As Managing Partner for The Pierz Group, Kathleen Pierz brings over 25 years of strategic planning and marketing experience from across the globe.  She has lived in Venezuela, P.R. China, Mexico and Panama, working across a variety of industries, with particular focus on the Directory and Telecommunications industries.

Prior to founding The Pierz Group, Kathleen worked with The Kelsey Group where she designed and built the Pervasive Information practice into a true center of expertise within in the directory assistance/enquiry (DA/DQ) industry.  She researched and published hundreds of insightful reports targeting not only areas of change within the industry but identifying emerging trends within the industry.  She also designed, executed and hosted a number of well attended and highly rated conferences and summits for the greater DA/DQ industry.  Before joining Kelsey, Ms. Pierz held strategic planning and market management positions IBM's Information Services division (now ISx, inc.).  There, conducted extensive market analyses for directory assistance/enquiry products creating a unique worldwide database for the industry.  Kathleen also created the annual strategic plan for the division and initiated and delivered focused training programs for IBM sales personnel in other divisions to help them sell ISx solutions more effectively.  Prior to joining IBM, she lived and worked in Beijing, PR China where she headed up Great Wall Consulting serving joint venture and diplomatic operations with marketing and training related services.

During nearly nine years at Ameritech’s Yellow Pages division, Ameritech Advertising Services, Kathleen worked in New Product Development and Strategic Planning.  In the New Products Group, she focused on her efforts on the development of business-to-business electronic media products and headed a senior management team to create a long-term strategic plan for new electronic products.   She also participated on several corporate initiatives including the competitive strategy group and the corporate New Product Development team to establish both strategy and practices for successful new product development and management.  Ms.Pierz also participated with Ameritech’s International division on a special project basis.  She developed and formalized a business case methodology and training program that was implemented across the corporation.

Ms.Pierz also brings a range of marketing and strategic planning experience from other fields including marketing and brand management experience at General Motors, Warner Lambert’s Chicle Adams operations in Venezuela, and the Adolph Coors Company as well as financial background from Ford’s overseas operations.

She is a past Chapter President of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), and active in various local community service organizations.

Kathleen earned a BSBA in Business Management from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Masters Degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), teaches at several colleges and speaks five languages.