Headshot of Marten Van Pelt

I’ve traveled to six different continents and lived and/or worked on four. I’ve hit many places on my bucket list like Cape Town, Beirut, Angkor Wat, and even riding across the plains of Mongolia. There are always more places to see!
Marten van Pelt
Chief Marketing Officer

Experience

As chief marketing officer, I oversee all marketing functions for the firm, including strategy, sales, digital marketing, marketing technology, proposal and pursuit support, public relations, advertising, and internal and external communications.

Around the office, colleagues know me for my energy, positive attitude, and relentless desire to find answers to marketing’s toughest challenges. I’m the eternal optimist who believes we can develop better ideas every day. My clients appreciate that I take the success of their businesses personally. I try to understand their objectives and motivations and treat them as if they were mine as well. I’ve been in the client role before, and I’ve “walked the halls” of our clients, so I’m able to bring unique insight into the challenges they face.

Having started working as the “web” was taking off, I’ve had the opportunity to be a leader in the digital transformation of customer engagement and marketing. From the beginning, I saw how the interaction between brands and customers would fundamentally change and keep changing — it’s that never-ending innovation required to build relationships with clients that keeps me attracted to my career.

My nearly 30 years of experience in marketing includes business development, technology solutions, digital innovation, brand development, advertising, and public relations for professional service firms, creative agencies, and their clients. In 2023, I was recognized on Crain’s Detroit Business’ list of Notable Leaders in Marketing for 2023. I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Syracuse University and an M.B.A. from the London Business School.

When I’m not working, I love being outdoors and in the mountains. Whether it’s skiing or hiking during the winter, climbing or boating the rest of the year, the closer I can be to nature and experience its magic, the better. I like to balance that with a passion for news, culture, and politics.