"Michael is a true change agent. When he joined AVA.ai, we were primarily focused on the automotive sector. We needed to reposition our business from a product marketing, branding, demand generation and digital perspective. Michael worked his magic, and literally just six-weeks later, we re-launched as Conversica, with a refined vision and focus. Michael managed, orchestrated and designed the entire re-launch and quickly, established us as the enterprise solution and a trusted strategic partner of Salesforce.com.
He holds the rare ability to be strategic, yet is also tactical and in-the-weeds, polished, effective and got us significant ROI results. I would highly recommend him."
Ben Brigham
Founder, Chairman and Former CEO
Conversica
March 2019 - Reference
"Michael is a strategic thinker by nature; is effective at influence, cross functional teamwork and tough conversations. Michael can lead change management by example and is accountable for the results. He is an outstanding problem solver. He sees puzzles to solve through collaboration and creativity, offers solutions in and outside his organization. Michael builds successful cadences that have aligned strategies, goals, MBOs, customer metrics and stakeholder outcomes. He is extremely analytical, yet with balanced creativity and risk taking as well. Highly collaborative and builds cross functional teamwork. He was able to turn three organizations labelled the "bad news bears" into one high performance team."
David Enright
Chief Operating Officer
Perry Ellis International
November 2018 - Reference
"Michael is a game changer, highly entrepreneurial and creative, analytical by nature, technically savvy, cross functional effective and strategic. Michael sees five steps ahead. He is a solid influencer and great at early stage companies with minimum resources. He follows gorilla marketing when needed as well as "frugal" and selective with resource investments. Michael is understated, humble, analytical, customer centered and curious by nature. He created fans out of employees as well as executives. He has been influential with product category analysts by being a "sincere" influencer."
Gus Cunningham
Former, Chief Operating Officer
Prolexic Technologies
November 2018 - Reference
"Michael is highly inspirational and motivational to work for. He is an outstanding team builder, collaborator, creative genius and a customer centric leader. Michael drives leadership and market penetration. He does not copy the competition, but innovates instead by constantly challenging the norm and best practice through differentiation. He hires and develops winning teams. Even as a consultant, he integrated a dysfunctional team into a high-performing machine by making tough, yet necessary changes when alignment and teamwork were not working."
Rebecca Bradley Dreyfuss
Former, VP eCommerce Merchandising
Perry Ellis International
November 2018 - Reference
"Michael's strengths are in disruption in the marketplace. He is very advanced in digital marketing, branding and GTM (go-to-market) strategies. He has outstanding foresight and built plans to exceed the established market expectations. He is continually engaged and is known as a "first mover" in markets. Michael is hard working, dedicated, creative, risk oriented and a "straight shooter". Michael is driven by data, he's not a "cookie cutter" type of marketer, highly entrepreneurial and one who sets high standards, while remaining highly inclusive and collaborative - his energy is contagious."
Gordon Barker
President and Creative Director
Barking Dog Communications
November 2018 - Reference
"Michael is optimistic, analytical, strategic and a quick study of new markets. He is also a developer of people, and many of his former employees have gone on to do great things in their careers, thanks to Michael's mentorship and guidance. He is a problem solver of puzzles, especially when new ways of marketing and demand generation are needed to differentiate and leave the "rest of the pack" behind. He sets high standards, is loyal, collaborative, creative, innovative, resourceful, strategic, results-oriented and has high personal credibility. He adopts quickly and leads new approaches in different previously unknown industries with enormous success."
Carmi Kobren
President & CEO
Unique Specialities, Inc.
November 2018 - Reference
“Michael Donner worked for me for over 6 months in a consultant role. Michael brought clarity, strategy and vision to the marketing role. He is a take-charge person who is able to present creative ideas and communicate benefits. He successfully developed several integrated marketing campaigns for Thales and completed a thorough analysis of our web presence providing the input needed to execute against a new web strategy. In addition, Michael also reinvented our inside sales function and assumed a leadership role within the sales domain relative to our marketing and inside sales efforts. Michael would be an asset to your organization.”
