observations at the intersection of business innovation, culture, finance, leadership and political economy

About

My name is Marian Gibbon. A corporate advisor based in New York, I help the leaders of companies, investment firms, non-profit and policy organizations craft innovative, dynamic strategies to grow their businesses.

About This Website

I started emotional INTELLIGENCE as a way to share thinking about ideas, people, places and organizations that interest and inspire me—and to connect with others on these subjects. If you would like to speak with me about anything I’ve written here, or if you would like to pass along a topic you think I might find intriguing, my contact details are below.

About My Work

In collaboration with my clients I do three things:

  • Develop comprehensive, executable strategic plans
  • Forge creative, visibility-building partnerships
  • Produce sharp, sustainable financial strategies

A smart strategic thinker, I am able to see patterns and possibility in both operating and organizational environments. I accomplish my work by:

  • Assessing trends at play in the economy at large and within clients’ own industries
  • Conducting diagnostic conversations with management teams, employees, suppliers and investors
  • Evaluating business models, capital structure, corporate culture, team-building and resource needs

I believe companies excel when management cares passionately about employees, customers, communities and investors. In my work I integrate consideration of these stakeholders with senior management’s core values and aspirations for their company’s long-term legacy.

Language, visual design, social media and PR are important elements of my tool kit. I am an effective shepherd of process, setting clear objectives and leading teams to successful outcomes against specific goals and deadlines.

I have worked with clients in a range of industries, including industrial manufacturing, transportation and aerospace, and my deepest expertise lies in working with consumer-facing, branded firms in the retail, apparel and media sectors. I have particular strength in working with specialty retailers, department stores and luxury goods companies, and I have a keen sense of the influence of digital technologies—including online and mobile applications–on these companies’ operations.

About My Background

I have been an investment banker with Merrill Lynch and Banc of America Securities, a consultant with Ernst & Young’s International Financial Services group and the SVP of finance of a dot com start-up. I have lived in France, Italy, Germany and England, traveled throughout Eastern Europe and Russia while working for Ernst & Young, and I have also visited Africa and Asia. In the 1990’s I edited a book on the unification of Germany, and I have served on the boards of two New York City-based education non-profits. A consistent runner, I am also an intermittent triathlete and a snowboarder.

I hold an MBA in Finance from Wharton, an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in Economics, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Macalester College.

Contact Me

If you would like to speak with me about anything I’ve written here, how I might work with you and your organization or how we might collaborate, please be in touch.

Phone: +1.917.834.5510
email: marian {at} mcompany.co