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TEAM BIOs
Carlos Santiago
President & CEO |
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Video Interview |
Carlos Santiago, Founder and President of Santiago
Group, is a nationally recognized expert in branding, Hispanic and
Diversity marketing strategy. Carlos guides the Santiago Solutions
Group and Santiago ROI teams combining creativity, intellect, a passion
for measurable results and the highest excellence standards to support
clients’ including AARP, AT&T, Campbell’s, GMAC Mortgage,
Herbalife, Humana, Jackson Hewitt, J&J, Nestle, Pernod Ricard,
Principal Financial, Tecate, Telscape, USG, Wells Fargo.
CNBC, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall
Street Journal, Advertising Age, and NPR have highlighted his leadership
in multicultural target marketing and quantitative prediction of
purchasing and other behaviors. Carlos’ white papers include
“Right-Spend Studies I, II, and III - Setting Appropriate
Allocation to Optimize Hispanics Purchase Behavior” written
for the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, “The
360º Perspective on Maximizing Hispanic Market ROI”;
and “The Impact of Customer Service On Hispanic Consumers’
Brand Image, Choice, and Loyalty.” In addition, he has authored
breakthrough papers such as “An Integrated Strategy for Hispanic
Markets,” published in Isabel Valdés’ book Marketing
to American Latinos.
Carlos began his management career at Anheuser-Busch
strategic planning unit and then implementing Hispanic and Asian
objectives. As Director of Ethnic Markets for Pacific Bell, his
advertising efforts to Latinos and Asian resulted in record growth.
Later, as VP of Premium Markets & Sales for NYNEX-Bell Atlantic,
he led the first centralized unit dedicated to Latinos, African
Americans, Asian Americans, People with Disabilities and GLBT; rolling-out
communications programs for branding, growth and loyalty. The unit
surpassed $2 billion in annual revenues, representing 20% of Bell
Atlantic’s consumer division, garnering 20% of the overall
corporate marketing budget, and receiving the Chairman’s Baldridge
Award for best-in-industry brand equity, services penetrations,
revenue per customer and communications ROI. Subsequently, as Bell
Atlantic’s VP of Consumer Segmentation, he shifted the entire
company’s strategy to a Customer Lifetime Value approach across
business lines.
Carlos is a frequently requested lecturer and
serves on the boards of the Hispanic Federation and the National
Latino Children’s Institute. Carlos received a Bachelors in
Architecture from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the
Olin Business School at Washington University.
Derene Allen
Senior Advisor & Partner |
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Video Interview |
Since 2001 Derene Allen has been a Managing
Partner with the Santiago Solutions Group. With SSG, Allen has retooled
multicultural strategies for clients such as Johnson & Johnson,
Herbalife, Nestlé, McNeil, Pernod Ricard, IDT Telecom, Campbell’s,
Principal Financial Group, American Express, USG and Cerveceria
Cuauhtenoc Moctezuma. Derene brings both Latin American and Caribbean
as well as US Multicultural expertise, having held numerous marketing
positions in the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. She has
served as an adjunct professor in various Latin American universities,
and while in Mexico and Peru, she served as a consultant for CCM-FEMSA
(a leading beer-soda conglomerate), UNICEF and AeroMexico. Previously,
Derene co-founded The Innova Group, an international marketing firm
where her clients included Cigna, Philips, Kodak, Dannon, and P&G.
She started her career in the financial services/travel industry
with American Express, ultimately responsible for Market Research,
Strategic Planning, Marketing & Communications for 45 countries
in Latin America and the Caribbean, for all Card, Travelers Cheque
and Insurance products. She is the recipient of many U.S. and International
Direct Marketing Awards and her insights have been published in
several Hispanic marketing and public relations books. She is a
recent past Board Member of San Diego MANA, a non-profit Latina
leadership organization, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at
the University of San Francisco and a volunteer instructor on Entrepreneurship
in the Spanish Language Program, Alas. Derene received her graduate
degree in International Business from Thunderbird, The American
Graduate School of International Management.
Jane Campa (J.C.) Alvarez
Director, Field Strategy
Jane
has been with SSG since 2000 and has worked during that time on
various projects including those for Humana and USG. Her extensive
career encompasses almost 30 years in both the public and private
sectors. She has worked in organizational development and client
services with major universities and served as a management analyst
and public liaison on congressional, legislative and regulatory
assignments in Washington D.C. Additionally, Jane was Director of
Corporate Relations at Anheuser-Busch, and has been a marketing
consultant with the British Consulate in Chicago and London, developed
consumer outreach campaigns for non-profit organizations, created
and conducted recruitment programs for the Zaki Gordon Institute
for Independent Filmmaking, and most recently consulted in production,
screenwriting and project development within the film industry.
Jane has a Bachelor of Sociology from Princeton University, a Masters
in Personnel Administration from Columbia University, and a Doctorate
in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University.
She also holds a Certificate of Filmmaking.
