Executive Brand Leader | Business Growth, Market Relevance, Organizational Alignment
Alex Valderrama
Senior brand and business leader with decades of experience guiding organizations through brand transformation, market repositioning, and growth strategy. As the founder of a successful agency, I’ve spent my career advising executive teams across industries on how to build stronger brands, create clearer market distinction, and align customer experience with business goals. I’m now pursuing a Chief Brand Officer or similar opportunity to bring that perspective in-house, partnering more directly across the organization, shaping brand as a strategic business asset, and helping lead the next phase of growth.
“There is no other brand expert I would rather work with than Alex Valderrama. He is strategic, perceptive, and a creative force that enables companies to take a step back and think about things differently. Working with our creative team, Alex motivated and managed our design team, facilitating the creative process and delivering above and beyond expectations. I highly recommend Alex. He will not disappoint.”
Lori L. Searls
Director of Marketing, Viaero Wireless
Executive Brand Leadership
I am a senior brand strategist and business leader with more than two decades of experience helping organizations define market position, strengthen differentiation, and translate brand clarity into business growth.
My work has centered on the intersection of brand strategy, customer insight, growth planning, and executive alignment. I have led strategic initiatives that helped organizations sharpen their narrative, strengthen internal alignment, and build brands that create deeper relevance in competitive markets.
I bring a human-centered approach to branding, but I operate with a business-first mindset: brand as a lever for growth, trust, differentiation, and long-term enterprise value.
What I Bring to Leadership Teams
- Brand Strategy & Market Positioning: Clarifying who the organization is, where it competes, and why it wins
- Growth-Oriented Brand Leadership: Connecting brand strategy to business goals, market relevance, and long-term value creation
- Executive Alignment: Helping leadership teams create shared clarity across brand, marketing, sales, and customer experience
- Repositioning & Transformation: Guiding organizations through inflection points, change, modernization, and strategic evolution
- Customer Insight & Relevance: Translating audience understanding into stronger differentiation and market resonance
- Team Leadership & Coaching: Developing people, strengthening capabilities, and helping teams operate with greater clarity and confidence
Over the course of my career, I have led brand and marketing strategy work across organizations ranging from growth-stage businesses to nationally recognized brands. My experience includes executive leadership through Cranium, communications leadership with AIGA Tampa Bay, and community and business leadership as Past President of the Davis Islands Chamber of Commerce.
I have worked with organizations including IBM Watson Health, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Fathom Events, and National CineMedia, helping teams navigate challenges involving market position, growth, customer connection, and brand clarity.
Branding
Brand research
Brand refresh expertise
Branding strategies
Brand development and analysis
Brand management
Brand architecture
Brand messaging development
Competitor analysis
Strategic business planning
Brand naming and strategies
Naming architecture development
Brand audits
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Marketing
Marketing plan development
Bring brands to life with storytelling strategies
Go-to-market strategies
Market analysis
Integrated marketing strategy development
Sales team support
Sales enablement strategies
New business development
Customer retention strategies
Advertising campaign development
Develop and implement campaign strategies
SEO (organic) and paid advertising strategies
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Design
Creative direction
Corporate, product and service logo design
Identity design
Graphic standards guide
Website design
Web app design
UX/UI design
Native mobile design
PowerPoint and presentation design
Corporate and service brochure design
Product packaging and promotional design
Direct mail/email campaign design
Trade show and event design
Awards & Education
I bring expertise in emotional brand strategy, visual design, and marketing direction. I help ambitious brands ready to stand out in crowded markets.
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BRANDS TRANSFORMED
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PUBLISHED WORK
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AWARDS
International Academy of Design/Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)/Summa cum laude
Associate Degree in Graphics Arts
Selected as one of 26 seats from thousands of international applicants to attend the summer school – International Summer School for Arts (Bath, England)
Communications Director for AIGA Tampa Bay
President, Davis Islands Chamber of Commerce
Curriculum Advisor for Des Moines Area Community College Design Program, Des Moines, IA
Instructor of Advanced Design for Arapahoe Community College, Denver, CO
Instructor of Advanced Communications for Metropolitan State University, Denver, CO
Curriculum Advisor for Arapahoe Community College, Denver, CO
International Judge for the Pittsburg BizMark Awards
International Judge for the AIM Awards
Board Member for Business Marketing Association (BMA)
Board Member for AIGA Denver Chapter
Branding and Marketing Advisory Committee Member for Five Points Business District
Member of American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
Member of Art Directors Club
Lectures and provides working sessions regularly on marketing and branding topics at colleges, universities, associations, and corporate events
Selected Executive Achievements
- Rebranded and repositioned Arcadia Settlements Group, supporting expansion to 160+ professionals across 50 offices throughout North America while strengthening market leadership and brand recognition.
- Directed the strategic transformation of DenteVita Prosthodontics, driving increased patient acquisition, stronger market differentiation, and sustained growth over a 15-year client partnership.
- Modernized the market position of a 50+ year-old real estate development firm, resulting in improved stakeholder engagement, enhanced reputation, and expanded business opportunities.
- Developed the foundational brand platform for SPAVIA, creating a scalable franchise-ready brand architecture that supported national growth objectives.
- Delivered executive brand strategy and market positioning initiatives for Fortune 500 organizations including IBM Watson Health, Microsoft, and Wells Fargo.
- Founded and led Cranium Agency for more than three decades, helping organizations navigate startup launches, growth acceleration, enterprise transformation, and merger-related brand integration.
I've worked with...
PLUS, MANY MORE EXCEPTIONAL BRANDS…
Let's Talk
Alex Valderrama
c: 303.475.1985
e: alex@cranium.biz
e: alex@cranium.biz
I’m always open to thoughtful conversations around brand leadership, marketing strategy, growth, and executive opportunities.
If you’re looking for someone who can help shape positioning, lead brand and marketing efforts, bring clarity to complexity, or strengthen the connection between strategy and market presence, feel free to reach out.
I’m especially interested in conversations with organizations navigating growth, reinvention, transformation, or increased market complexity.
If you’re looking for someone who can help shape positioning, lead brand and marketing efforts, bring clarity to complexity, or strengthen the connection between strategy and market presence, feel free to reach out.
I’m especially interested in conversations with organizations navigating growth, reinvention, transformation, or increased market complexity.