Cynthia Provin
President
Thales e-Security
August 2011 - Reference Letter
“Michael was responsible for overseeing and integrating the Inside Sales and Marketing teams. He created a closed loop system that generated over $26 Million in opportunities. Having worked with him closely, I can attest that he creates measurable positive results. Michael knows the importance of motivating people to achieve objectives, and is able to form a healthy balance to ensure the most timely and effective demand generation programs. The people that surround him are inspired by his work ethic and integrity. Michael would be a tremendous asset to your company and comes with the highest endorsement I’m able to offer.”
Gina Marquez
Field Marketing Manager - Americas
Thales e-Security
August 2011 - Reference Letter
“Michael’s passion and drive helped us propel our company to new heights of industry visibility. Having run below the radar for many years, we were now competing head-to-head with billion dollar healthcare IT competitors. These competitors, who did not see us as a threat, previously, were now forced to write position papers in an attempt to keep their own customers from substituting IntelliDOT technology for their own offerings. Michael also used his influence and connections to favorably position us with organizations like CHIME and HIMSS, where we had no previous inroads. He also secured speaking slots at their meetings, quotes in their releases and visibility in the C-suites of hospitals. He used these same techniques with analyst firms and successfully got Gartner to recognize our company and the significance of our products to patient safety in hospitals.”
Gerry Forth
Founder and Former Chairman and CEO
IntelliDOT Corporation
April 2009 - Reference Letter
“Michael has an amazing capacity to evaluate, design and execute an effective plan for expanding a company’s visibility in the marketplace and build an effective pipeline for creating qualified leads for the sales team….Michael has an impressive ability to have a huge impact with modest resources, using electronic media channels and professional contacts to reach key decision makers….He is a dynamic leader with an excellent work ethic.”
Rick Johnson
Product Development Manager
IntelliDOT Corporation
April 2009 - Reference Letter
“Being a small, VC-backed start-up, getting prime time visibility is usually just a dream – but not to Michael Donner. From day one, you saw this passion and relentless drive to make us known not just in the medical community but also with the general public….I don’t know how he did it but we got national exposure not only on Oprah but every major market also ran stories – all without a PR agency and without a PR budget. But that is Michael – always figuring a marketing angle and strategy to drive sales.”
Gregory Thomas
Senior Manager, Development and QA
IntelliDOT Corporation
April 2009 – Reference Letter
“Michael’s energy, passion and leadership was really appreciated by us in the field….I would highly recommend Michael if your company is looking for a change agent – one who comes in makes a positive and immediate impact and really boosts employee morale.”
Lu Ann Strellner, RN, MAS, BC
Senior Clinical Nurse Consultant
IntelliDOT Corporation
April 2009 – Reference Letter
“Michael is a dedicated employee who brought focus and a clear marketing plan to a once little known organization - IntelliDOT now ranks #1 in KLAS for its Barcode Point of Care systems in hospitals. Through Michael’s efforts, IntelliDOT has received national recognition in several healthcare publications as well as exposure on the Oprah Winfrey television program in early 2009. IntelliDOT lost a gem when Michael left and I would be happy to work alongside him again in the future.”
Michael Kurtz
Director of Sustaining Engineering
IntelliDOT Corporation
April 2009 - Reference Letter
“I have been particularly impressed with Michael in his approach to developing new campaigns for our products….As Michael designed new campaigns he sought out our clinical experts and engaged them in fact finding to fully understand how our products impacted the clinician as well as the overall industry. As a clinician, this aspect of Michael’s work ethics impressed me as so often in our industry the products do not represent what the marketing materials say….Michael is one of the most persistent and diligent people I have seen. The amount of work he turns out is very impressive and at times I wondered if he ever rests.”
Sue Ann Benner, RN, MBA
Senior Project Manager
IntelliDOT Corporation
April 17, 2009 – Reference Letter
“Michael is a take-charge person who is able to assess a business challenge and quickly present strategic, tactical and creative solutions. He has successfully developed several global demand generation and integrated marketing programs for our company. Prior to Michael, we would consistently compete on price alone. Michael helped us uncover our competitive differentiation and launched new messaging, positioning and value propositions that enabled us to take cost as the sole differentiator out of the equation. As a result of these initiatives, we have been able to increase our revenue and profits, have attained unprecedented exposure with global technology analysts and advisors and media and significantly increased our pipeline. These efforts are a direct result of Michael’s leadership and strategies.”
