Ashley Nelson
Company: Cochlear
Title: Search and Social Media Manager
Relationship: Reported to Brian
I had the pleasure of having Brian as my leader while working at Cochlear during his time as the Director of Digital Marketing. Throughout this time Brian transformed the digital ecosystem for Cochlear – collaborating with regional and global partners to create a unified digital voice for the company. More importantly, however, Brian was an incredible leader throughout the organization.
His leadership unites a team, equipping everyone with what they need to thrive while energizing a group to strive for success. His ability marry vision and business goals is unique and allows his team to feel empowered. One thing I admire most about Brian is his ability to care for his employees both professional and personally.
Brian was hands-down one of the best leaders I’ve had the pleasure working for. Anyone would be honored to have him lead their team.
Brad Wittenkellar
Company: Panduit
Title: Director North America Marketing
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
Brian is a rare individual who can effectively engage the full gamut of stakeholders to interpret business requirements and leverage his comprehensive knowledge of digital technology to deliver win-win solutions.
His passion is the deployment of technology and when presented with a new platform, system or tool he dives as deep as required, to ensure the technology supports the business objectives and the project is executed within budget and on-time.
Brian is a “get it done” professional with a vast base of knowledge and experience. He executes strategies to meet tight deadlines, is extremely industrious and is the consummate team player.
Brian’s unique skills, motivation and drive for success make him an asset to any organization seeking the application of technology to grow their business.
Rob Ward
Company: Cherwell Software
Title: Director Marketing Programs
Relationship: Reported to Brian
Brian is a rare individual who can effectively engage the full gamut of stakeholders to interpret business requirements and leverage his comprehensive knowledge of digital technology to deliver win-win solutions.
His passion is the deployment of technology and when presented with a new platform, system or tool he dives as deep as required, to ensure the technology supports the business objectives and the project is executed within budget and on-time.
Brian is a “get it done” professional with a vast base of knowledge and experience. He executes strategies to meet tight deadlines, is extremely industrious and is the consummate team player.
Brian’s unique skills, motivation and drive for success make him an asset to any organization seeking the application of technology to grow their business.
Rohil Pathak
Company: Cochlear
Title: UX Designer
Relationship: Worked in Brian’s team
I started working at Cochlear Americas shortly after Brian in a very new and raw team that was still trying to understand our role within the organization. Through Brian’s leadership our team not only grew in numbers but also grew in skill and became thought leaders within the organization.
His fearless and dedicated leadership allowed all of us in his team to trust him and his strategic goals for the team and every day we felt like we were challenging what we did the day before which allowed us to grow rapidly!
Brian has a very unique hands on style of management which is ideal for any team that wants to grow and build a bond that is that built on trust, openness, and partnership. Thanks to Brian, I can comfortably say I am a better designer today!
Andy Tippet
Company: ADP
Title: Senior Programs Manager
Relationship: Worked with Brian
As Director of Global Internet Marketing Brian Thompson strongly assisted my own marketing programs initiatives in three key areas:
Development and execution of impactful email marketing programs that generated significant leads and revenue.
Production of a web site that forms the basis of ADP Dealer Services’ digital marketing efforts.
Guidance on additional digital marketing initiatives including SEO, online advertising, and e-newsletters that delivered leads, built awareness, and supported sales activities.
Brian provides a unique combination of experience and dedication to his role that has driven successful initiatives throughout the company.
Additionally, he never stops driving towards new ways to achieve our goals and produce strong results.
Jason Stamman
Company: Sears
Title: Product Manager
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
I worked directly with Brian on a variety of large Ecommerce projects across multiple verticals. His expertise in both digital marketing and technical development made him excellent at being a hands-on team leader. He was able to bridge the gap between engineering teams, stakeholders and business leadership by translating business requirements into technical requirements and vice versa.
Brian is a very talented and skilled individual who articulates complicated information and identifies actionable solutions to move projects forward. Through the chaos, Brian was able to resolve critical issue with forward thinking and innovation.
It was a pleasure not only working with Brian but also learning from his leadership examples.
