Al Klein – The Insightful & Innovative Mind
Al has an impressive track record of creating strategy and innovation for some of the world’s most powerful brands. He’s a versatile senior executive, who has demonstrated a unique combination of creativity and operating savvy to generate more than a billion dollars of revenue growth in his career.
Al began his career at Cadbury, where he quickly made his mark in both the market research and new product development areas. He helped introduce several successful products to the U.S. market, including Cadbury’s Creme Eggs, which became a top selling product during the Easter season. Only a year removed from Business School, Al was promoted to lead Cadbury’s North American market research and business analysis group where he pioneered a range of new techniques for Cadbury.
Al left Cadbury to begin a career at PepsiCo. Al’s 18 years at PepsiCo reflect an impressive series of accomplishments; He initiated and led PepsiCo’s first Global Consumer Strategy Group, encompassing strategy leaders in eight different countries. He also led Innovation for four years, resulting in the development and introduction of several successful new Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Tropicana products and packages. Much of the success of these initiatives is attributed to Al’s ability to effectively work with R&D, operations and finance groups to ensure viability, as well as with retail and distribution networks to negotiate favorable deals. CJ Fraleigh, ex-PepsiCo marketing VP and currently COO of Sara Lee North America, says “Al and I worked together for many years; his ability to blend strategic thinking with creativity to drive results is unmatched”
Al moved to the Agency side after his PepsiCo career, to become Executive Vice-President, Client Development for TracyLocke, an Omnicom Company. He was responsible for leading successful new business efforts that resulted in assignments for three new Fortune 500 clients for TracyLocke. Upon winning the Nokia business, Al took responsibility for leadership of the account, broadening his exposure in the mobile technology space to encompass both the manufacturer and retailer/carrier sides of the business.
Al recently joined Lon Schwear and Martha Pease to found Ozz, an advisory resource to business that uniquely bridges the worlds of strategy and creativity to deliver viable growth ideas to clients.
“Al’s unique blend of insight, strategy and innovation, tempered with an ability to get things done, makes him an incredibly valuable resource both inside and outside a company” Scott Moffitt; SVP/GM, Personal Care, Dial Corporation.
Al lives in Newtown, Ct. with his wife Karen. His two children, Allison and Michael, attend college. In addition to several volunteer initiatives, Al has coached both basketball and soccer, and plays his Blackie Fender Stratocaster in his spare time.
He received his BA in English from Binghamton University and his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