Robbie Brillhart
VP, Global Head, Customer Care and Intelligence
Capgemini
January 2008 - Reference Letter
“From day one, Michael had a clear ‘helicopter view’ of Capgemini’s global marketing challenges and quickly implemented programs to improve demand generation and build stronger linkages to sales. He worked very collaboratively with the global and regional marketing and sales teams to help educate, train and further mentor their marketing programs to be successful….Michael has brought a lot of innovation to the marketing side of Capgemini….If you require a collaborative senior marketing executive who can quickly analyze a business challenge and roll-up his sleeves to deliver concrete, creative and bottom-line results, I would highly recommend Michael.”
Marco de Ruiter
Marketing Communications Leader and Global Marketing
Capgemini
January 2008 - Reference Letter
“Michael is the ultimate marketing professional. He is creative, intelligent, persistent, diligent and incredibly savvy. He is extremely dedicated and always strives to deliver his best and motivates others to perform at the highest levels. He constantly keeps the best interests of his employer in mind and has advanced the thinking and practices of every marketing organization he has joined.”
Elizabeth Trimble
President
Trimble Marketing and Communications
January 2008 - Reference Letter
“Michael Donner is a difference maker. In my mind – one of the best hires we have made. Before Donner, the AOS (Americas Outsourcing Solutions) service line with the highest GOP (gross operating profit) and contribution margin; and the highest revenue amongst NA BPO was struggling for identity within Capgemini, not to mention in the external marketplace. Donner has changed all of that in a very short time. With Donner leading the demand generation charge, I feel more confident in the future of Capgemini BPO.”
Chad King
Sr. Director, Customer Care and Intelligence
Capgemini
October 2007 - Performance Feedback Evaluation
“Michael’s ability to spend a small amount of time with the delivery team understanding our offers, abilities and goals is easily turned into a first class marketing tool. His design and attention to detail is impeccable. Michael is very efficient when it comes to working with the Service Line Leaders and gaining an understanding of the offers and benefits. Often times in the past working with the marketing team the demand on the service line lead is substantial in order to educate and even write the offer description…Michael demonstrates highly professional and impactful leadership attributes. He recognizes business priorities and delivers with urgency.”
Brenda Heath
VP, NA BPO
Capgemini
October 2007 - Performance Feedback Evaluation
“Michael effectively guided us through a difficult time of dramatic change within the company and the industry. Michael came to Eclipsys without prior Health Care Information Technology (HIT) experience but proved to be a very fast learner….Michael took control of a disorganized, undisciplined marketing department and applied a professional disciplined management….I would describe Michael as an effective professional marketing executive who created an overall vision and strategy, executed that vision, measured the effect and adjusted the marketing campaigns based on measured results.”
Richard P. Mansour, M.D.
Chief Medical Information Officer
Eclipsys Corporation
May 21, 2006 – Reference Letter
“Having 20 years in the vendor informatics market, I have been involved in numerous national and international marketing events and projects. To date, Michael Donner has been the most innovative, energetic marketing officer that I have encountered. His creativity and innovations helped us achieved a “most dynamic improvement” from HIMSS 2005-2006, the industry’s most critical tradeshow and technical association.”
Diana Lehmkuhl, RN, MHA
Director, Product Consultants
Eclipsys Corporation
May 2006 - Reference Letter
“Michael’s intelligence, diligent work ethic, communication skills, and impeccable writing prowess are some of his major key attributes.”
Michael G. Smeraski
SVP, Global Enterprise Sales
Eclipsys Corporation
May 2006 - Reference Letter
“I worked with Michael for the past 2 years seeing first hand the impact he made in our marketing departments success. His talent and professionalism built a results- oriented marketing department from the ground up. Due to his long hours and dedication he overhauled the entire corporate messaging, go-to-market strategy and collateral/sales tools including creating more than 15 customer success stories showcasing client ROI using Eclipsys products and services….Michael is an intelligent and motivated individual; he works well with all levels of management.”
