Alliance HPL (High Performance Leadership)

G. Kelly O'Dea

Chairman and Co-Founder

Described in a Harvard Business School case (N9-806-046) as “a global marketing pioneer, business builder and change leader”, Kelly is a recognized strategic advisor, marketing expert and entrepreneur with a track record that crosses virtually all major market categories worldwide.

Kelly has advised top management clients in such companies as IBM, Microsoft, Shell, Samsung, Lenovo, Boeing, Compaq, Ford, Jaguar, Fujitsu, AT&T, PepsiCo, Kraft and Unilever. He also lived 12 years of his career overseas. Prior to co-founding AllianceHPL, Mr. O’Dea managed some of the world’s top marketing & communications firms. His resume includes: President, Foote, Cone and Belding Worldwide; Vice Chairman/Global Operations and CEO/Europe-Middle East-Africa, Bozell Worldwide; President, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Client Services.

He has served on various corporate, industry and non-profit boards and devotes much of his public service time to education and politics. From 2003-2009, he was been Chairman of Outward Bound International, the leader in experiential education with operations in 35 countries and over 250,000 participants per year. He designed the successful “Global Leaders of Tomorrow” program to train next generation political, social and corporate leaders in cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration on global issues. He also serves as senior advisor to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and a partner in launching American Solutions, a tri-partisan citizen action and policy reform network which now has over 2 million active members.

Educated in the U.S. and Europe, Mr. O’Dea received a Global MBA With Distinction from Thunderbird School of Global Management, the #1 ranked international graduate school, where he currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of Corporate Education. He has also been recognized at Thunderbird with The Distinguished Alumnus Award. His undergraduate degree is in Political Science and Economics from The University of Portland where he also served on their board of trustees for many years.

Kelly lectures at leading graduate schools and is a regular speaker and media commentator on future trends, global marketing, digital economy, new media, leadership and change management issues.

Chuck Kushell

Chuck brings a broad and highly experienced perspective to his Client’s challenges gained from a wide variety of successful senior executive positions with some of the world’s leading companies and brands; including IBM, American Express and Ogilvy & Mather. With a global background including consulting, client-side and agency-side experience with companies ranging from Fortune 50 to start-up technology companies, Chuck’s proven consumer-focused skills and frustration with “traditional” solutions led to the formation of AHPL Worldwide in 2004 along with founding partners G. Kelly O’Dea and Richard Merritt.

AHPL Worldwide, a next-generation advisory and solutions firm, is uniquely organized as a global co-op of best-in-class practitioners who come together as a customized turn-key team to help Clients define their business challenges, articulate and implement strategies and be accountable for bringing the solutions to market quickly and efficiently--often serving as outsourced full-time teams which manage the Client solution while building the long-term in-house team. AHPL represents a smarter, faster and less expensive solution than traditional firms.

Chuck’s professional consulting experience includes engagements with global sales and marketing-driven companies in the financial services, technology, retail, automotive, travel, QSR and sports categories on behalf of Data Marketing International, Performance Marketing Technologies and AHPL for Clients including Ford, Microsoft, Shell, Interpublic Group, Holland America/Westours, Princess Cruises, US and International Olympic Committees, Quiznos, La ReDoute and Victoria Football league.

As a client-side marketer, he developed and directed customer profitability solutions for major retailer chains and directed the launch for IBM of Prodigy, the world’s first customer-directed online service.

His agency-side experience includes directing the global marcom and bizdev activities of brands such as American Express, PriceWaterhouse, HP, Gallo, Dun & Bradstreet, SONY, Ford, Gallo, Taco Bell, Lotus Software and Nissan on behalf of agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, Hill|Holliday (an IPG company) and Colle+McVoy (an MDC company). Chuck drove the creation and launch of the INIFNITI brand for Nissan and is a recognized leader in the practice of customer profitability management helping Clients more effectively acquire, retain and maximize the lifetime value of their customers through matrixed offline, online and social media integrated marketing.

Finally, Chuck has extensive successful C-level/BOD experience in the world of turnarounds, M&A and startups having successfully revitalized and restored profitability to marcom companies, bought and sold strategic/non-strategic assets and led the creation, development and market entry of breakthrough technology-based start ups in the internet, healthcare, homeland defense, medical device, security, shooting sports and smartphone app categories.

Chuck divides his time in the US between the East and West Coasts and has called Tokyo, Sydney, London, Paris Hong Kong and Geneva home during his international assignments. In his free time he can generally either be found on the tennis court or, with more than 40,000 miles of blue-water racing experience, flogging sailboats large and small around a race course somewhere in the world.

Richard Merritt

Mr. Merritt's expertise is in the architecture, design, development, and marketing of information technologies, software, and systems. He was an original Principal in IBM's Management Consulting Group. As Director of IBM's Global Interactive Marketing, he created a leading electronic commerce enterprise with revenue of $1Billion and an E/R of 6%. He was lead architect for the creation of Prodigy and received an IBM patent co-holder for this creative work. Richard's unique strength is his combination of extensive technical and international marketing experience with thought leadership and business insight. His entrepreneurial experience is unique.



