partners

Charlene Barnard

Partner (Brand Strategy and New Business)

Charlene lives to cook. Mole sauces, red wine reductions, tea-infused crème brulee, and lentils smoked on the grill are this girl's dream come true. Dinner parties at the Barnard's are multi-course feasts with lots of wine and non-stop laughter. Now, that's relaxation.

When not in the kitchen, Charlene is passionate about brands — specifically, the ones that ring with clarity and authenticity and bring joy to their customers' lives. Her "happy place" is a roll-up-the-sleeves session with clients driving for the kind of insights that propel a brand to a new level of performance. She also is that rare brand strategist who focuses on how a company executes a strategy, the nitty gritty details of business processes, roles and responsibilities, IT specifications, brand metrics and reward systems.

Charlene came to Barefoot after having been a client of the agency in two Chief Marketing Officer roles. Her career spans the agency world, the corporate world, and management consulting. She has held CMO and global brand management positions with Accenture and Allianz, founded a consulting business serving leaders in the automotive and professional services industries, and began her career with top agencies working on such brands as McDonald's, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Michelin, NutraSweet and Fruit Roll-Ups.