Heidi Sinclair is a highly respected 30-year communications and marketing veteran who combines insightful strategic consulting with operational strength. She recently joined Weber Shandwick as President of its Global Technology Practice overseeing the firm’s work with clients including Samsung, Motorola, Juniper, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft. Most recently, she was a strategic partner of Weber Shandwick with her own marketing, communications and philanthropic consulting firm, Heidi Sinclair & Co. developing strategies, platforms and creative concepts that enable leaders, brands and organizations to achieve their highest potential. Her clients ranged from Richemont and Microsoft to Will & Jada Pinkett Smith.
Previously, she served as Chief Communications Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with responsibility for the Foundation’s communications to all stakeholders and the general public globally. Heidi was a member of the foundation’s Management Committee. She also has been the personal advisor to Bill and Melinda Gates on all communications matters. Prior to the foundation, Heidi was CEO for Europe, Middle East and Africa with oversight for 18 Burson-Marsteller operations and 33 affiliate operations across Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Russia. Before that, she was Global Chairman of Technology for Burson-Marsteller, where she spearheaded the work of a global team working on technology clients in over fifty countries. She has been Global Client Leader for several of Burson-Marsteller’s largest clients including SAP, HP, Sun and Apple. Heidi was also a member of Burson-Marsteller’s Executive Board.
She is well-known as a strategist, corporate executive and an entrepreneur. She founded two companies in the media and communications space, the first at age 23. She built several new businesses within corporate structures for Burson-Marsteller, Ketchum Communications and International Creative Management.
Heidi graduated from Stanford University with an A.B. in English. She is a four-time Young Entrepreneur award winner, and has been the recipient of numerous marketing and communications honors. She is on the boards of Portero Luxury, Concordia Coffee Company and Avelle, and several corporate advisory boards, and is a member of the Young/World President’s Organization and the International Women’s Forum. Heidi frequently writes and lectures about branding and the future of media, and is a regular commentator on CNBC and CNN and authors a blog for the Huffington Post. She is also an award-winning poet. After having lived in many parts of the world, she has returned to her native Seattle.