Meet Kristin Harper
Kristin Harper is the founder and CEO of Driven to Succeed LLC, an award-winning global market research and consulting firm that connects the dots to unleash growth so people, teams, and businesses thrive.
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Proudly certified as a women and minority-owned business enterprise, Driven to Succeed was named 2022 Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council Supplier of the Year and Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley Rising Star, among other awards and recognition. Kristin has grown Driven to Succeed from a solopreneur in 2018, to a global team with two divisions.
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Imaginologie™, the market research division, Translates Insights into ‘So What’ and ‘Now What’™ so clients can make faster decisions, maximize ROI, and inspire more customers to buy. Services include market research and marketing consulting for mid-market and Fortune 500 companies.
Kristin Harper & The Expert Collective, the learning and development division, provides access to a dynamic group of mission-aligned business owners and experts who provide keynotes, training, and executive consultancy on leadership, emotional intelligence, employee engagement, and diversity, equity, & inclusion.
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An award-winning businesswoman, Kristin went from college intern to a Global Vice President of a Fortune 15 company in her 30s. Throughout her corporate career at Procter & Gamble, The Hershey Company, and Cardinal Health, she led global iconic B2C and B2B brands including Crest®, Oral-B®, and Hershey’s KISSES®.
Kristin has been featured in CNBC, Business Insider, Entrepreneur magazine, and more. She is the recipient of numerous awards including YWCA Women of Excellence, ONCon Top 50 Global Marketer, Columbus CEO Magazine “Future 50” leader, Smart 50 Columbus, and more.
Kristin serves as Chair of the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees and was named Private Directors Association Directors to Watch. She is the author of The Heart of a Leader: 52 Emotional Intelligence Insights to Advance Your Career.
She is deeply committed to giving back to her community as an active lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta public service sorority, minister at her church, and Co-Founder/Board President of Pacesetters Unlimited, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides mentoring and scholarships to African American youth. She understands what it means to lead as a woman. During college, she was elected the first female Student Government President in nearly a decade and serves as an appointed member and elected Chair of the FAMU Board of Trustees.
Kristin received her bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Florida A&M University (FAMU), and executive education from Harvard University. She and her husband, also a FAMU graduate, are the proud parents of three children. In 2015, they accomplished a bucket-list goal by establishing a $25,000 endowed scholarship for FAMU business students. Kristin also co-chaired one of the largest grassroots scholarship fundraising campaigns in FAMU’s history, which ushered in a new era of affinity giving.