WHO ARE WE?

Konscious Konsulting is in the business of guiding conscious companies and foundations in their quest to turn visions into reality.  We are a Florida-based company with a global footprint offering expertise in business development, sustainability strategies, marketing and communications, and a network of strategic partnerships.

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WHAT WE’VE ACHIEVED

Konscious Konsulting has a proven track record of delivering results. Some highlights and achievements include:

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IMPACT

TECHNOLOGY AND SMART CITY INITIATIVES

Karen is on the Advisory Board of the Skopje Technology Park (STP) in North Macedonia as the Director of Social Impact and Sustainability. She is responsible for attracting strategic partnerships to build and grow the technology park. Plans include expanding the technology park into other counties in the Balkan region and Africa. She is also an advisor to Akon and is connecting him to strategic partners to accelerate the Akon Smart City initiative in Senegal.

Karen is passionate about identifying and supporting scalable technology solutions such as those impacting clean energy, ocean plastics, and the future of entertainment.

Entrepreneurship Sports Generation (ESG)

As we tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), job creation will remain one of the world’s biggest challenges with the need to create over 1 billion jobs over the next decade. And, entrepreneurs create jobs at twice the rate of established companies. The Entrepreneurship Sports Generation (ESG) movement was born out of The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF) through the leadership and vision of the founder Shiv Khemka. The goal is to inspire a generation to reimagine Entrepreneurship as Sport. Make entrepreneurship fun through an annual contest, attractive prizes, and gamification. ESG is a diverse, inclusive global movement to build back better. It’s a movement to empower conscious entrepreneurs, energize entrepreneurship ecosystems, create jobs and livelihood, and to address the UN SDGs. The 2020 ESG final entrepreneurship contest engaged over 300,000 entrepreneur applicants with over US$300 million worth of in-kind rewards.

In just four months, as Advisor and Head of Strategic Partnerships, Karen activated over 140 personal global partnership contacts which resulted in 18 signed partnership MOUs with another 20+ companies expressing interest for 2021. With her role as Ambassador to the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), she positioned tGELF as an observing member of GBBC. She engaged the first three celebrity influencers to join the movement and activated over ten amplifier organizations such as GBBC, the Africa Diaspora Network, the Richard Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship, eMerge Americas with a focus on Latin America, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Culture Affairs, the UNDP, and two global organizations with significant reach: the Female Quotient and the Thunderbird School of Global Management. All this, to amplify the message of ESG across networks reaching thousands of people. Karen sold the vision of ESG to partners who benefited from ad exposure through banners and videos at the final ESG contest in the virtual stadium. She brought in half of the sponsorship ads. Partners also benefited from ESG social media exposure.

Karen set the foundation for and built out the eco-systems and global networks of conscious stakeholders in 10 countries. The network included influencers, media, governments, universities, corporations, investors, venture capitalists, incubators, and entrepreneurs. This network is vital to elevate entrepreneurs and provide them with access to investors, mentors, and strategic partnerships to succeed and ultimately create jobs. Karen was excited to showcase ESG at a series of panel discussions on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. She was a panelist and moderated a panel that was recorded and shown on the ESG TV network which reached over 5 million viewers.

THE HOUSE OF MARLEY – EARTH-FRIENDLY AUDIO PRODUCTS

The House of Marley mission is to create a better world and spread Bob Marley’s vision through earth-friendly audio products. The company is built on the principles of superior quality, sustainability and a commitment to charitable causes. Driven to enhance lives through great product experiences as well as using proceeds from product sales to support global reforestation.

As the first hire and proud founding member of the House of Marley leadership team, Karen strategically launched the brand in over 20 countries in a span of 3 years. As the right hand person to the founder and investor of the House of Marley, Karen initially helped build the team and drive all aspects of the business from identifying strategic factories in China to vetting and hiring brand, product design, communications and event marketing agencies in order to support the rapid launch and global growth. 

Subsequently, Karen’s C-Suite position as Chief Marketing Officer fulfilled her passion for developing the brand and creating and executing marketing plans, overseeing external agency relationships, managing over 10 yearly events and a marketing team of three. As a result, Karen aligned the initial marketing budget of about US$3 million with the product and sales teams to ensure maximum product launch and retail support successfully meeting the first year launch of audio product sales of over US$15 million in the U.S.  The initial PR results included over 2 billion impressions and over 550+ publications. Successful campaigns increasing brand awareness included Pandora holiday radio station, Spotify and a “Double the Love Campaign” for Apple.com which boosted sales. 

