Carolyn Dawkins, head of Google's BrandLab in New York City has been named the winner of QUT's Outstanding Alumni Award for the Business School at a ceremony in Brisbane today.
Since graduating from QUT with a Bachelor of Business (major Marketing & Communications, minor Media Analysis and IT) in 2000, Ms Dawkins has been at the forefront of transitioning iconic brands from traditional marketing to a digital-first strategy resulting in impressive global impact.
Google's BrandLab NYC branch supports Google's Top 100 worldwide clients to grow their brand-building capabilities. In the role she took on in October 2014, Ms Dawkins leads the brand partnerships, advancing digital strategies by exploring how to connect with consumers on the right digital platform at the right moment and maximise Google's technologies to bring a brand's stories to life online.
Prior to joining Google, Ms Dawkins forged a reputation for her entrepreneurial, innovative approach in an extremely competitive marketplace. Her career has included managerial roles within Colgate, Procter and Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, Kellogg's, Coty Inc. and most recently with L'Oreal as Vice President of Marketing for Maybelline New York where she led marketing efforts in the US for one of L'Oreal's largest cosmetic businesses globally boasting net sales of $US817 million in 2014.
While Brand Manager for Kellogg's, she developed and launched the "Childhood is Calling" campaign which was credited with reigniting the brand and shifted a -7% decline in sales to a +13% growth from the previous year.
On a community level, Ms Dawkins volunteers as Chief Marketing Officer for the Hudson River Park Trust, the largest open space project to undergo construction in New York since Central Park. The major goals of the trust are to operate and maintain the park so that it remains a community asset.
In 2014, she actively participated in a major restoration project designed to rebuild a local community garden in East Harlem badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy and is also involved with OneKid OneWord, a non-profit organisation focused on providing education in impoverished communities in Kenya and El Salvador.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