Linda Uhlick
VP, Data Center Operations
Eclipsys Corporation
May 2006 – Reference Letter
“Michael’s marketing prowess was something that I have never seen or experienced. He took a team with little direction and literally transformed the department and raised the level of output beyond anyone’s expectations. His ability to capture the core message of the company and creatively bring it alive was impressive. He listened intently and then acted. He was able to see the whole picture and link and integrate various requests into a more complete package. His work is impeccable. I have never seen passion and a work ethic like Michael’s. He worked side by side with his staff. He was always there, not asking anymore than he himself was willing to offer….Michael was well respected by customers, employees and fellow executives for his work, contributions and always helpful attitude and professional demeanor.”
Bonnie Wesorick, RN, MSN
EVP, Founder/CEO CPM Resource Center
Eclipsys Corporation
May 1, 2006 – Reference Letter
“Michael is energetic, enthusiastic and highly creative. His marketing knowledge, take-charge attitude and hands-on experience was the best of anyone I have ever worked with. He would constantly exceed all of my expectations no matter what project I gave him….During his tenure at Eclipsys, Michael greatly improved the caliber of the personnel in the marketing group, was very fair and honest with his staff, and was never afraid to make hard decisions or suggest novel and creative ideas to solve problems….The marketing programs he implemented helped create a new level of professionalism and competitive differentiation for the company.”
Russ Rudish
EVP, Sales, Marketing and Customer Solutions
Eclipsys Corporation
April 2006 – Reference Letter
“From my perspective, prior to Michael Donner, we had an average marketing department compared to others in the Healthcare Information Technology market. But upon Michael’s arrival I saw an entirely new level of strategic and results- oriented marketing and communications develop that began to take us to a new level of recognition in the marketplace. Michael brought discipline and expertise to our organization to help cultivate the current staff and expand into areas we have not ventured previously. His organizational skills and team efforts were outstanding….Michael is truly a team player – always available when you needed him and always willing to help us be successful no matter what we would ask of him. And when he needed something to help drive a program or company initiative, his approach to you was always one of partnership.”
Jim Reed
VP, Product Services
Eclipsys Corporation
April 2006 – Reference Letter
“Mr. Donner’s focus was always on the needs of the customer/user. He continually solicited feedback from us regarding the impact of potential solutions/opportunities would influence potential customers. This represents a company leader who not only listens to the customer, but who proactively pursues their opinion for consideration in this decision making process. To me, this is critical behavior in a world that is customer driven.”
Kathryn Lafser
Abbott Laboratories
October 12, 2004 - Customer Reference Letter
“We had recently acquired five companies but our marketing and communications were totally ineffective. Michael jumped right in and started building integrated campaigns to help revive sales and profitability. He began to establish contact with media and analysts who never knew who Telelogic was….From a marketing communications perspective he got the non-existent lead pipeline flowing once again. Michael rolled out the highest quality “tools” to equip the sales force to go up against the competition and actually win….Michael was also a great leader and always was willing to help a fellow-colleague or customer when they called – no matter how busy or where ever he was traveling around the world – he always put the interests of the company and our customers first. Michael also had a tremendous energy and a positive perspective – I honestly do not know how he found the time to do everything he did each day – his output was tremendously high, and yet at the same time, excellent quality.”
Paul Raymond
VP, Product Management
Telelogic AB
September 20, 2004 – Reference Letter
“Professionally, I have never met anyone who works harder, more diligently and with more focus. Michael is incredibly results-oriented and his programs always move the needle in terms of customer acquisition and retention. Personally, he is of exceptional charter and beyond reproach ethically.”
Howard Solomon
EVP
Ruder-Finn
August 23, 2004 - Reference Letter
“I have worked with Michael Donner for the last 3 years while he was at Telelogic. In that time, Michael worked tirelessly to build up a marketing program where truly none existed before.”
