Robert P. Burke
Twenty-five years of marketing at the moments that change a company.
Rebrands, billion-dollar acquisitions, a private equity exit, an IPO. I've done the marketing and communications work behind each of them. Most recently VP, Global Digital Marketing at Akkodis; today I advise leadership teams through Ballintra.
- 25+Years in marketing
and communications - 2Billion-dollar
acquisitions - $89M+Pipeline created
at Akkodis - $3.1M+Saved through an offshore
marketing center of excellence
Previously Akkodis · Sitel · Qualitest · iQor · Monster Worldwide · Prudential
Clarity first. Everything else follows.
“Who are you? What do you believe? Why should anyone care?”
The brands that hold up have a point of view they can state in a sentence. That gets tested hardest when the company changes: a sale, a merger, a new name, a new owner.
I've spent 25 years in those moments. What I've learned is that clarity comes first, and go-to-market, communications, and alignment either flow from it or quietly fight against it.
- i.
Built to outlast the deal
A brand that keeps working after the close is worth more to everyone at the table, including the next owner.
- ii.
Craft over volume
One sharp position beats ten adequate campaigns. AI makes volume cheap. Knowing what's worth shipping is the scarce part.
- iii.
People carry the change
Change lands when employees, customers, and investors hear the same story at the same time.
- iv.
Design is a decision
Design is where you decide to care about the person holding the product or clicking the link.
A history of inflection points
- 1998
Prudential Financial
Communications through one of the largest demutualizations and IPOs in financial-services history, for an intranet reaching 12,000 employees.
- 2004
Monster Worldwide
Global branding, and the monthly Monster Employment Index as a leading indicator of online job demand, covered by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
- 2006
iQor
Twelve years building marketing as the company grew from fewer than 4,500 employees to 40,000, through private equity investment and the billion-dollar acquisition of Jabil Aftermarket Services.
- 2018
Qualitest
Relaunched and repositioned the brand during private equity ownership, ahead of its sale to London-based Bridgepoint.
- 2020
Sitel
The company's first employee value proposition, recognized as the 2021 Most Admired Employer Brand by HRO Today.
- 2022
Akkodis
The billion-dollar acquisition of AKKA Technologies and the rebrand from Modis to Akkodis, then VP, Global Digital Marketing: $89M+ in pipeline creation, 3M+ followers, and an offshore Digital Marketing Center of Excellence that cut costs by 55%.
- 2026
Ballintra
Founded to advise leadership teams through the moments that change a company.
I started Ballintra because the moments I kept being hired for, a sale, a merger, a relaunch, deserved senior leadership from start to finish rather than a deck and a handoff.
Discover BALLINTRAGet in touch
For leadership roles, board and advisory seats, or advisory work, send me a note. It comes straight to my inbox.
Find me
Professional on LinkedIn. Everywhere else is reading, music, photographs, and the long project of getting better at things.