Catherine Kaputa

From Madison Avenue to Wall Street to the halls of academe, Catherine Kaputa perfected her ability to market products, places, and companies. She learned brand strategy from marketing Hall of Famer Al Ries, and then led the award-winning "I ♥ NY" campaign at Wells, Rich, Greene. For over ten years she was SVP, Director of Advertising and Community Affairs at Citi Smith Barney, and she later taught branding and advertising at New York University's Stern School of Business.

Yet Catherine discovered that the most important application for branding is not for products - it's for individuals to define and own their career identity and create their own performance success. That's why she launched SelfBrand LLC, a New York City-based personal branding company and wrote the award-winning book, "You Are a BRAND! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success," winner of the Ben Franklin award for Best Career Book 2007 and a bronze IPPY award. Catherine’s subsequent work, "The Female Brand, Using the Female Mindset to Succeed in Business," serves as a foundation for her talks on female leadership and branding, addressing the creation of more female leaders and the complexities of gender in leadership roles.

After all, corporate icons and star entertainers all understand what it takes to be in control and in demand - a unique brand. In her talks and workshops, Kaputa shows you how to use principles from the commercial world of brands and apply them to the best asset - you. She covers a broad range of topics including personal marketing plans, effective communication, pitching, selling, and the use of personal branding to close sales. Her sessions are tailored to the needs of the group and industry, incorporating case studies and the latest research, particularly focusing on the impact of social media on marketing and branding.

Catherine has spoken at a diverse array of organizations as part of talent development, sales training, motivational and client meetings, and diversity and women's initiatives. Her speaking and workshop clients include prestigious companies and institutions such as Google, PepsiCo, Microsoft, and Harvard University. She has been featured on platforms like CNN, NBC, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and Fortune. Catherine holds a BA from Northwestern University, an MA from the University of Washington, and was a Ph.D. Candidate at Harvard University.