Karen was also a founding member of the 1Love.org charity supported by House of Marley, Marley Coffee and the Marley Mellow Mood beverage companies. Karen was an instrumental team member of 1Love.org’s collaboration with Little Kids Rock, which resulted in raising over US$800,000 to provide music education to disadvantaged students in the U.S. with the celebrity support of Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Jake Clemons, Ziggy Marley and other artists.

THE AKON LIGHTING AFRICA INITIATIVE 

In Africa today, over 600 million people do not have access to electricity, particularly in rural areas.  To meet these challenges, the Akon Lighting Africa initiative was created to bring clean, renewable and affordable energy solutions primarily to rural and off-grid areas in Africa. Launched in February 2014 by international music star, Akon, the initiative has impacted communities in over 10 countries bringing solar energy solutions such as solar street lights and home-kits, solar powered water pumps and solar powered medical shipping container units and mini-grids. The initiative has impacted over 1 million rural households.  To support the expansion, a solar academy was founded in Mali to train youth and foster job creation.

“Access to energy supported the creation of jobs in small businesses, cafes, agriculture, allowed for evening classes for education, night transportation and safety. Everything is possible with electricity and people’s lives and communities will be forever changed!”  —Akon

As Chief of Strategic Planning and Communications for the Akon Lighting Africa initiative, Karen managed the event calendar and organized the teams’ participation at key events. This included developing marketing materials, writing press releases, arranging government and business meetings, negotiating sponsorship packages, media interviews, and speaker and panel participation for the founders. Events included: The United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Forum NY; African Leaders Energy Group in Ivory Coast; COP21 Paris; COP22 Marrakech; World Energy Innovation Forum at Tesla factory California; Power Africa DC; World Future Energy Summit Abu Dhabi; World Economic Forum (WEF) Rwanda and Davos; and Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala St Tropez. The results of attending these events was increased awareness, building relationships with governments and companies and the identification of strategic partners. Karen also hired and managed a Europe based PR agency resulting in success highlights for 2015 including over 585 articles, 200 articles published in Africa and worldwide coverage in 50 countries.  

Karen’s ability to create strategic partnerships has directly led to building the first African-made solar street light assembly plant in Mali with Sunna Design. She was also the project manager lead in the co-creation and execution of the Light to Learn, a campaign around education and energy in collaboration with Akon, Bridge International Academies and Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient for woman rights. Another example of a successful strategic partnership Karen supported was the first kinetic and solar-powered football pitch with Shell #MakeTheFuture in Nigeria.

Karen’s trusted business relationships also led to expanding the Akon Light Africa outside of Africa for the first time. Karen built relationships with Emirates Red Crescent and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) Beacon of Hope Founder Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan Bin Nayhan. As a result, Karen convinced the founders of Akon Lighting Africa and the CEO of Sunna Design to donate solar street lights to the Red Crescent and U.A.E. Royal family initiative to support Syrian refugees in the Mrajeeb Al Fhood Camp in Jordan. Together the partners brought solar lights, books and built a playground, providing hope and inspiration to the refugee children. Following this initiative, Sunna Design was then able to expand solar street light distribution in the U.A.E. and later won the Zayed Sustainability Prize.

In 2018, Karen was invited to the “2018 Blockchain Summit” hosted at Sr. Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamador in Morocco. She represented Akon at the event and spoke on a panel. She continues to build the relationships with the organizers of this event ACTAI, Bitfury and the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC). 

SEED PROJECT AND NBA AFRICA COLLABORATIONS

Sports Education and Economic Development (SEED) is an international NGO that uses education and sport to empower the next generation of African leaders. SEED has impacted thousands of youths by ensuring they have access to quality education, high performance sports training and facilities, and the leadership tools to make big dreams come true. Every year the academy trains up to 40 high potential student-athletes, who train and work towards achieving their goal of attending a university.