Ron Partridge
Company: Panduit
Title: Chief Marketing Officer
Relationship: Brian reported to Ron
I had the opportunity to work with Brian as one of our marketing leaders, specifically as he led our eMarketing Team. Brian is a forward thinking leader with a firm grasp on how to use technology to help grow the business and enable the business leaders to accomplish their strategic and business objectives. He is very pragmatic and was able to sort out which technologies were not ready for prime-time and which were ready to significantly help us do business better, faster, cheaper. The technologies he led his team to implement (ie. Marketing Automation, Web Technologies, Web Analytics) helped our business leaders better understand our customers, interact in ways our customers preferred, and outperform our competition.
As a leader, Brian was able to rally his team around the most important projects and goals. As issues arose, he was able to work closely with his team to navigate through the issues and resolve them quickly and effectively.
I would recommend Brian as a leader of a Marketing Technology Team that has to deliver technologies that are expected to enable the business leaders to deliver extraordinary results.
Karl Schneider
Company: ADP
Title: Web and Data Analytics Manager
Relationship: Reported directly to Brian
I’ve counted myself very fortunate to have known and worked with Brian Thompson over the years, and I’ve been lucky enough to witness the outstanding work he has done in building Web Platforms that have been adopted and used across ADP Dealer Services.
During Brian’s tenure at ADP Dealer Services, he’s rolled out some incredible projects like Online Demo Registration, Global Email Platforms, Global URL Purchasing Process, Third Party Access Vendor Technology, OEM Vendor Integration and several high profile domestic and international business websites.
I’ve seen firsthand the impact that these developments have had on our clients in helping them make better decisions. I’ve seen the entire web team grow and flourish in response to Brian’s accessibility and technological advancements he provided. And at the end of the day, we’ve seen our products enable our end users to do wonderful things.
While I look forward to continuing to work with the exceptional web team that Brian has built at ADP Dealer Services, his vacancy will certainly be felt. I’d like to thank Brian Thompson for his vision, his dedication, and his accomplishments while at ADP Dealer Services.
Tim Chole
Company: Cochlear
Title: Manager VP Partner Marketing
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
I met Brian when he joined our leadership team as the Director of Digital Marketing at Cochlear Americas. Brian integrated seamlessly with the team and brought an impressive level of expertise to the role. I quickly came to appreciate his direct and thoughtful approach and was impressed at his ability make rapid and meaningful contributions to our digital marketing programs and partnerships. Brian is a compelling leader who takes an ‘others first’ attitude in everything he does. He is relentless about efficiency and made sure every dollar spent towards digital promotions was a solid investment with real results. I would strongly recommend Brian for any digital leadership role.
Jonathan Leweke
Company: Panduit
Title: Manager Digital Experience
Relationship: Reported to Brian
I had the pleasure of working with Brian at Panduit on his Digital Marketing Platforms team. Though technically I worked for him, Brian’s leadership style and approachability allows his teams to work with him, as he understands the value of true collaboration that drives success. He welcomes all ideas and is open-minded, but has the business sense, technical expertise, and analytical mindset to discern the most effective solutions for each specific business need.
Brian is inherently motivated which has resulted in him becoming a subject matter expert in each of the many areas he has immersed himself. From software and web development to UX, design, campaign management, e-commerce, and all other aspects of digital marketing, his experience, knowledge, and proven success in all of these areas makes him an extremely valuable asset and reliable resource for any IT or Marketing team.
Coupled with Brian’s invaluable knowledge and experience is thought leadership. While open to all ideas, Brian is unafraid to be inquisitive and disrupt the status quo if it is in the best interest of the business. He has the rare ability to know what questions to ask and when to ask them in a way that forces an organization to truly analyze every angle of a problem. In doing so, he ensures the course of action taken leads to an effective, sustainable solution resulting in the highest possible ROI.
On a personal level, Brian is invested in his team and his peers and connects with them in a way that I have rarely seen in upper management (or in most people). He truly cares about people and supports them as individuals not only in areas of career development, but also on a human level.
