We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reggie Casagrande. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reggie below.

Reggie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

A good friend told me that Diversity and Expansion is better than Diversity and inclusion which I loved. As a strategist I have been working on Representation and Diversity initiatives for most of my career. I believe that these need 3 key pillars across an organization to be implemented successfully. Most recently I did this at Oakley Luxottica. As the biggest eyewear company in the world, I was shocked that they did not have a strategy for this in place. Having a strategy in place is the main thing.

Buy in from senior leadership is critical, in order to move to a more inclusive workplace, C suite leaders need to sign off and be fully vested in making this a reality.
Second is organizational integration. Representation needs to live vertically and horizontally across org charts. I have worked in male dominated industries for the last 20 years, sports, sneakers and streetwear are all dominated by men, many of whom are white men. This needs to change. Multicultural, diverse teams outperform. Internal teams need to mirror the consumer makeup of the brand. Vendors and creators outside the business also need to be represented across age, gender and ethnicity. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s good business.
Third is pipelines and standard recruitment practices need updating. Typically marginalized communities may not have a 4 year college education, so thinking outside the box and revising job descriptions is key. Many Bipoc candidates have life skills that are of huge value to an organization so this needs to be weighed evenly in decisions on whom to hire. Many apparel and footwear companies now hire out of their retail organizations where young folks typically come into the business straight out of high school. they bring valuable consumer insights and sales skills into the organization. Training and mentorship is also critical. Candidates that don’t have a typical resume bring Grit to the table, and Grit goes a long way in building leadership and skills. This has proven to be very effective.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an integrated marketing expert with extensive strategy, brand development, activation and communications experience. I spent the last decade building energy, athlete + entertainment influencer programs that drive community & business growth, perfecting the drop collaboration model & connecting brands to culture. My unique skillset includes coming up as a Creative who transitioned into Strategy as she moved up the corporate ladder. I has worked in both global and key regional roles for large matrix organizations, activating communities that drive growth and relevance for brands.

I had a peripatetic childhood growing up abroad as a third culture kid. This was my inspiration for becoming a cultural marketer. My professional journey started in early 2000’s NYC as a streetwear photographer & art director working with athletes & hip hop artists which developed her passion for blending youth culture and sports with street style.

I am currently the Chief Marketing Officer for Vibes Candy. Previously,I ran Global Marketing Strategy for Oakley Luxottica and worked with some of the world’s top athletes & influencers. I have worked as Chief Marketing Officer for streetwear brand Melody Ehsani, as Senior Brand Marketing Director, for Adidas, Converse, and WarnerMedia overseeing integrated Marketing, strategy, brand creative, and developing entertainment marketing programs.

I built my eCom mobile experience skill set running all integrated Marketing for youth culture retail-tainment platform NTWRK as Senior Director of Marketing. Throughout her journey, she has held agency roles including Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder of consulting agency MC2000 studio, where she has worked with clients: Pepsi, McDonalds, Electronic Arts, Nike, Reebok, Live Nation, Adidas, Stussy, Maserati, Herschel, Syng, & Futura brands.

At the heart of it all, I am passionate about mentorship, diversity and inclusion, and donate my time pro bono to work with charities supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I started my career as a creator in NYC during the golden age of hip hop. I was a celebrity and fashion photographer for many years until the music and publishing industry collapsed. Around that time I pivoted into a brand role with an agency and the rest is history. I moved into advertising and eventually started working at Adidas during a time of tremendous disruption and change. Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had just signed on and I worked on the womens initiative across the organization. This was an incredible time of repositioning for the brand and helped me fine tune my strategy skill set. I then went on to run Energy and pinnacle marketing for Converse in Boston. That led to Ntwrk and Oakley.

Your career journey is essentially a jungle gym that requires both vertical and horizontal moves. Every client or project I work on expands my growth mindset and helps me add value to my clients and brands.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I’m passionate about leadership and mentorship. It is definitely something that you learn in a large organization, but you also learn from community, sports and friendships. Healthy companies have healthy leaders, toxic companies have toxic leaders, it’s very apparent.

I have a coaching leadership style. I always make time to support my team, I roll up my sleeves, I am transparent, collaborative and communicative. Those are also the qualities I look for in a line manager when I’m interviewing for a new role. Sometimes, it’s better to have an empathetic leader that maybe doesn’t have all the answers, but is great to work with. I’ve worked for dictators and coaches, coaches are always better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reggiecasagrande.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reggiecasagrande/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reggiecasagrande/

Image Credits
images courtesy of MC2000 studio and Reggie Casagrande