Karen cultivated the relationship between Akon Lighting Africa and NBA Africa and as a result the organizations collaborated and built several outdoor basketball courts with solar street lights at schools in West Africa which increased safety and allowed for longer play times. Karen facilitated the introduction of supermodel Naomi Campbell to SEED and accompanied her on a visit to the SEED youth sport facility in Senegal.The goal was to inspire equality, education and stress the importance of strong sport values for girls and children in Africa. 

Let's ride this momentum, share the positive vibes, and continue to empower the youth of Africa! Stay tuned for additional partnerships to support youth through sports. 

GLOBAL BLOCKCHAIN BUSINESS COUNCIL (GBBC)

AMBASSADOR AND RAVING FAN

The Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) is the leading industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem. Conceived on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island, the GBBC is a non-profit launched in 2017 in Davos, Switzerland. The organization brings together innovators and thought-leaders from over 50 countries to further adoption of blockchain technology by engaging and educating regulators, business leaders, and lawmakers on how to harness this groundbreaking technology to create more secure, equitable, and functional societies.

In 2018, Karen was invited to participate at the “2018 Blockchain Summit” hosted at Sr. Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamador in Morocco. The event was organized by ACTAI Global, Bitfury and GBBC. Karen nurtured these relationships and later brought Akon to speak at the GBBC/Concordia Blockchain event during the United Nations General Assembly week in New York. Karen was later invited to participate and speak on a panel at the “Necker Island Blockchain Summit”  during the Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) hosted by Bitfury, GBBC, ACTAi Global and held on Sr. Richard Branson’s Necker Island. View recap video, 2019, here.

As an Ambassador for GBBC, Karen participates in GBBC events, speaks on panels and has recommended strategic partners and panelists. Karen is also active in supporting organizations within the GBBC network. For example, she supported the World Identity Network (WIN), a GBBC observing member. Karen’s ability to create strategic partnerships led her to introduce the CEO of WIN to the #Togetherband campaign founder, the Global Citizen Forum and a few others which led to a connection with actress and humanitarian Amber Heard. As a result, WIN held a press conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York with these partners to announce Amber Heard as an official #Togetherband campaign Ambassadors for the United Nations Sustainable Development (SDG) Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

“Karen has an incredible ability to engage anyone in conversation and inspire them with the vision she is promoting. Karen genuinely cares about people and is highly effective in building support.” —Cameron Saul, CEO and founder of BottleTop and the #Togetherband Campaign.

GLOBAL CITIZEN FORUM (GCF)

AMBASSADOR

The Global Citizen Forum is a social action platform built on a community of leaders committed to improving the state of global citizenship for the generations to come. They are bound by the shared belief that citizenship is not only a country affiliation but stands for freedom and equality.

The first GCF event Karen attended was Sveti Stefan, Montenegro in October 2017. The two-day solution oriented adventure offered an exclusive opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with global leaders, industry visionaries, entrepreneurs and celebrities. Speakers and guests included: Hon. Dusko Markovic Prime Minister of Montenegro; Hon. Gaston Browne Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda; Cherie Blair; H.E. Jeannette Kagame First Lady of Rwanda; Robert De Niro; Akon; Wyclef Jean and rapper Eve amongst many others.

Karen quickly became part of the GCF family and joined them as an Ambassador. Karen believes in the GCF vision and that everybody has the power and responsibility to have a positive impact on society. Karen has added value to the GCF events at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and at the Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Karen has connected several strategic partners and global leaders to the GCF including the Female Quotient, the Global Blockchain Business Council (where GCF is now an observing member), the #Togetherband campaign, PinkLion, ACTAI, fashion designer Ozwald Boateng and Akon to name a few.

As a result of Karen’s ability to connect the dots and create strategic partnerships, the GCF was able to feature the #Togetherband campaign at the World Economic Forum to highlight SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth with Ambassador American-Kenyan Fashion model Halima Aden. The #Togetherband global campaign is a buy-one and gift-one wristband to raise awareness on the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030. Proceeds from each band sold are used to fund life-changing projects. The #Togetherbands are crafted using innovative and sustainable materials such as up-cycled ocean plastic and metal from decommissioned illegal firearms collected in El Salvador. 

Karen was instrumental in creating the partnership with both ACTAI and the World Economic Forum to support the creation and communications around a custom made hot air balloon, snowboard and surf kite displaying all of the passports from around the world symbolizing we are all global citizens and we must collaborate for a better world.

