Alison Heiser, Founder and CEO
Alison Heiser Associates launched over a decade ago with a small group of clients bringing marketing and strategy capabilities to CEOs leading mid-cap and privately held companies. Today the business has expanded to advise leaders in Fortune 1000, non-profit organizations, and maintains strong relationships with our original clients. We work best when we connect routinely with the senior leadership, understand the culture and social dynamics, and foster personal relationships within the organization.
We’re engaged when clients are confronted with “wicked problems” that require deep thinking and imagining new business models.
“Alison is one of the most effective leaders I’ve worked with. She offers unusual and valuable insights; she steps up to assist whenever help is needed; despite very deep expertise, she seems to have her ego firmly in check. She recognizes her own strengths and those of others and collaborates wonderfully to make the team effective.”
“Every client who meets her seems to find her insights unique and compelling. She has the perfect blend of industry experience and intuitive consulting skill.”
Bio
I’ve always been attracted to really interesting challenges, and have been energized by multiple pivots during my career. My early days in the brand bullpens at P&G formed much of my thinking about strategy and discipline, and on numerous occasions I was tapped to bring “classical brand marketing” to other companies, most notably as head of marketing at Groupe Michelin. At mid-career I realized I was a serial consultant – hired to bring external perspectives and growth to blue-chip companies wanting to step change their marketing capabilities - while working on the inside. When I decided to make a formal change to consulting, a mentor at Accenture trusted me to develop marketing and customer strategy in collaboration with C-suite clients…before I knew my way around a power point deck. After returning briefly to CMO roles at Banta and Kimberly-Clark, I decided I was ready to launch Alison Heiser Associates, and truly it is the best gig I could ever imagine. I love working directly with leaders on their most pressing issues – getting to know them personally, constantly learning about new industries and technologies, and building confidence and alignment on a path forward. On a personal level, I’m lucky to be married to Jim Heiser, who is an amazingly talented figurative artist and tireless sounding board. Our son Michael and daughter-in-law Alli are consultants living in Austin, Texas.
Education
Alison earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and her BS in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Special Interests
Leaders driving innovation in large organizations and mature industries
Sustainability and business models for a circular economy
“Alison is certainly one of the smarter, more collaborative and innovative leaders I have had the pleasure to work with, and, she can be a significant asset to any CEO interested in making their companies more brand and consumer centric.”
“Alison was Kimberly-Clark’s first ‘Chief Customer Officer’. She placed us on a path to improve our marketing processes, brands and people. As a member of the leadership team, she brought balance, thoughtfulness and perspective to all of our decisions…the hallmark of a true leader.”
“Alison brought a terrific combination of customer focus, practical marketing applications and change management skills to work with me in positioning Banta for the future.”
“Michelin COO’s Leadership Award Recipient: Alison developed the MultiBrand Strategy, which not only became the foundation for MNA’s business strategy today, but which also serves as a global model...her contribution to improving marketing processes and inspiring members of her team have been impressive.”