Phil Bush
VP, Strategic Accounts and Alliances
Telelogic AB
August 19, 2004 – Reference Letter
“Michael’s ability and skills are extraordinary. He oversaw the full scope of business-to-business marketing tools and immediately spotted opportunities to enhance our awareness, to improve our positioning and drive lead generation initiatives. Despite the load of daily activities, which he managed extremely reliable, he never lost sight of our mid and long-term vision and supporting marketing projects and initiatives….Michael was incredibly responsive and always accessible. Despite the fact that we were working together with a 9-hour time difference he was available to talk to me whenever I needed. As a boss, Michael was demanding, but in a positive sense – he had a clear vision what I could accomplish and helped me achieve my objectives with his continuous clear feedback and strong motivation.”
Renate Stuecka
Director, Editorial and Publishing
Telelogic AB
August 2004 - Reference Letter
“I was extremely impressed with Michael’s strategic initiatives, which, I believe, successfully imprinted a high visibility and effective brand identity for the company in markets throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Both the creative theme and execution of these marketing campaigns can be attributed to Michael’s vision of Telelogic’s brand proposition and his comprehension of the complex and diverse global audience….Michael Donner is a highly professional and savvy marketer who would be an asset to any company.”
Paul Battaglia
SVP/Partner
Slack Barshinger, Inc.
July 23, 2004 – Reference Letter
“Michael is always willing to help and support customers as well as colleagues. He has a strong work ethic and takes pride in a job well done.”
Sara J. Martin
Raytheon Company
July 20, 2004 – Customer Reference Letter
“At Telelogic, Michael helped the company evolve from a peripheral player with minimal market presence to a recognized leader alongside IBM, Borland and Computer Associates. As a direct result of Michael’s strategic planning skills and marketing savvy, Telelogic is now “on the radar” of leading companies worldwide, industry analyst groups, and the global media – despite having a fraction of the marketing resources that its competitors enjoy. Another of Michael’s key qualities is his incredible dedication – to his employer and employees. Time and time again, he has put company first in order to complete a project, meet a deadline, or oversee an event. Michael has excellent leadership and organizational skills, can handle pressure, and works well with a wide range of people from senior executives and administrative staff to media, analysts and vendors. In addition, Michael is very committed to his staff. He has the rare ability to foster a “team” environment and has helped his staff achieve their full potential.”
Gordon Barker
President/Creative Director
Barking Dog Communications
July 2, 2004 – Reference Letter
“I have always known him to embrace the highest of ethical standards, and his honesty and integrity are above reproach as well….Michael is a very focused individual and works with great intent and purpose. He has the ability to not only handle the complexities of his position, but to multitask as well. Demanding a lot from his staff and even more from himself. He is a tireless worker. So it comes as no surprise that the companies he has worked for in the past invariably adopt his long-term vision and develop a team-oriented determination that is central to any organization achieving its marketing goals….Michael is a leader, an individual who commands and gives respect, and someone who always enjoys creative challenges and responsibilities. He would be a welcome addition to any corporation striving for the slight edge that is often so elusive – a senior marketing executive with a vision and purpose.”
Barnet Levinson
President
Barnet Levinson Design
July 2004 - Reference Letter
“Michael’s relentless energy and enthusiasm were remarkable – you would have thought we had 50 people in the marketing department to just run the sheer volume of integrated direct response, seminars, trade shows, media and analyst relations and telemarketing programs Michael created. I was always amazed by his ability to deliver so much with such limited budgets, bandwidth and sheer volume of accountabilities that he managed. I was also impressed with his capacity to inspire, motivate and train his staff and his team player mindset. Michael’s campaigns were always highly strategic, well-positioned and delivered measurable results for the investments. No matter what the challenge, Michael always excelled beyond my expectations. I truly believe Michael is a rare find for a company in need of a strategic executive to run marketing. He will not only meet – but I guarantee exceed your expectations and help deliver your company to a new level of competitiveness and profitability.”
Don Ganguly
Co-Chairman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Nexgenix, Inc.
December 8, 2000 - Reference Letter
“Michael is an amazing person. His focus and energy will inspire you. His work ethic is unparalleled. His vision and intelligence are a sight to behold….Speaking of building, Michael Donner’s reason for being, work-wise, is building brands and a company’s brand assets and stock price. He is a gem.”
