Ken Eisner

Current

• CEO & Founder at Stealth e-commerce
• GLG Leader - Top 5% (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) at Gerson Lehrman Group
• Principal at Eisner Consulting

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Past

• Vice President, Marketing & Sales at Shop.org
• Vice President , National Sales Division at Simply Wireless
• Vice President of Marketing at VarsityBooks.com

• President / Founder at Pro Direct Resources
• Licensing and Marketing Manager at National Football League Properties
• Assistant Program Manager at MBI

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3 more...

Education

• Georgetown University - The McDonough School of Business
• Georgetown Public Policy Institute
• Cornell University

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Recommended

13 people have recommended Ken

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Internet

Ken Eisner’s Summary

Results-driven leader and consultant with proven success launching new ventures / projects, opening markets, guiding teams, developing deals, and exceeding ambitious expectations. Skillset includes equal parts strategic, analytic, and creative abilities. Thrive at assisting companies with large growth opportunities and/or facing stiff competition. Decade in senior management in e-commerce and wireless, MBA / MPP, and IPO success.

Ken Eisner’s Specialties:

* E-Commerce, Internet, and New Media
* Mobile Commerce, Mobile Web
* Digital Strategy
* Corporate Strategy / P&L Leadership
* Corporate, Divisional, Team Leadership
* Brand Strategy / Marketing Plans
* Customer Segmentation and Research
* Product Development, Pricing, and Launch
* Operational Management
* Analytics
* Alliances and Deal Negotiation
* Entrepreneurship

Ken Eisner’s Experience

• CEO & Founder

  Stealth e-commerce

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Internet industry)

  July 2007 — Present (1 year 4 months)

  * Online retail firm in Web 2.0/3.0 space
  * Employees and advisors from major e-commerce entities, as Amazon.com and Discovery, on both East and West Coast
  * Raising VC and angel capital

• GLG Leader - Top 5% (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications)

  Gerson Lehrman Group

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Financial Services industry)

  February 2005 — Present (3 years 9 months)

  Member of Gerson Lehrman Group (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications), a pool of experts coordinated in New York, advising investment bankers and research firms on Internet, telecommunications and wireless, and direct marketing / direct response issues. Clients include venture capitalists, investment bankers, and consulting companies.

• Principal

  Eisner Consulting

  (Management Consulting industry)

  February 2001 — Present (7 years 9 months)

  Digital consulting firm specializing in e-commerce, m-commerce, and new media. Develop strategy, research, educate firm, lead teams and IT (as nec), secure partnerships, and execute programs.
  
  With recent mobile developments, huge opptys exist in m-commerce / mobile Web / mobile ad, and we've been retained by several firms, including a top e-commerce platform provider, to develop mobile strategy. E-commerce is also undergoing seismic shifts, and we help capitalize on huge cost savings and ROI gains by managing change, improving or re-platforming website, increasing ad ROI, using Web 2.0, etc.
  
  Sampling of current & past clients:
  
  * Demandware: developing m-commerce strategy for SaaS e-commerce platform provider
  
  * Hillcrest Labs: helped next-gen CE firm determine business model, plot market entry, and secure VC funding
  
  * IBM Global Services: developed eLearning strategy
  
  * Sprint Nextel: helped launch successful Boost mobile and initial data services offerings

• Vice President, Marketing & Sales

  Shop.org

  (Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Internet industry)

  August 2006 — January 2008 (1 year 6 months)

  Shop.org is the e-commerce and multichannel division of the National Retail Federation, and our member base includes companies like Amazon.com, Best Buy eBay, Google, Sears, Yahoo and most of the online and multichannel retailers. I directed the Shop.org brand, ran our membership organization, rolled out new products and services to increase our value proposition to membership, spearheaded international expansion efforts and the incorporation of Web 2.0 into our product offerings, and guided the sales team. In my tenure at Shop.org, we dramatically improved our retention rate from 71% to 81%, increased our sales floor by over 70%, decreased marketing expenses by over 20%, expanded into the European market, and began the process to re-brand the organization.

• Vice President , National Sales Division

  Simply Wireless

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

  September 2004 — August 2006 (2 years)

  Simply Wireless (SW) is one of the largest Cingular, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile distributors, via online, direct mail, DRTV, telemarketing, and 50 retail stores. Role is to guide national marketing, operations, and P&L. Direct all direct marketing efforts; run website, PPC, and SEO; guide IT on all database, online, and campaign management efforts; lead outbound and inbound telemarketing campaigns, including international outsourcing; head up 50-seat internal call center; define competitive and pricing strategy; guide brand development; interface with media; spearhead national partnerships; collaborate on VoIP, WiMAX, and MVNO efforts; and manage / recruit talent. Successes include launching direct mail program with ROI at ~40%, reducing online CPA by 75% and launching new website, increasing call center productivity by 50%, increasing sales in division by 4x, and overhauling entire database.

