Brent Hodgins

Mirren Training

At twenty-five, Brent moved into advertising after selling his event marketing firm. He has since worked for agencies that have included TBWA\Chiat\Day, Wieden + Kennedy, Leo Burnett and McCann-Erickson. Working his way up through account management, he has worked in the CPG, technology, QSR, retail and financial sectors on accounts such as McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson, Barnes & Noble and U.S. Trust.

It was at TBWA\Chiat\Day that he moved from account management into launching their Interactive services in New York. He then established a marketing group for the agency, to sit alongside new business and proactively focus on managing the agency’s brand. Later at Wieden + Kennedy NY, he led the team’s efforts to completely reengineer their business development practice.

Now at Mirren Business Development, Brent plays a leading role in the firm’s new business training and recruitment specialization for agencies. The goal: use the firm’s innovative approach to position, pitch and prospect to help agencies close more business – quickly and efficiently. Through their cutting edge tools, they now count numerous agency clients that continue strong growth, despite the economic turmoil.

Brent established a unique partnership with Harvard Business School and Harvard Business Review to produce the Workspace/CMO Roundtable Series – an invitation-only CMO event series. Marketing chief participants have included BMW Mini, Toyota, Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, jetBlue, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, Discover, Xbox, DuPont, Levis, P&G, among many others. Several of the leading search consultants have also participated.

Along with business conferences, Brent regularly guest lectures at Harvard, MIT, Wharton and Columbia business schools. He was also the chair of a New York young professionals organization tied to Fast Company magazine and was the key force in building it up to a membership of over fifteen hundred.