Visa's Kim Kadlec: 2017 John A. Reisenbach Foundation Honoree

Jack Myers amp160Theamp160John A Reisenbach Foundation works toward building a better and safer New York City amp160As someone who is a native New Yorker and who has also spent much of your career working here what are some of your fondest memories of New York amp160What makes New York a great place for youKim Kadlec amp160I was born in Jackson Heights Queens and one of my earliest and fondest childhood memories is taking the bus with my grandparents from Queens to the Central Park Zoo amp160I always had a love affair with Manhattan and growing up in Westchester I came into the city for Broadway shows and to enjoy all the great opportunities to explore and learn amp160I was obsessed with Broadway and was involved in theater and music throughout schoolMy husband and I were married at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center so 911 was especially impactful on us amp160Watching New York City rise up in the aftermath was an experience I will never forget amp160Our memories of Windows on the World are bittersweet but mostly sweet amp160Our children were raised in the New York City area and our daughter Danielle who will join me at the JAR event now works for Turner ad salesJack amp160You studied music and marketing at Indiana University amp160What led you to follow the marketing path rather than musicKim Laughing I had every intention of being another Madonna but chose to be a little more practical amp160I was hired for my first job at Backer and Spielvogel by JAR Board Member Charlie Rutman to work in the media department on the Hyundai account amp160I fell in love with the fast pace amp160I loved the people loved the accountsamp160and loved the workJack amp160The theme of making New York better and safer obviously resonates with you in both your life and work amp160You39ve been a volunteer at New York Cares and active in other nonprofit organizations amp160Share what has inspired you to be of service and the experiences you39ve hadKim amp160I was introduced to New York Cares through a team event while I was working at AOL as Global Head of Strategic Partnerships amp160I was so impressed with the event which was at a Hell39s Kitchen recreational center that was ironically very near where my grandfather was born amp160It39s an amazing place offering athletics arts and crafts computer skills and music amp160We volunteered as an organization and the kids were great and the people who worked there were special people amp160I also volunteer with Project Homelessamp160and have connected with the Red Cross since the California wildfires caused so much devastation amp160And now a Visa employee I39ve been incredibly impressed by the organization39s focus on volunteerism and community action amp160It39s part of the culture here that39s really impressiveJack amp160For the past ten yearsamp160you39ve also been on the board of DoSomething a New Yorkbased nonprofit that inspires young people to take action for social good both online and offline amp160What has this organization meant to you both personally and professionallyKim amp160I was originally introduced to DoSomething by Medialink39s Wenda Millard and was invited to be on the board amp160Two of my three children interned there amp160It39s an amazing organization run by and for Millennials and young people amp160They empower young people to literally change the world As a society we often don39t expect enough from young people or empower them amp160They39re incredibly impressive and when they39re empowered and given support they can do incredible things for the world amp160One young girl went on a short trip and was devastated by the number of orphans there amp160When she returned using her babysitting money as capital and through her passion she returned built an orphanage that is now home to over 100 kids amp160It39s an amazing story and it39s just one of many stories of young people having a positive impact on clean water and air initiatives anticyber bullying programs and many moreamp160Jack amp160You39ve held some coveted executive roles including Worldwide Vice President at Johnson ampamp Johnson top marketing and sales roles at AOL Fox and NBC amp160Of course you were President at Publicis Group before joining Visa amp160With most of your past roles having been New York based how did working in the mediamarketing capital prepare you for what you do today at Visa in San FranciscoKim I39ve certainly worked for different companies and have had exceptional training I worked on the Visa account on the agency side and got to know the company Visa is not a credit card company we are a payment technology company we actually don39t issue any credit cards Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative reliable and secure digital payment network that enables individuals businesses and economies to thrive I became really excited about being a part of a company that39s creating the future and working with a team that39s creating the future of marketing By leveraging the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of our worldwide teams Visa is a better place to work and a better business partner to our clients I39ve brought experience from all the companies I39ve had the privilege of working with and being a part of a team that39s leading marketing into a new world was an experience I couldn39t refuseJack amp160In 2014 you were honored by Brand Innovators as one of the Top 100 Women in Marketing amp160How important is it for women and for diversity to be recognized and what are best practices you can shareKim amp160It39s very important to recognize the importance of diversity and celebrate the accomplishments of diverse individuals amp160There39s been a great deal of progress in our industry and acknowledging this progress sends a terrific signal to both men and womenOne of the main reasons I decided to join Visa is the company39s focus on inclusion and diversity amp160I39ve never felt more immersed in a diverse culture not only gender and culture but all age groups and different experiences amp160It39s very inspirational amp160Regarding best practices we have an incredible opportunity to show others what collaborative problem solving can achieve amp160It39s an important part of large global companies amp160Issues today are global not small and siloed amp160Being collaborative problem solvers is an important thing to masterJack amp160As the Senior Vice President Global Marketing for Visaamp160what are your prioritiesamp160Kim amp160My role incorporates content agency management Visacom hospitality and events research and analytics marketing the martech and tech stack and data infusion amp160It39s an interesting hybrid bridging the gap between technology data and creativity amp160The mission for the overall team is to enable Visa to be the most impactful dataled marketer in the world amp160This encompasses fitting together several moving parts and it39s a very interesting and cool space amp160Really cool amp160We39re totally changing the gameJack amp160One year into your role at Visa what would you say have been some of your greatest challenges and lessonsamp160Kim amp160It39s interesting to be managing the integration and crossover between creativity and technology We39re making data actionable in real ways that humans can appreciate and in doing that we are telling relatable stories If you look at companies like Uber and Airbnb they changed the rules of their respective industries in order to create value that didn39t exist before At Visa we are hoping to create a similar value proposition for our customers clients and merchant partners amp8211 and to do that we39re bringing teams together and finding aha moments and new ways to bring magic to people39s lives That39s really gratifying We39re working with great agencies that are bending flexing and morphing with usJack As a member of the JAR board we are incredibly honored to have you involved with our organization your impressive background selflessness and drive is a true inspiration amp8211 so thank youKim amp160I39m so excited to be honored by the John A Reisenbach Foundation amp160It39s such an important organization and a role model for organizations beyond New York amp160I39m so honored to be a part of itClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Visa's Kim Kadlec: 2017 John A. Reisenbach Foundation Honoree

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