Chuck Carlberg
President and CEO
Rives Carlberg
May 4, 2000 – Reference Letter
“Michael’s attitude is stellar. He is a confident leader and an excellent communicator, skilled at achieving goals and objectives, using his excellent skills to create communications strategies that catapult the growth of his organization. His enthusiasm, drive and professionalism give him the unique ability to pull together high-performance teams that achieve team goals in record time….In my 30-plus years it has been rare to work with such a bright, talented and self-motivated professional.”
Alice Michalec
EVP and GM
Rives Carlberg
May 4, 2000 – Reference Letter
“Michael is an intelligent communications professional with a strongly developed work ethic. He sets high standards for himself and the work he and his associates produce. Mr. Donner is strong in all communications disciplines. He takes pride in the development and successful applications of his strategies. Michael is gifted with the ability to take complex technical information and translate it into layman’s language.”
Jared Paisely
EVP, Advertising
FWJ Communications
December 1999 – Reference Letter
“He is a consummate and brilliant communications professional when it comes to analyzing the competitive marketplace, identifying both external and internal communication and marketing needs, implementing new vehicles and approaches to meet those needs, and dealing with the media. He is also a prodigious worker, as can be seen from the sheer volume of communications projects he undertook during his tenure with Solectron, and the positive industry and media attention he helped to focus on that huge but previously largely-overlooked company. In a skillful balancing act, he managed to absorb, translate and share the key points of Solectron’s complex, high-technology success story, while finding ways to use those same points to inform, motivate and unify the company’s global workforce. I am confident Michael Donner would be a valuable asset to any company or organization looking for a senior communications professional who can develop “big picture” strategies and deliver them with the “grass roots” touch.”
Janet Bliss, APR
Janet Bliss Communications, Inc.
December 8, 1999 – Reference Letter
“As a writer and editor, I have specialized in employee communications for over a decade, and I was impressed with Michael’s knowledge in this area. The Associates newsletter was a new endeavor for Solectron but from day one, Michael had a clear, defined concept of what the publication should be. He constantly came up with excellent creative concepts not only for the newsletter, but also for other projects we worked on together….On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoyed working with Michael. I found him personable, easy to approach and extremely supportive. On all of our projects, he was receptive to my input, and we worked together to clarify numerous ideas and concerns. He was always available, even on weekends and evenings, to provide me with clarification and direction. Throughout our working relationship, I was impressed with Michael’s ability to handle a multitude of different and often high-pressure assignments at the same time.”
Norma Ramage
President
The Communications Doctor
December 6, 1999 – Reference Letter
“Michael was very professional, reliable, easy to work with, and most importantly, effective in his role. I can also state that the people on the Silicon Graphics team that worked on these projects with Michael also had a universally high opinion of him as a person and of his work….Additionally, Michael was able to get the attention of the oil industry press in ways that the Silicon Graphics team had not been able to in the past. This resulted in a successful launch of the new product and several very effective follow on PR opportunities for both companies.”
Ronald D.Y. Uchida
Manager, Geoscience Markets
Silicon Graphics
August 1997 - Reference Letter
“Michael had an enormous task before him, right from the start. He was responsible not only for an entirely new corporate identity campaign, but also for media relations and production of marketing collateral. Frankly, I have not met many people who could handle as many jobs at one time, with as many details, as Michael. Demands on his time were quite intense, but he managed to keep up. He was always conscious of both costs and creative quality….Despite having no background in the energy industry, he established relationships with key editors of trade publications, and succeeded in getting Landmark considerable exposure on a regular basis industry wide….After spending nine years with the company myself, I can honestly say that Landmark could be a gruelingly disorganized place to work. Yet Michael managed to bring considerable order to the chaos of corporate marketing/communications in these rather difficult circumstances. I always admired his ability to accomplish so much with so little direction on so many projects.”
