Member Since December 2023
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About
Maria Alonso leads Fortune 206´s account management department, creating campaigns and initiatives that engage and empower the community, especially marginalized groups, responding to and resonating with their unique needs and challenges. She’s an accomplished marketing executive with proven success and a passion for leading programs that drive brand growth and enhance customer experiences. She brings diversity, equity and inclusion to the ad agency world, curating campaigns for Fortune 500 clients that include Starbucks, Amazon, and Coca-Cola. Alonso helps brands connect with their audiences by communicating unique narratives and big ideas that stand out in a crowd. She has more than 15 years of experience working with top clients, such as Unilever, T-Mobile, Abbott, Janssen, Novartis, and Jim Beam (US and globally) across a range of categories that include consumer packaged goods, beauty, personal care, infant care, nutrition, OTC health & wellness, and HCP initiatives. She’s worked on Dove’s “Real Women” campaign, created synergy in all digital branding for Starbucks in LATAM, increased 15% of patient (OBGYN) appointments for UWMedicine, and managed to increase diversity by 150% in a local NGO. Maria has been honored as a “Woman of the Week Future for Us,” served as a board member for the American Marketing Association Puget Sound, and speaker on diversity in advertising and multicultural advertising. In addition to her role at Verity, Maria founded a line of handbags, Colibri Handbags, producing one-of-a-kind pieces designed and created by a community of artisans in Chiapas, Mexico. She gives back 30% of all profits to artisan communities in Mexico. Outside of work, Maria enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, visiting friends and family at home in Mexico, caring for her Bischon frise pup, and continually supporting marginalized communities.
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Maria Alonso
Published content
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The right talent acquisition strategies can help ensure your company’s long-term success. Every successful company needs a strong talent acquisition strategy. Whether you're focused on building a robust pipeline, streamlining your onboarding process, or leveraging analytics to predict future needs, the right approach can drive sustainable growth and keep your organization competitive. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share how their talent acquisition strategies are shaping the future of their organizations. Here's what they've found to work well and how you can apply these insights to your own talent acquisition efforts.
![17 reasons biz leaders should also consider teaching](/profile/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.fastcompany.com%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Ff_webp%2Cq_auto%2Cc_fit%2Fwp-cms-2%2F2024%2F08%2F17_benefits_and_challenges_of_teaching_as_an_adjunct_professor.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
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Here's why sharing your expertise as an adjunct professor with the next generation of leaders can be rewarding but challenging. Taking on an adjunct professor role offers leaders a special opportunity to share hard-earned insights with the next generation. This role can be incredibly rewarding, as it allows you to shape future leaders while leaving a lasting professional legacy. However, translating industry experience into an academic setting comes with its own set of challenges, particularly in adapting to different learning styles and expectations. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share their thoughts on the benefits and hurdles of stepping into this educational role.
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Business owners must carefully evaluate key factors to ensure their brick-and-mortar locations are set up for long-term success. For any business owner, securing the right real estate for a brick-and-mortar location is a critical decision that requires careful consideration of several market factors. Decisions made during this process can have a long-lasting impact on a business’s success. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members offer valuable tips to help you make informed decisions when selecting a physical location for your business. From understanding current market trends to evaluating the long-term potential of a location, here's how these key elements can make or break the success of the business.
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Online platforms like LinkedIn provide opportunities for career professionals to gain a foothold while transitioning to new industries. Many professional skills translate well from one industry to another. For job seekers who are looking to change industries, it's important to be specific about how their professional experiences will help them be successful in their new chosen field. One way to do this is to leverage online platforms to showcase your expertise and transferrable skills. To help, 20 members of Fast Company Executive Board share strategies for translating existing skills into new career paths to stand out to potential employers. Follow their advice to build your professional network, showcase past projects, and provide thoughtful commentary on relevant topics to establish yourself in a new industry.
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Ignore your inner voice of self-doubt—you got this. Here's how successful thought leaders can start writing today, and keep going. For thought leaders who have solidified their reputation in a particular industry (or are looking to do so), one next step to build up credibility among colleagues and followers is to broaden their credibility by publishing a book. Doing so can help elevate trust and loyalty among your current audience. It may also bring in a new base to keep the momentum thriving in the future. If you've got plenty of ideas but don't think you have the time or patience needed to realistically get the job done, think again—11 experts from Fast Company Executive Board are here to help. They each share some tried and true best practices for a thought leader or influencer who wants to share their knowledge through book publishing for the first time. Here's how new writers can get their thoughts down on paper and expand their reach.
![14 methods to boost business-client engagement in the digital age](/profile/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.fastcompany.com%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Ff_auto%2Cq_auto%2Cc_fit%2Fwp-cms-2%2F2024%2F07%2Ffceb-ep-1920x1080-14_methods_to_boost_business-client_engagement_in_the_digital_age-.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
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Your brand may be selling itself short by remaining socially distant. Here's how to reconnect with customers and maintain their loyalty. As the virtual e-commerce system continues to evolve, brand leaders can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines if they want to see their companies thrive. That is why it is so important to actively engage with current and potential customers in the digital spaces they rely on to keep them informed about how your business can make a difference in their lives and meet their needs. If you're beginning to feel a disconnect between your audience and want to reestablish a stronger bond by elevating your efforts in brand awareness, here are 14 strategies from Fast Company Executive Board members to help start you off. You may need to catch up in some areas, but by applying these tips of the trade, you'll learn to be better engaged in the digital community and drive business impact to its highest capacity.
Company details
Fortune 206
Company bio
Fortune 206 is a pioneering independent creative agency proudly owned by women of color. Committed to transforming challenges into opportunities, we specialize in guiding our clients through the most demanding business situations. As adept storytellers, our team crafts compelling narratives and bold ideas, enabling our clients to build robust brands and establish meaningful connections with their audiences. Beyond storytelling, we serve as brand architects, delivering innovative designs that not only drive the sale of products and services but also facilitate business growth and future readiness. At Fortune 206, we blend creativity with strategy to create powerful solutions that resonate in a crowded market.