WSB Exclusive Speaker
Advisor, Investor, COO and President, Athletic Greens
Kat Cole is creating a personal legacy of evolution that transcends industries and job titles.
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Sharing the story of her accelerated rise up the corporate ladder, from her start working as a hostess to leading some of the world’s best-known food brands, Kat Cole provides insight and perspective on what it takes to create and lead successful teams, drive innovation and growth, lead with heart and sustain excellence.
Kat Cole is known as a “Connected-Creative-Conscious-Community building Capitalist, and Coffee-loving Chronic Learner”—this not only describes her as a person, it describes the philosophies she applies to business, brands and life. She is a YGL (Young Global Leader) of the World Economic Forum, a past member of the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council, was featured on CBS’ Undercover Boss, and named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40.
Kat was recently named President and COO of Athletic Greens, the fastest growing wellness brand in the world. Athletic Greens is the direct-to-consumer subscription company behind the world’s most comprehensive and convenient daily nutrition product, AG1. Here, she will lead the company with a focus on driving organizational scale, accelerating business growth and global expansion, and innovation. In her previous role as COO and President of Focus Brands, the owner, franchisor and operator of global limited service food brands, doing billions in product sales in over 50 countries, she led the company’s 7 brands: Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Moe’s, Schlotzsky’s, McAlister’s, Carvel and Jamba with 6800 operations globally. She also led the multi-brand licensing/ CPG and international business, with a total of 9 presidents of businesses reporting to her. She is formerly president of Cinnabon Inc. and past Group President Focus Brands. Prior to her roles with FOCUS Brands at Cinnabon, Inc., Ms. Cole was vice president of training and development at Hooters. Kat is also an advisor and board member for wellness, consumer product and technology companies. She is on the board of directors for Milk Bar, HumanCo SPAC, and Slice.
Kat dropped out of college at 20. She later received her MBA from Georgia State University and an honorary doctorate from Johnson and Wales University. Her journey from restaurant hostess at 17, executive by 26, president by 32, and investor by 35 is often shared as an example of the American and entrepreneurial dream.
Whether you are building a brand or need to revitalize one, no one has better insight on the grit and resilience required to do so than Kat Cole. Why does a brand matter? What is your role—as an employee at any level—in building and upholding a brand? How do you build a brand culture? How do you culturally and operationally integrate a new brand or reposition an old one? How do you redefine yourself, your team or your company? There are many risks associated with the fact that a brand is in the hands of many people, but there are also many opportunities. With a wealth of experience and success working with brands, Cole answers the crucial questions most pertinent to your audience, and sharing stories from her own career and her involvement in various sectors can help organizations and brands in any industry expertly navigate the complex challenges that they face.
During Kat Cole’s over four-year tenure as president, Cinnabon, a company then struggling to be competitive, quickly resurged as a multichannel, global brand with over 1,200 stores in 56 countries and saw its sales pass the $1 billion mark. Cole knows you innovate and succeed faster when you are more observant and immersed in the action, and understands which qualities are critical to help you iterate and adapt more quickly—even in traditionally slow or mature industries and organizations. She also knows that it takes hustle, heart, grit and resilience to follow through after you have taken an initial risk. From her well-known “hotshot rule” to her lessons in “hustle muscle,” Cole shares the most significant stories and lessons about leadership and innovation that she has learned throughout her esteemed career. She explores how to discern meaningful patterns, explains the essential qualities and characteristics she looks for in new hires, and addresses how to manage tough decisions and impactful innovations that may have short-term trade-offs, but will provide great return in the long run. In this revealing, authentic and compelling presentation, Cole can customize her remarks to speak expertly on a variety of topics, including:
Kat Cole draws heavily on her own personal and professional experiences and upbringing to share how they have greatly impacted the leader and woman she is today in this inspiring and thought-provoking presentation. Sharing the story of her rise from humble beginnings to powerful global executive, Cole shares how some of the most important lessons she has learned about leadership are lessons she learned as a young child growing up with a single mother. Whether she is doing humanitarian work in Africa or running a multinational billion-dollar brand, Cole understands the power of acts of empathy and believes that you have to have hustle and heart to get where you want to go. She carries and shares the beliefs that employees and companies are built to last when they stand for something that matters and make a positive impact. In addition to Cole’s passion for creating and highlighting opportunities, innovation and community building, helping women succeed in business and leadership is another topic to which she can speak. An active angel investor, humanitarian and philanthropist, she remains engaged and focused on elevating self-sufficiency through education, technology and access to opportunities around the world.
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