Rand Carpenter

I’m what people refer to as a “true southerner”. I love sweet tea and fried chicken so I fit the stereotype! I grew up right outside of Atlanta, GA and went to college at the University of Georgia where I graduated from what continues to be on the of the top journalism schools in the country. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always loved to read and write and that’s what led me into communications, brand marketing and PR. My genuine nature is gregarious at the core, and seems to be a perfect fit for most communications roles. I am the mother of 2 great kids 21 and 10, and I spend my free time with my family, entertaining friends and playing with my two pink nosed dogs outside as much as possible. I also enjoy being on water … it seems to always have a calming effect on my soul.

I have worked in PR, marketing, and communications for 25 years. For half of those years, I worked on the agency side and then the other years on the corporate side. My agency experience is diverse, I spent most of that time focused on brand PR, corporate strategy development, media relations and internal communications for clients like P&G, Nike, Wendy’s, Home Depot, and ExxonMobil to name a few. What I learned during my agency years was how to effectively multi-task, manage complex relationships and how to communicate effectively to sell new ideas.

In my corporate work for Coca-Cola and ExxonMobil I also wore many hats … from issues management, corporate culture and internal communications, government affairs, executive visibility and most recently global sustainability marketing and communications for ExxonMobil. I learned that it is critical to have consistent and clear communications strategies and messaging, engaged leadership and a focus on employee culture to succeed. All of these are passions of mine as they pertain to communications and marketing. I know that communication, collaboration, and persistence are key. Even the most conservative NGOs are willing to work with the ‘most hated’ companies in the world when they see that you are authentic and share their values to ‘leave things better than when you found them’.

So, what am I up to now? Just over a year ago, a former colleague asked me to recommend an agency for a project. I thought about it for a hot minute and then said, “I can do it”! And out popped bRand Communications & Consulting (bRCC). Clients include Honeywell, the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Chipotle and Mars Petcare. I specialize in internal/executive and sustainability communications but also support clients for external branding and media relations.

Regarding my leadership and communications style, I believe in “it’s not you it’s us”. For me, it isn’t about personally winning it is about empowering my teams to win together. I once heard a leader say “having our senior people looking at their shoes on the elevator is not acceptable anymore”. I’ve always agreed with that approach and truly believe that everyone plays an important role and should feel that way if I am doing my job as a leader.