Victoria Charles
Associate Consultant
With SSG since 2003, Victoria Charles is a marketing
specialist with hands-on experience working with a diverse roster
of international businesses in sales building, new product launches
and promotion, market research and sales training. Victoria focuses
on consulting assignments in multi-level marketing, having worked
with Amway and Herbalife, among others. She is also a specialist
in the cosmetic industry where she has worked with leading cosmetic
and fragrance companies including Chanel, Lancôme, Estee Lauder,
Revlon and Christian Dior. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Harper's
Bazaar and other major fashion publications. Charles held the position
of International Marketing Specialist at World Trade & Consulting
Co., where her new product launches resulted in an 80 percent sales
increase.
Mariana M. Cooper
Manager, African American Market Planning
Mariana
has consulted with SSG since 2000 during which time she has worked
on projects for AARP and St. Joseph’s Aspirin. She has created
multicultural marketing strategies for Hispanic, African American,
Caribbean and other international markets as well as for the general
market. She was formerly the International Advertising Manager for
AT&T, handling Hispanic direct response programs, sponsorships,
and events, including the 1996 Olympic Games, and was also Vice
President of the New York City-based promotion agency, Don Jagoda
Associates. Mariana has consulted for a variety of large and small
companies including Bell Atlantic.
Madalyn Friedman
VP Research Analytics
Madalyn
has directed complex research and analytical projects for SSG for
seven years. She brings a comprehensive understanding of the consumer
products industry based on 25 years of multi-functional experience
including over seven years of line experience in brand management
at Quaker Oats and 18 years in consulting at A.T. Kearny and SSG.
Madalyn has applied various segmentation models to the analysis
and reporting of consumer packaged good research in the Hispanic
markets and compared the results of consumer studies as well as
sales data with clients’ marketing plans adding a unique perspective
by reporting on the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.
Clients include three major fast food chains, Colgate, Kraft, General
Mills, and Levi Strauss. With SSG, Madalyn has developed and implemented
opportunity sizing models to guide companies to zero-in on their
best growth sub-segments and to assist companies to prioritize their
marketing investments and brands such as J&J, TuYo Mobile, Telscape,
Chivas Regal, Nestlé and Tecate among others. Madalyn designed
and implemented SSG’s consumer study: The Value of Customer
Service on Hispanic Consumers’ Brand Reputation, Choice, and
Loyalty. She also served as key analyst for the past three AHAA/SSG
Right Spend studies which looked at the appropriate and actual levels
of investment in Spanish language media. Madalyn has a BSE from
Princeton University and an MBA in Marketing from Northwestern University.
Isabel Kovalik
Sr.
Analyst
Isabel has been a senior research analyst with
SSG since 2001. She has contributed to numerous SSG assignments
including Sheetrock, USG, AARP, Nestle, J&J, Wells Fargo and
Dollar Financial, specializing in and multi-layered business and
consumer demographic analysis, in-situ interviewing, advanced database
management and financial analytics. Isabel began her career as an
analyst in Anheuser-Busch, later joining the executive training
program at Allstate Insurance and most recently before SSG at the
North Carolina Department of Insurance. Prior to her MBA she held
various positions in finance and accounting at Banco Central in
Puerto Rico. Isabel received her BBA from the University of Puerto
Rico and obtained an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Jim Nellis
Manager, GLBT Market Planning
Jim Nellis has worked with SSG since 2005 and
is the founder of CP Promotions, a nationally recognized leader
in the design and implementation of experiential marketing campaigns
targeting the urban consumer with a particular emphasis on the gay
and lesbian segment. Jim has consulted on the development of promotional
campaigns for American Express, Brown & Williamson Tobacco,
Pepsi, and Loews Theaters, and has advised The New York Times and
Crain’s Business on this emerging field. Prior to founding
CP Promotions, Jim was a Vice President at Clorox International
and also spent seven years at PepsiCo in various sales and marketing
positions. Jim earned an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and
an undergraduate degree from Penn State University.
Dr. Pedro J. Santiago
Director, Econometrics
Pedro is well recognized in the area of economic
and market evaluation, as well as health services administration,
and has authored more than fifty economic studies in different industries.
He has been an advisor for SSG since 2004 and has worked on client
projects for AARP, Wells Fargo and Humana. Recently, he helped establish
and direct the San Juan Bautista Medical Center, a privatized hospital
in Puerto Rico and was commissioned by the Puerto Rico Department
of Health to stabilize the institution's daily operations before
returning some hospitals to private hands. Pedro completed his BA
in Economics at the University of Puerto Rico and his M.S. in Economics
at Illinois State University and a postgraduate degree in Health
Care Administration from the University of Southern California.
Arwen Zemborain
Director, Analytics
Since starting at SSG in 2007 Arwen has worked
with clients such as Principal Financial, Hallmark, USG, J&J,
and McNeil Pharmaceuticals. Having worked in both the US and Argentina,
previous clients and employers include KPMG, Mass Mutual, Wilshire
Hotels, Qualcomm, Techint, World Travel Reports, and Catapult Consulting.
Arwen holds a Masters degree in International Management from Thunderbird
as well as a BA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston.
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