Bernadette Martin

Founder - Brand Strategist

Bernadette Martin is a multi-lingual certified Brand Strategist and Founder of Visibility Branding, LLC. She has a 15 year career working in various aspects of corporate and personal brand management, a profession that has taken her to Asia, Europe and the U.S. where she has held positions in corporate, agency and academic environments. A move to Paris in 2002 coincided with a transition from corporate branding to personal branding where her clients are individuals in career transition such as Executive MBA participants, MBA graduates, coaches, professionals and entrepreneurs. She helps clients develop their professional and personal brand, whether in a verbal, written or online context, and has worked with more than 200 clients developing their brand positioning, messaging and image. Additionally, she develops courses and workshops on Personal Branding and Brand Management at the Executive Education and MBA levels in Paris and Brussels. Her credentials include an MBA from Thunderbird, the Global School of International Management, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Foreign Languages and certification as a Reach Brand Strategist.
Bernadette found the transition from corporate brands to working with individuals and entrepreneurs a natural and rewarding evolution. When asked why the preference, she gives two reasons. With her clients in career transition, she is energized helping them to realize their strengths and incorporating their unique promise of value into a compelling brand strategy both online and offline. With entrepreneurs, she finds it gratifying working with ambitious, creative, motivated clients with aspirations, drive and vision. With all her clients, her intuition, resourcefulness and enthusiasm, combined with her listening and networking skills are weaved into every session.
As a Brand Strategist working with clients of various nationalities, she draws upon a wealth of cross cultural experiences, advising on how to effectively communicate in a multi cultural context. In addition to defining the appropriate communication mix and strategy, she also gets involved in the tactical more “hands on” phase of developing a brand. Her skills include writing, editing and creating copy, whether it’s a resume, biography, web site, blog, ad, or brochure.
Bernadette has worked with well known brands in industries such as financial, legal, travel, FMCG, automotive, entertainment, airlines, high-tech, petroleum, bio-technology, legal, hospitality, hotel, and life sciences. In her “former” life, in the corporate environment, she held positions both on the advertising agency and client side and worked with brands such as Procter & Gamble, Ford, Saatchi & Saatchi, American Express, Citibank, KLM Airlines, Merck, DHL, Jaguar, Nestle, Hennessey, Jacobs Suchard, Tauck World Discovery and GES Exposition Services. This exposure to so many sectors serves as a reference in her consulting practice where her clients hail from a wide range of professions.
On a personal note, Bernadette was born in Los Angeles of Irish, German, and French descent. She claims to be truly “Euro-American" due not only to her ethnic background but a result of an early interest in cross-cultural experiences and foreign languages. She is a long distance runner and escapes to the outskirts of Paris several times a week to run in the Bois de Boulogne. Her favorite quote is a Tibetan proverb “Happiness is not at the end of the road, it’s the road that brings happiness”. In her own words she would say it is not the “fait accompli” that matters but the excitement, fun and challenges the road presents in getting there.