Jay Valusek
Corporate Writer
Landmark Graphics Corporation
August 13, 1997 – Reference Letter
“….Mr. Donner was always one of the most cooperative and helpful press contacts with whom I regularly spoke….He rapidly and repeatedly exceeded my requests and was always very ready to help develop fresh angles on stories….In addition, he was always very gracious in his treatment of the press….He truly sought to build a bridge to the editorial community to best meet both side’s needs.”
Bob Jarvis
Publisher
Hart Publications, Inc.
June 22, 1997 – Reference Letter
“In a short time Michael became the “star” of Landmark. Anything new and exciting that was created at Landmark, was the result of Michael’s hard work. Michael set very high standards for the company and for himself, and was able to meet these standards consistently. Anytime I needed a new and creative advertising campaign for Latin America, I went to Michael for guidance and advice. But every time I talked with Michael, I received much more than advice…Michael is the type of person who takes charge and gets quality projects accomplished at an amazing speed.”
Alexandra Jordan
Marketing Manager, Latin America Operations
Landmark Graphics Corporation
June 18, 1997 – Reference Letter
“I worked on many projects in cooperation with Michael Donner and his corporate communications team. Michael was always extremely professional, creative, and meticulous about his marketing work. His decisions were wise and carefully considered, and he was a diligent worker to ensure that projects met their deadlines. It was a pleasure working with him.”
Sara Stewart Watters
Marketing Director for Support and Integration
Landmark Graphics Corporation
June 18, 1997 – Reference Letter
“Mr. Donner is an exceedingly capable manager. I was impressed with the way he delegated responsibility to subordinates.…I observed on many occasions in which Mr. Donner provided effective leadership for his teams by setting clear goals, providing encouragement and reinforcing achievement. Moreover, when working by himself, Mr. Donner was an example of what a marketing professional at his or her best ought to be. Detail oriented, Mr. Donner was careful to insure that all marketing materials conveyed precisely the impression they were created to convey….I found Mr. Donner to be easy going, reasonable and fair. Though he always had high expectations for my company and others with whom he worked, he also understand the practicalities of the business world….Mr. Donner got a lot done simply by listening, by looking for the positive in each situation and treating each problem as a challenge and opportunity to surpass all that had come before.”
Carmi Kobren
President and CEO
Unique Specialties, Inc.
June 17, 1997 – Reference Letter
“I can say I have the highest regards for his work ethic and professionalism in every situation….His efforts helped fortify the strong corporate image of Landmark as the leading supplier of software solutions for the oil and gas industry. Through his contacts in the field and understanding of our mission, Mr. Donner was directly responsible for creating many opportunities for Landmark to promote our technology and market leadership. His ability to translate “high tech” products into a “value proposition” for the customer has been a huge asset to me in promoting my product line.”
Mark Lance
Product Marketing Manager
Landmark Graphics Corporation
June 17, 1997 – Reference Letter
“Michael developed a plan and a campaign that helped us explain and position ourselves against IBM in the marketplace. As part of the campaign, Michael developed relationships with key industry analysts including Gartner, Meta, Forrester and others. Despite the fact that we did not have service contracts with them he convinced them to write about XDB and endorse our technology….Michael has the rare ability to manage a multitude of tasks simultaneously and his attention to detail is impeccable. Michael has the ability to access a situation and come up with creative and innovative approaches to accomplishing a task or project. His commitment and initiative are unsurpassed.”
Bernard Lasen
Manager, Marketing Communications
Excalibur Technologies
June 13, 1997 – Reference Letter
“Michael had the very challenging assignment of creating a new corporate image for Landmark. His integrated marketing plan combined advertising, public relations, packaging, collateral and a variety of innovative strategies which successfully re-vamped the entire look and image of the company….Michael consistently produced exceptional work. Michael has the reputation of being an incredibly hard worker who set himself very high standards and met them each and every time. He is known for his ability to come up with creative, strategic ideas and execute them at breakneck speed….I personally, was inspired by Michael’s hard work, commitment and his selfless ability to lend his expertise to others….His name is synonymous with quality, creativity and innovation”
Lori Sorensen
Marketing Coordinator, The Americas Organization
Landmark Graphics Corporation
May 10, 1997 – Reference Letter
“To sum this man up in two words is really quite easy – “hire him”…. In addition to being an extremely intelligent and well-organized individual, Michael was also most willing to jump into a project and do all of the “grunt work” and research that is necessary to help us create a strong foundation for our new business presentations. He is a very quick learner and has a rare ability to be able to assess a situation, understand what it is we are trying to accomplish, and to move rapidly into action.”
