bangkok
Marketing Plan
Revenue Management & Pricing
Budgetting & Forecasting

Revenue Manager

Taj Hotels

City Revenue Manager

VP-Marketing & Brand Strategy | On a mission to make Strategic Marketing your superpower, so you can add value, drive commercial success, get unstuck and grow. I do this 1 post, 1 conversation, 1 mentee at a time.🏍

Building Brands That Drive Growth and Command Loyalty

I’ve spent my career at the intersection of luxury hospitality, brand strategy, and commercial leadership, working across global markets from India to Thailand, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, China, and Canada. With over two decades of experience in revenue management, brand positioning, and customer experience design, I’ve had the privilege of building strategies that not only drive revenue but also strengthen brand equity and customer loyalty across diverse cultures and business environments.

My journey took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted my career’s upward trajectory and gave me the chance to step outside hospitality into the retirement living sector. That experience, combined with my pursuit of an MBA at Kellogg School of Management, helped me realize that my core strength lies in connecting customer insights, brand identity, and revenue strategy into a cohesive, competitive advantage.

Today, I leverage my global leadership experience, strategic mindset, and customer-first philosophy to help organizations align brand promise with business performance, ensuring they remain customer-obsessed, commercially smart, and future-ready. Whether repositioning a brand, driving market growth, or building high-performing teams, I believe great brands are built at the intersection of people, profit, and customer experience.

Contact: arvind.bala@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Arvind Bala

First The Trousers Then The Shoes

FIRST THE TROUSERS THEN THE SHOES Inc. (First The Trousers or FTT for short) is a brand strategy, research, and corporate training boutique specializing in brand positioning and messaging strategy development. We work for both packaged goods, BToB, and technology/software companies and operate in North America and Europe. 

Our unique positioning development methodology, described in the award-winning & best-selling Brand Positioning Workbook published in 2022, is already being used by thousands of marketers and strategists around the world as well as by many organizations, both global corporations, and start-ups.  

Fractional CSO (2021/2022): allocated part of our resources to help German package design agency RKD expand its footprint and presence in the US through the acquisition of project work from clients, including General Mills (Good Measure, Blue Buffalo, Totino's), Ecolab (launch of 1st BToC brand), Riverside Natural Foods, Pacific Foods,  Melissa & Doug, etc.

Founder & Chief Strategy Officer

American Marketing Association

The Practitioner Council of the AMA serves an advocate for marketing practitioners, advising the AMA on strategic programs and initiatives designed to deliver valuable content and experiences to the professional marketing community and elevate the rigor of the marketing profession.  The PC provides a strategic view of the impact of changes occurring within the marketing industry, identifies emerging trends and thought leaders which will have impact on the marketing profession, and act as ambassadors of AMA within the marketing community.

AMA Practitioner Council member

The Huffington Post

I was a regular contributor to the Huffpost until it closed its contributors platform in 02/2018. 

Initially my posts focused on all things related to moms, more recently they focus more generally on business and marketing issues with a focus on creative problem solving in marketing. 

My two most popular posts include "24 Clear Signs You're A Mom" which reached over 5 mio readers within a few days and "7 Ways To Improve Your Creative Problem-Solving Skills".

Blogger

WeMothers LLC

One of two founders of WeMothers llc, a social and mobile platform enabling expecting & new moms to receive the emotional support only another mom with shared experiences can provide. This was passion project of mine. We took too long to release a beta version. The technological landscape had changed in the meantime and moms started to experience social network fatigue As a result we didn't get the traction and engagement levels we were expecting and decided to close down shop in May 2014. Would I do it all over again? For sure, no doubt about that. Would I do it differently? You betcha.

Start-up co-founder

SapientNitro

Lead brand strategist at SapientNitro “North”, helping clients in the automotive, motorcycle, fashion and retail industry better connect with their customers through the development of integrated, multi-channel brand experiences that blend marketing, communication and commerce. In the process, helping shape and define what the future of brand engagement could look like.

Director, Brand Strategy & Customer Experience

Appelbaum family

Left my previous job to be available and around for the arrival of my baby twins. Executive leader who effectively doubled the headcount of his family over the last 6 months. In the process I sharpened my ability to work under stress (sleep depravation) and my problem solving skills. I am still working on my managerial skills as the new addition to the family doesn't seem to want to follow my leadership quite yet.  

Management lessons learned along the way and the three questions every great manager should ask difficult co-workers and business partners in case of crisis: 

1. Do you need a hug? Sometimes all your business partners need when they are all upset is some soothing. A hug works miracles here. 

2. Do you need me to burp you? Sometimes business associates and co-workers might have an internal tension or frustration that drives their behaviors and attitudes and makes them difficult. Patting them on the back and getting them to burp to release the pressure works wonders here (can be combined with 1.)

3. Do I need to change your diapers? Sometimes 1. and 2. doesn't apply or can't be applied. This is usually because they are fill of s..t. In that case there is only one solution: offering them to change their diapers.

New dad!

Leo Burnett

Coach for a team of 40+ account planners
Lead strategist for Hallmark Gold Crown stores & Global strategy lead for Symantec (Norton protection software & PC tools)

Head of Account Planning

Energy BBDO

US & Global strategy lead for the Wrigley business (“5”, Orbit, Eclipse, Winterfresh, Extra, Juicy Fruit, DoubleMint, Hubba Bubba, Lifesavers & Cremesavers) responsible for everything from the launch of new brands, the re-launch of existing brands and the development of global strategic platforms for key business units
Developed in-depth expertise of kids, young adults and teens audiences
Awards: Several Effies and the 2010 Gold winner of the ARF Ogilvy award for excellence in advertising research for Wrigley 5-gum

Senior Vice President, Group Planning Director

Fallon Worldwide

Lead strategist on the global Nestle Purina Pet Care business (NPPC)
Strategic responsibility for key NPPC dry dog food brands in Lat Am, U.S., and Europe 
Developed, as part of a global Nestle task force, a brand architecture, new product ideas & a communication strategy for a new global (human) food brand 
Awards: Effies

Worldwide Group Planning Director

Started my own brand consulting practice consulting both with clients (Reemtsma, Steilmann, and the Dentist Association of Berlin) and agencies (BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Cayenne, StrawberryFrog Amsterdam, Davies Meyer, and corporate design agency Niehaus Komossa) 
Authored first worldwide best practice study on effective dotcom advertising….unfortunately right when the dotcom bubble burst

Founder & Principal

Ulli is an internationally recognized and award-winning marketing and brand strategy consultant and trainer with over 25 years of experience creating business-building brand strategies around the world.

Prior to launching brand strategy and training boutique First The Trousers Then The Shoes Inc. in 2014, he held senior strategy roles at some of the world's top advertising agencies, including Head of Strategy at BBDO Germany and Leo Burnett Chicago and Global Strategy Director at Fallon Worldwide and SapientNitro.

He has contributed to seven Effies and an ARF (Advertising Research Federation) Ogilvy award for Excellence in Research. His insights and strategies for Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, General Mills, Wrigley, Hallmark, Harley Davidson, Chrysler, Skoda, 3M, Ecolab, and many more have helped build these brands in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the US.

He is the author of the award-winning and best-selling “Brand Positioning Workbook” and the “Brand Positioning Development Method Cards” as well as the “Aha!, The Ultimate Insight Generation Toolkit”, already used by tens of thousands of marketers and strategists around the world.

He is a contributor to various trade publications in the US and Europe, a regular podcast interviewee, a speaker, and a regular guest speaker at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Minnesota.

His work spans the US, Europe, and occasionally Asia.

He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, three children, two dogs, and one crested gecko.

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