Christine Kane

Meet Christine Kane, Global Marketing Director, iPai Auction Company, China who has worked at industry leading corporate, agency and NGO organizations winning 13 product and marketing innovation awards including taking top honors in two highly prestigious competitions – the worldwide Good Design Award and the international Galaxy Award. Utilizing solid strategic planning, she has successfully managed and led cross-functional organizational teams through a number of new product launches, line extensions and product reorganizations.  Her effective roadmaps for full lifecycle product management have produced profitable, leading brands.

WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT VOLUNTEERING FOR THE SAN DIEGO AMA AND ART OF MARKETING CONFERENCE?
Building wholly integrated brand strategy today requires that you capitalize on new and emerging marketing platforms.  The AMA’s AOM conference offers a great way to stay abreast of these trends.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BRAND?
Drakes from the East coast is make favorite brand because they make the most amazing junk food. Bring it back Hostess!

WHAT IS YOUR GOLDEN NUGGET OF WISDOM?
When I was growing up, our dinner table was always heated with debate. My dad would throw out a controversial subject sure to light up the table like a stick of dynamite. Each of us would battle it out defending our positions fiercely and in retrospect, I doubt whether we listened to each other at all. It was about being “right” and my father marveled as he witnessed our backbones evolving. Growing up in New York, he was big on knowing how to defend your position so you didn’t get knocked around in life.  But from this nugget emerged a greater lesson.  That the “right” answer shaped by my life experience, is simply not the same as the “right” answer shaped by another life — even if we grew up in the same house.  Real “victory” is not in convincing someone of your perspective but in really understanding theirs.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?
Many people have kindly help guide my career and given me a leg up over the years and I’m so grateful. Hopefully, they know who they are because I’ve thanked them.  I’ve also been lucky to be surrounded by friends and family who’ve taken inspirational risks and reaped the rewards.  So it probably sounds cliche but my greatest inspiration today is my mom. Never before had I witnessed so intimately the battle wagged by a debilitating disease like Parkinson’s. It took from my mother everything it could but she would not let it take the playfulness of her spirit and incredible grace that she exuded until the very end. Grace and humor even in the most distressing of times.  These are her inspirational legacies.

WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?
I’m passionate about people traveling and working overseas.  For the last three years I was working in China which was both exciting and challenging in so many respects.  For me, working overseas in one of the key emerging markets is an invaluable career move and I’d recommend it to anyone.

HOW HAS THE AMA HELPED YOU EXCEL IN YOUR CAREER?
Being new to San Diego, I got involved with the AMA by chairing the AOM conference fundraising initiative. My hope was to meet fellow marketing professionals, establish myself as part of the marketing community and give back to the community by raising dollars for a great cause.  The AMA delivered on all of these goals.