If you’re looking for effective, results-driven direction for your IT or Marketing organization, Brian is your man. He brings a fresh perspective and original leadership style to any business and will help your team realize their full potential.
Scott Berks
Company: Winston Brands
Title: Senior Digital Designer
Relationship: Reported to Brian
I had the pleasure of working with Brian on his team while being the Digital Designer at Winston Brands. He came on as the eCommerce Director about four months after I arrived. What I immediately liked about his management style was his willingness and desire to take a 1:1 meeting with each person in his department and not even talk about business.
His goal was to just get to know who we were, our lives outside of work, and to understand how he could help each of us succeed and grow within our roles at the business.
Brian joined the team and immediately hit the ground running learning everything about the company, processes, how the team flows and works together and started to identify improvements. His impact here was almost immediate. Brian entered a role that had been vacant for some time and therefore inherited a significant amount of work. Even under that stress, he never blinked an eye and took on the role with stride, working through one business challenge at a time by quickly prioritizing what had the quickest impact and then getting the team to move forward with it. Brian brings a unique gift of managing several projects at one time with tight deadlines and minimal resources, which from my experience is impressive.
I find one of his strongest traits, is that Brian is “one of the guys”. He’s been in the trenches, he’s designed and written code, he’s been hands on with digital marketing and knows the technology behind it. He knows and respects the time and effort that goes into the work that his team does. That is so rare these days with Directors and the “everything you do takes 5 minutes” mentality is not something that Brian subscribes to.
Brian genuinely cares about his work and his team. He’ll stand beside them and back them up if he believes in their idea. He works under an open-door policy and never minds the quick pop in if you have a quick question or idea to send by him. I’ve enjoyed working not only for Brian but with Brian as that is the type of leader he is.
Crystal Miceli
Company: Cherwell Software
Title: VP Product Marketing
Relationship: Worked Directly with Brian
I had the privilege to work with Brian Thompson at Cherwell, where he heads the demand generation, web and creative teams. Brian is an absolute rockstar, the best I’ve ever worked with in the role. He is tireless, outcome-driven, on top of the best tactics to generate demand and he just gets stuff done. I’ve seen his team do more in the past few months than most do in a year – and it’s paying off with great lead generation and pipeline contribution results. An asset to any organization.
Cara Binsfield
Company: Cochlear
Title: Manager Marketing Analytics
Relationship: Worked directly for Brian
Brian is an outstanding people manager and digital leader. He has such a breadth of knowledge across all areas of digital marketing, including analytics, development, marketing automation, and media marketing. As a manager, Brian takes the time to understand not only the individual strengths and skills of each member of his team, but also what drives each person, and what their goals are.
His dedication to the development and the well-being of his team creates an incredible working environment and motivates those around him to consistently challenge themselves and the status quo. Under his leadership, our team implemented countless new initiatives and created massive efficiencies. He would be an asset to any organization.
Erik Berglund
Company: Sears
Title: Ecommerce Specialist
Relationship: Worked directly for Brian
I had the opportunity to have Brian as my manager during my internship with Sears Holdings Corporation. Although only starting at Sears Holdings Corporation one month before me, Brian had already made many connections and he connected me with several key employees who were crucial to the completion of my project.
Brian was very approachable. When I needed help, Brian was there to help me course correct. Brian was very knowledgeable and he provided me valuable feedback that helped my project to be more impactful.
Brian helped me to feel like I was immediately part of the team. My experience at Sears Holdings Corporation was greatly enhanced because Brian was my manager.
Rick Conneely
Company: Panduit
Title: Global Business Operations Director
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
In my experience working with Brian, I found Brian to be a highly valuable leader of the Digital Marketing Team at Panduit. Brian consistently demonstrated an ability to tackle the strategic projects and the tactical work with eye on creating solutions versus simply solving problems.
His leadership position was demonstrated in his technical understanding of the Digital Marketing Platforms and his ability to provide a logical and clear path to the organizational and process change required to make the results long-lasting. Brian has an effective working style that enables him to effectively bridge the often tricky gap that exists when working on programs with customer-focused Marketing folks and the technology-optimized IT folks.