		Who We Are :: What We Do :: Our Experience :: How We Deliver
	"We've spent $200 million in advertising and $40 million in consulting fees just to keep our nose above water--there has to be a better way!" - Fortune 500 CEO	Our Founders G. Kelly O'Dea Chairman and Co-Founder Described in a Harvard Business School case (N9-806-046) as “a global marketing pioneer, business builder and change leader”, Kelly is a recognized strategic advisor, marketing expert and entrepreneur with a track record that crosses virtually all major market categories worldwide. Kelly has advised top management clients in such companies as IBM, Microsoft, Shell, Samsung, Lenovo, Boeing, Compaq, Ford, Jaguar, Fujitsu, AT&T, PepsiCo, Kraft and Unilever. He also lived 12 years of his career overseas. Prior to co-founding AllianceHPL, Mr. O’Dea managed some of the world’s top marketing & communications firms. His resume includes: President, Foote, Cone and Belding Worldwide; Vice Chairman/Global Operations and CEO/Europe-Middle East-Africa, Bozell Worldwide; President, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Client Services. He has served on various corporate, industry and non-profit boards and devotes much of his public service time to education and politics. From 2003-2009, he was been Chairman of Outward Bound International, the leader in experiential education with operations in 35 countries and over 250,000 participants per year. He designed the successful “Global Leaders of Tomorrow” program to train next generation political, social and corporate leaders in cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration on global issues. He also serves as senior advisor to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and a partner in launching American Solutions, a tri-partisan citizen action and policy reform network which now has over 2 million active members. Educated in the U.S. and Europe, Mr. O’Dea received a Global MBA With Distinction from Thunderbird School of Global Management, the #1 ranked international graduate school, where he currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of Corporate Education. He has also been recognized at Thunderbird with The Distinguished Alumnus Award. His undergraduate degree is in Political Science and Economics from The University of Portland where he also served on their board of trustees for many years. Kelly lectures at leading graduate schools and is a regular speaker and media commentator on future trends, global marketing, digital economy, new media, leadership and change management issues. Chuck Kushell Chuck brings a broad and highly experienced perspective to his Client’s challenges gained from a wide variety of successful senior executive positions with some of the world’s leading companies and brands; including IBM, American Express and Ogilvy & Mather. With a global background including consulting, client-side and agency-side experience with companies ranging from Fortune 50 to start-up technology companies, Chuck’s proven consumer-focused skills and frustration with “traditional” solutions led to the formation of AHPL Worldwide in 2004 along with founding partners G. Kelly O’Dea and Richard Merritt. AHPL Worldwide, a next-generation advisory and solutions firm, is uniquely organized as a global co-op of best-in-class practitioners who come together as a customized turn-key team to help Clients define their business challenges, articulate and implement strategies and be accountable for bringing the solutions to market quickly and efficiently--often serving as outsourced full-time teams which manage the Client solution while building the long-term in-house team. AHPL represents a smarter, faster and less expensive solution than traditional firms. Chuck’s professional consulting experience includes engagements with global sales and marketing-driven companies in the financial services, technology, retail, automotive, travel, QSR and sports categories on behalf of Data Marketing International, Performance Marketing Technologies and AHPL for Clients including Ford, Microsoft, Shell, Interpublic Group, Holland America/Westours, Princess Cruises, US and International Olympic Committees, Quiznos, La ReDoute and Victoria Football league. As a client-side marketer, he developed and directed customer profitability solutions for major retailer chains and directed the launch for IBM of Prodigy, the world’s first customer-directed online service. His agency-side experience includes directing the global marcom and bizdev activities of brands such as American Express, PriceWaterhouse, HP, Gallo, Dun & Bradstreet, SONY, Ford, Gallo, Taco Bell, Lotus Software and Nissan on behalf of agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, Hill\|Holliday (an IPG company) and Colle+McVoy (an MDC company). Chuck drove the creation and launch of the INIFNITI brand for Nissan and is a recognized leader in the practice of customer profitability management helping Clients more effectively acquire, retain and maximize the lifetime value of their customers through matrixed offline, online and social media integrated marketing. Finally, Chuck has extensive successful C-level/BOD experience in the world of turnarounds, M&A and startups having successfully revitalized and restored profitability to marcom companies, bought and sold strategic/non-strategic assets and led the creation, development and market entry of breakthrough technology-based start ups in the internet, healthcare, homeland defense, medical device, security, shooting sports and smartphone app categories. Chuck divides his time in the US between the East and West Coasts and has called Tokyo, Sydney, London, Paris Hong Kong and Geneva home during his international assignments. In his free time he can generally either be found on the tennis court or, with more than 40,000 miles of blue-water racing experience, flogging sailboats large and small around a race course somewhere in the world. Richard Merritt Mr. Merritt's expertise is in the architecture, design, development, and marketing of information technologies, software, and systems. He was an original Principal in IBM's Management Consulting Group. As Director of IBM's Global Interactive Marketing, he created a leading electronic commerce enterprise with revenue of $1Billion and an E/R of 6%. He was lead architect for the creation of Prodigy and received an IBM patent co-holder for this creative work. Richard's unique strength is his combination of extensive technical and international marketing experience with thought leadership and business insight. His entrepreneurial experience is unique.
	© 2005 AllianceHPL	Alliance for High Performance Leadership - New Solutions for the Next Economy