Robert M. Campbell
President
The Campbell Group, Advertising
August 28, 1992 - Reference Letter
“I was greatly impressed with Michael’s ability to work independently. He has excellent research skills and common sense along with creativity to think through problems….Michael has good organizational skills and is extremely attentive to detail. His disposition is friendly and he can laugh at his mistakes and takes things in stride. Michael has demonstrated that he is a quick learner and is willing to do what ever it took to accomplish a job.”
Lisa M. Schuler
VP/Production
The Campbell Group, Advertising
August 28, 1992 - Reference Letter
Case Study 1: Kennet Partners
Kennet is a leading international growth equity firm that invests in companies in Europe and North America. Kennet supports entrepreneurial technology businesses with expansion capital to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value. Kennet is an experienced investor with approximately $700 million in funds under management.
Below is Blog written by Javier Rojas, managing director at Kennet.
I wanted to blog about a recent webinar we hosted on online marketing.
By background, we often run across Founders/CEOs with two related concerns or complaints:
1) “I need more revenue from my sales people to grow more quickly” and,
2) “I am frustrated that my marketing investments are unproductive or hard to measure.”
We recently found an effective solution in the analytics based marketing program deployed by one of our most successful companies, Prolexic, having achieved annual revenue per rep exceeding $2M.
To discuss how the program works, Kennet hosted a webinar to discuss how the CMO, Michael Donner was able to drive such rapid revenue growth, currently 100%, with a relatively modest marketing budget.
Below is the link to the webinar where he walks through the magic. I will summarize some of my observations in a few key bullets.
- Expertise/Executer- Hire a seasoned professional to head your marketing group. Many CEOs try to save money here by hiring a junior person and the result is inexperience leading to poor results. However, experience is not enough and you also need to hustle. Check out the webinar to hear what a seasoned, performance-oriented marketing executive should commit to in order to launch an effective program.
- Strategic Message - Start with a key strategic message: what is the pain point in the market that you address that is topical in the media and will secure attention for your content campaign. For Prolexic it is denial of service attacks but every one of our companies has a hot button topic around which they can use to build their campaigns.
- Thought Leadership - Capture the intellectual high ground in the market. The internet is really optimized for companies to create a “virtual pulpit” from which to frame the market and explain where it is going. Look for proprietary data to help create thought leadership. Prolexic was able to use data of attack activities across its customer base to become a bellwether for the industry through its quarterly industry attack report. What data do you have that would allow you to influence the global discussion about your market? This webinar is an excellent example of the merits of this approach.
- Measure/Analyze/Correct - Build a suite of SaaS offerings (amazingly inexpensive!) to manage the output, collect and measure inbound interest, and track leads by source to quantify and amplify successful programs.
The program outlined here was launched with about $1M of annual investment though the project had a 6-month success hurdle before more funding was allocated. For companies with a $15M revenue run rate, a similar program represents 7% of revenue, scaling down with growth after a $100M revenue, and should deliver a sizable return on investment. While simply hiring more sales people often sounds appealing, increasing the revenue per rep is critical to scaling a high growth company and this requires successful marketing.
Famous Quote…..
“Unless your campaign has a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night”
David Ogilvy in Confessions of an Advertising man
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Best Practice Executive Briefing - Driving Revenue Growth Through Analytical Marketing
I want to share the following WebEx recording with you.
Case Study 2: Camden Partners
Camden Partners, founded in 1995, is a Baltimore-based private equity firm providing growth capital to lower-middle market emerging companies in the technology-enabled Business Services, Healthcare and Education sectors. Since its founding in 1995, they have raised five funds that have deployed growth capital to over 70 companies, generating 11 IPOs and 21 sales to strategic and financial buyers.
