Karen Hand

2008 Judge

Curly Enterprises

Karen started her career in brand management in P&G where she worked first on a portfolio of detergents and then on Max Factor cosmetics across Europe. She then moved agency-side as a strategic planner on IBM and Unilever Europe before moving to Bartle Bogle Hegarty as Board Planner on accounts like Phileas Fog, Heineken Far East and Polaroid Europe. With Cindy Gallop, she won the APG Grand Prix and International Gold for Creative Planning on Polaroid in 1995.

She left London in 1998 to return to Ireland and work as an independent planner and researcher (a.k.a Curly Enterprises). Highlights have included her work on EMAP’s federation of radio brands, creating a merged vision for the Guinness and UDV cultures, working with Diageo to make social responsibility a reality and on defining the Cirque du Soleil global vision and portfolio strategy, with BBH Futures and Spectrum Consultants.

Agency clients for planning, projects and pitches have included Mother, Lowes, BBH (London and New York) and Ogilvy on regional and global projects. Clients for research and consultancy in advertising and new product development include Diageo, Tesco and Cadbury in the U.K and Ireland.

She has run Management Away Days for BBH US, VHI, eircom and Mercedes.

She has also spent time training Unilever on advanced brand thinking (UBCW) in Europe, North America, South America and Africa.

She has written a chapter on how to accelerate a climate for lateral thinking in the APG book 'Brand New Brand Thinking' and she is passionate about the creative potential in people, brands, cultures and society.