Principal and Chief Brand Strategist

Laura Pasternak is principal and chief brand strategist of MarketPoint, LLC. With more than 19 years of marketing, brand strategy and communications experience, Laura combines executive-level management experience with creative thinking and strategic marketing skills to help business-to-business companies grow through effective brand management. She has created, launched and managed marketing and branding campaigns at regional, national and international levels across a wide number of industries—from education and the arts to technology and real estate. Her expertise includes strategic planning, brand management, marketing strategy, customer acquisition, PR/communications and M&A brand integration.

Prior to establishing MarketPoint, Laura held senior marketing and strategic planning positions with such companies as Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., and Thomson Corporation. Her career also includes work with several nonprofit organizations, among them National Credit Counseling Services, Washington Chamber Symphony, and Maryland Public Television. A graduate of the University of Illinois, she is on the board of the Baltimore Regional Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), where she chairs the International Development Committee. Laura is a member of the American Marketing Association, the Public Relations Society of America, and the Association for Corporate Growth.

A recognized authority on results-driven brand management and implementation, she is a frequent public speaker on various brand and marketing topics. Recently, Laura was invited to Nairobi, Kenya, to train African businesswomen on the value of branding in organizational growth as a U.S. Corporate Ambassador with Vital Voices, a Department of State funded, non-governmental organization (NGO) that identifies, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe. Additional speaking engagements include seminars for the American Strategic Management Institute, the American Marketing Association, Berrett-Koehler and the American Society for Training & Development, and the Public Relations Society of America, among others.