Karen is also proud to have met the founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation through the GCF and was featured in their campaign launched during International Women’s Day May 8, 2020 to support 100,000 women entrepreneurs. Their mission is to release the potential of women entrepreneurs, so they can help redefine the future.

GEORGE FOREMAN, SUNBEAM AND OSTER BRANDS

KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Karen made the most of her 9-year corporate career and worked her way through several positions within Jarden Consumer Solutions and Applica, representing and building brands such as Oster, Sunbeam, Black & Decker and George Foreman.  Karen spent significant time in the role of product development and visited 30+ factories in China and Mexico. She developed and built business plans, managed 3-year product life-cycle strategies and managed external agencies specializing in consumer research and industrial design. She also drove the strategic supplier selection process for new products including FOB negotiations and industrial design finalization, project schedule reviews and product cost analysis and savings recommendations. She is a U.S. Design Patent Recipient for two products: an Oster toaster design patent number D502,629 and the Sunbeam Rocket Grill disposable bags.  

Karen’s leadership and business skills led to the growth of the company’s US$43 million Heating Product category (which includes Toasters and Toaster Ovens).  In this role, Karen managed an annual marketing budget of US$450,000, developed business plans, presented new products to key accounts including Target, Wal-Mart and Costco, managed the 3-year product life cycle strategies and launched an exclusive line of 16 products under the Oster brand with Target. As a result of her efforts, Karen exceeded the company U.S. sales goals for toasters and toaster ovens. Toaster sales grew 58% from 2003 to 2005 and market share went from 1.8% to 13%. Toaster oven sales grew 24% and market share went from 1% to 14% placing the Oster brand as the #1 U.S. brand.  Her success led her to a promotion; managing the largest category in Jarden, the US$100 million blender category.  

Karen’s desire to continue to learn led her to create and carve out a side role within the company in 2004; the Trend Tracker expert. In this strategic role, Karen attended top industry conferences to track trends and identify unmet consumer needs. Conferences included Chicago Houseware Show, Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, Gourmet Show, GreenLiving, Future Trends, Hong Kong Electronic Show and the China Canton Fair. This was the beginning of Karen’s corporate sustainability and eco-conscious journey. Karen aligned her passion for innovation, sustainable materials and eco-friendly designs. As a result, she led a design effort with the George Foreman engineering team to design a more sustainable packaging solution leading to cost savings. She also participated in an indoor grill product refurbishing program reducing the amount of products ending up in landfills. Karen was also amongst the first employees at Jarden to receive the internationally recognized Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Her Six Sigma project successfully led to a more sustainable and cost effective solution to product instruction manuals resulting in over US$500,000 cost savings to the company. 

LUMERIA MAUI ECO-RESORT - HAWAII

Lumeria Maui is a luxury boutique hotel and resort in Makawao, Maui, which creates a safe space for retreats in the health and well-being areas, which include yoga, meditation and several healing modalities.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Karen coordinated with a graphic designer, brand guidelines to build consistency in brand and message across all marketing touch points from website, brochures, banners and in-room informational kits for guests. She implemented a digital marketing strategy and integrated a new website which improved the search engine optimization and doubled the social media following. Karen created partnerships and contests with Jade Yoga and Yoga Journal. She developed co-marketing strategies with videos, social media and news blasts with the various retreat leaders hosting events at Lumeria Maui. These included world known yoga instructors such as John Friend, Ana Forrest, Tommy Rosen and strategist and coach Mastin Kipp from the DailyLove. 

As part of the Lumeria Maui staff, Karen was responsible for hosting guests and making them feel beyond just welcomed but; at home, comfortable and relaxed. Karen had the pleasure of hosting reggae musician Trevor Hall and his wife, during their stay at Lumeria Maui and coordinated a special, intimate and cozy gathering for them; a memorable experience to be cherished.

Karen believes in the importance of engaging and giving back to the local community. She took the initiative in 2013 to coordinate a therapeutic event for over 40 children with disabilities for Best Buddies Maui, which was featured on the front page of the Maui News. She also coordinated a charity concert event at Lumeria Maui featuring reggae star Mishka. All proceeds from the concert benefited the Paia Youth and Culture Center on Maui.

Learn more about how Konscious Konsulting can elevate your brand or business on a complimentary discovery call.