• Vice President of Marketing

  VarsityBooks.com

  (Public Company; 51-200 employees; VSTY; Internet industry)

  July 1998 — January 2001 (2 years 7 months)

  VBC has 3 core businesses: e-commerce division selling textbooks; e-commerce division outsourcing bookstore operations; creative agency providing college marketing expertise.
  * Devised branding strategy, then integrated online/offline agencies to deliver unified creative strategy across varied media, resulting in #1 top-of-mind brand awareness and most-visited online site among target demo
  * Managed annual marketing budget >$25m, beating revenue and cost expectations in each marketing season, including 75% CPO reduction in final year
  * Targeted marketing plan to financial community to help achieve 2/00 IPO
  * Formulated concept, enlisted partners, and managed IT staff to launch VBC's Scholarship site in <2 months
  * Formulated strategy, delivered presentations, and aided negotiations, resulting in contracts with AT&T Wireless, Palm, Sallie Mae, and 1st revenue of $3m
  * Devised, staffed, and managed internal marketing agency of 10 marketing, creative, technical professionals

• President / Founder

  Pro Direct Resources

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Management Consulting industry)

  August 1993 — February 1997 (3 years 7 months)

  Pro Direct Resources provided corporate and marketing expertise to sports and entertainment industries, primarily licensees. Pro Direct Resources specialized in brand positioning, marketing plans, creative strategies, financial projections, negotiation, licensing, and intellectual property.
  * Retained 75% of initial client base and aggressively acquired new clients, growing revenues at a rate of over 200% in each of its three years in operation
  * Negotiated settlement with sporting league for client, resulting in license retention and royalty reduction
  * Managed P&L, client recruitment, and staff of five personnel
  * Acting Director of Marketing for all-sports TV shopping network SportsFair America Television, where I helped raise $5m in angel funds and premiered 26 shows on SportsChannel USA

• Licensing and Marketing Manager

  National Football League Properties

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Sporting Goods industry)

  June 1992 — July 1993 (1 year 2 months)

  NFL Properties acts as marketing arm for the #2 worldwide licensor, generating revenue through licensing, sponsorship, and television deals. Role was to drive collectible licensing revenue, manage and promote sale of NFL's GameDay trading card line, and introduce first direct-from-NFL direct mail and database program.
  * Developed aggressive new licensee recruitment and support program, increasing revenue by 75%
  * Managed and marketed NFL-owned trading card line and participated in negotiations for eventual sale, resulting in a $5 million divestiture and a boost in royalty payments
  * Acted in concert with sponsorships and promotional departments to utilize athletics, charities, events, and entertainers to make the NFL brand experience "come to life"
  * Devised and defended strategy for direct from NFL collectibles program, resulting in NFL's first direct retailing program, including program title, tiered logo line, and catalog and advertising plan

• Assistant Program Manager

  MBI

  (Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Retail industry)

  June 1990 — June 1992 (2 years 1 month)

  MBI's direct mail offers geared to collectible buyers drive its highly profitable database marketing efforts. Role was to drive ongoing program P&L, create new programs, improve loyalty, and grow membership base.
  * Increased efficiency of direct mail programs, resulting in $8 million in revenue and 40% increase in profit
  * Devised concept, P&L, and marketing plan for two currency programs, both selling out shortly after roll-out
  * Developed pro-formas for each program and managed ongoing program P&L

Ken Eisner’s Education

• Georgetown University - The McDonough School of Business

  MBA, Business, 1998 — 2000

  GPA 3.9
  Class Rank 2/259

  Activities and Societies:

  MBA Scholar
  Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society

• Georgetown Public Policy Institute

  MPP, Public Policy, 1997 — 2000

  3.9 GPA

  Activities and Societies:

  DC Community Policy Fellow
  Public Finance TA

• Cornell University

  BA, Government, English, September 1986 — May 1990

  GPA 3.2

  Activities and Societies:

  Alan Gleitsman Tradition Fellow
  Pi Kappa Alpha
  Student Advisor
  Peer Counselor

Additional Information

Ken Eisner’s Honors:

Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society, MBA Scholar, DC Community Policy Forum Fellow, Public Finance Teaching Assistant, Alan Gleitsman Cornell Tradition Fellow