Kim Baker

Kim, what does it mean to be an “engagement lead” with Brand Federation?

I think of the role of engagement lead as being part coach, part teammate, and part sherpa. It is acting as a trusted strategic thought partner to the client, engaging with the Brand Federation team to leverage everyone's collective skills, ideas, and contributions, and doing some of the heavy lifting involved in project execution with the client's end-need in mind - whether that’s doing research, writing reports, or building presentations.  

“Recently a client told us that in their mind, we took them from a start-up to ‘a billion dollar company’ - that impact makes the hard work all worthwhile.”

What about your role do you find most rewarding?

The learning. Every assignment and every time I engage with the Brand Fed team, I learn something new and I love that more than anything. The work we do is so solid and strategically on-point that it's also extremely rewarding when the client responds positively.  Recently a client told us that in their mind, we took them from a start-up to "a billion dollar company" - that impact makes the hard work all worthwhile.  

You’re an entrepreneur, too. Tell us about that, and how does that experience bring value to your work with Brand Federation?

I have a food business and am working on building my own brand: Pro-Chi. It's definitely a challenge to launch a start-up. My company is my playground and gives me the chance to try new things and experiment. That active learning brings a lot of valuable experience and insight to the clients I serve. It also keeps me very grounded in what it takes to make something successful and what failures can teach you. It pushes me to see what I can do and provides a very real sense of what it is like to have skin in the game, which I have learned clients really appreciate. I used to be concerned clients would think of it as a distraction, but I have come to see how useful it is in the work I do for them and have realized how much they respect it.

What interests outside of work do you pursue?

My son is a very big part of my life and my role as a mother is very important to me. I love to cook and have really stepped up my pizza-making skills over the last year or so. I also value being healthy and fit and enjoy travel - especially when it involves good food!

What book are you reading?

I've been reading a book called Ramping Your Brand: How to Ride the Killer CPG Curve.  It's excellent.