Heather Forsythe

Current

Director of Marketing, PayCycle (purchased by Intuit 7/09) at Intuit

Past

Director, Worldwide Corporate Marketing at SanDisk
Director, Brand Marketing & Communications, LeapFrog SchoolHouse at LeapFrog Enterprises
Director, Marketing Communications at Shaklee Corp.

Director of Marketing at AllAdvantage
Management Supervisor (Del Monte, California Milk Advistory Board) at McCann-Erickson
Sr. Account Executive (Philip Morris, Fruit of the Loom) at Leo Burnett

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Education

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
Stanford University

Recommended

14 people have recommended Heather

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Heather Forsythe’s Summary

Heather Forsythe is a senior marketing executive with more than 16 years of leadership experience in both mature and high growth companies. She is skilled in building business and rejuvenating brands by identifying the market opportunity, crafting a vision, developing core strategies, hiring and training talent, and leading high-performing teams.

Heather’s expertise is in strategic planning, product and corporate positioning for global markets, integrated marketing, online marketing, advertising, and PR. Heather’s employers and clients have included Intuit, SanDisk, LeapFrog, Del Monte, Nestlé, Fruit of the Loom, Philip Morris, Shaklee, Leo Burnett and McCann-Erickson.

Prior to her work in marketing, Heather was a financial analyst on Wall Street with investment banking firm Credit Suisse First Boston.

Heather has a BA in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA in Marketing from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Heather Forsythe’s Specialties:

marketing strategy, brand repositioning, advertising, online marketing, ecommerce, direct marketing, marketing communications, public relations, business development and account management

Heather Forsythe’s Experience

Director, Worldwide Corporate Marketing

SanDisk

(Public Company; SNDK; Semiconductors industry)

2007 — 2009 (2 years )

Led worldwide corporate marketing efforts (Americas, EMEA, APAC, Japan) for the $3.5B world leader in flash memory (memory cards, USB drives) and number two brand of MP3 players. Global responsibility for marcom, web site and ecommerce, advertising, packaging, trade shows, and product launch. Supported both retail and OEM divisions. Managed team of 20+.

Developed new brand look & feel, packaging design, and ad campaign to drive brand preference; global research confirmed breakthrough brand recognition and persuasion. Cut packaging unit costs in half while significantly improving consumer perceptions.

Responsible for content strategy, design, architecture, and SEO/SEM for all web properties (36 countries, 14 languages). Developed global ecommerce capabilities.
Director, Brand Marketing & Communications, LeapFrog SchoolHouse

LeapFrog Enterprises

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; LF; Consumer Goods industry)

2004 — 2007 (3 years )

Managed team of 12 in brand strategy and marketing plan development and execution for $50MM education division. Responsible for customer acquisition and retention, strategic marketing partnerships, web site and online marketing (including SEO, SEM), direct marketing, event marketing, promotions, advertising, PR, research, and creative services.

Launched new identity campaign to reposition brand for long-term growth. Increased classroom penetration more than 200% in two years. Collateral developed for the campaign won an Addy Award.

Deployed new web site, LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com, recognized as a top site by The Webby Awards. Launched ecommerce channel and reached break-even in just 3 months.
Director, Marketing Communications

Shaklee Corp.

(Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Health, Wellness and Fitness industry)

2001 — 2003 (2 years )

Developed marketing programs and sales tools to drive business growth for health and wellness industry leader in online and direct channels. Managed team of 25 full-time employees and contractors.

Repositioned Shaklee brand to increase appeal and relevance to a younger consumer. Drove new brand image and positioning consistently across all vehicles—packaging, direct mail, print, online, etc.

Created first-ever direct-to-consumer catalog, producing $2MM in incremental revenue within first 3 months.
Director of Marketing

AllAdvantage

(Privately Held; 501-1000 employees; Internet industry)

1999 — 2001 (2 years )

Developed branding and positioning for Internet Infomediary start-up and created comprehensive marketing plans to increase brand awareness and acquire and retain new customers in 26 countries (6 languages).

Helped grow member base to more than 7MM members in company’s first year using viral and affiliate marketing.
Management Supervisor (Del Monte, California Milk Advistory Board)

McCann-Erickson

(Public Company; 201-500 employees; IPG; Marketing and Advertising industry)

1998 — 1999 (1 year )

Led agency team in design and roll-out of TV, print, radio, outdoor, event and retail programs for CMAB’s “It’s the Cheese” campaign. Resulted in broad awareness and successful branding of “California Cheese”.

Developed and executed an integrated marketing plan for Del Monte, culminating in the company’s first major image campaign in over 10 years.
Sr. Account Executive (Philip Morris, Fruit of the Loom)

Leo Burnett

(Public Company; PUB; Marketing and Advertising industry)

1994 — 1998 (4 years )

Supervised cross-functional agency teams in development and execution of marketing strategies, including strategic positioning, advertising, consumer research, loyalty programs, direct marketing, events, promotions, packaging, and new product concept development. Held positions of increasing client service responsibility for Fortune 500 clients.

Additional Information

Heather Forsythe’s Interests:

Marketing, new media, Web 2.0, social networking, building brands, building teams, adventure travel, national parks, photography, SCUBA diving, biking, hiking, white water rafting, kayaking

Heather Forsythe’s Groups:

Silicon Valley Web Guild, Bay Area Interactive Group (BIG), Lunch 2.0, SF New Tech Meetup, SV New Tech Meetup, LinkedInnovators, My Linkedin Power Forum, Forbes.com, Adventure Travel Trade Association, Southshore Beach and Tennis Club Board of Directors, "Kellogg World" 1993 Class Notes writer