The bottom-line, Brian is a respected leader in the Digital Marketing realm and continues to be a “go-to” resource for me as an expert in driving business results.
Dermot O’Doherty
Company: Cochlear
Title: Head of Digital Experience, Australia
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
I had the pleasure of working closely with Brian during Cochlear’s global digital refresh of its websites and other digital channels. Brian’s subject matter expertise, his coaching and leadership of the North America Digital Marketing region, and his commitment to team over self, were seconded only by his passion for all things digital and his vision for making Cochlear the global hearing health digital leader. I look forward to the day when Brian and I team up again.
Rick Magana
Company: ADP
Title: Email Marketing Manager
Relationship: Worked directly for Brian
It is with great privilege that I write to you in recommendation of Brian A. Thompson. I have worked with Brian on a professional and personal level. I have found him to be a pleasant, decisive and determined individual who is never afraid to take on a challenging task.
Brian is an independent, dedicated, and self-directed person who is able to communicate effectively and meet even the most demanding challenges. During his tenure at ADP Dealer Services, we saw an unprecedented growth in our email and web space.
While his on the job performance has been nothing less than stellar, Brian has also become a friend and confidant to many people here in our organization. We pride ourselves on our corporate values and in this area, he truly shines.
I highly recommend Brian for your company. He has a passion for business and is able to focus on all the minute details without losing sight of the big picture. He is a team player, a great person, and would be an asset to any company.
Vince Iuorio
Company: Clarie’s Jewelry
Title: Director Global Procurement
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
I was fortunate to work closely with Brian throughout the last 2 years I worked at Claire’s. He is a highly intelligent, strategic thinker with broad and deep experience leading digital marketing.
Brian readily partners with other key company areas to create high performing teams and drive success. He is a strong, tough minded leader who always maintains high ethical standards and deals with everyone professionally and respectfully, while naturally garnering great respect from those he works with.
Brian is an invaluable asset for any organization looking to build, enhance, and/or grow a world class ecomm operation.
Brent Kenyon
Company: ADP
Title: Senior Manager Marketing
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
I have worked with Brian Thompson for the last two years at ADP Dealer Services and I have found his work ethic and Internet/Marketing talents extraordinary. During his time at ADP, Mr. Thompson has not only propelled ADP in our web activity he has also lead us to deliver compelling lead generating email campaigns…both activities have greatly assisted ADP with our branding, market awareness and revenue goals.
Mr. Thompson has been able to accomplish these tasks due to his superior ability to lead and manage projects, communicate effectively (both written and verbal) and provide creative solutions to challenges that arise.
In summary, I would highly recommend Mr. Thompson for any position or goals he may have. I’m confident you will discover he is a valuable asset to any organization or institution.
Milan Jagatai
Company: Sears
Title: Principal Technical Architect
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
I had the pleasure of working with Brian in the same team where he was leading Digital Marketing & Web Strategy for Sears PartsDirect. Brian has extensive experience in E- Commerce with strong understanding and hands-on knowledge of cutting-edge technologies. He is a hardworking, strategic thinker who leads by example and can roll up his sleeves to assist in getting the work done.
Brian offers a unique blend of business and technical knowledge that allows him to roll up his sleeves and drive all aspects of E-commerce. I would recommend him for all his future endeavors.
Corporation was greatly enhanced because Brian was my manager.
Scott Koncel
Company: ADP
Title: Senior Programs Manager
Relationship: Worked directly with Brian
Brian is an accomplished digital marketing professional whose knowledge and creativity have been invaluable to me in helping to develop internet and email marketing initiatives for my products.
His astuteness and passion have produced significant success for our websites, including increasing targeted traffic, building awareness, and generating leads.
Brian has the unique ability to both elucidate a vision and then persist in executing. He continually augments his expertise with new skills and adapts his approach to meet new marketing challenges to help the organization grow and lead in the digital space.
