South Florida Business Journal Women of Influence Awards 2012

 

With so many women making their mark in the South Florida business community, the Business Journal had a tough job this year in deciding who to honor as the most Influential Business Women for 2012.

Those chosen as this year’s honorees have gone above and beyond in achieving for our community and for their companies. As you read about them, we are certain you will be as impressed as we are with their accomplishments.

Please join us to celebrate them at a luncheon on Sept. 13 at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six. Go to http://bizj.us/b4or5 to register, or call Rossie Ruiz at (954) 949-7522 for more information.

See the profiles beginning at the bottom of this page.

 

 

MICHELE MERRELL
President, Merrell Consulting Group

Education

• B.A. in marketing communications, University of Wisconsin
• M.B.A. in international business, Everest University
• Master’s-level coursework in corporate communications, DePaul University

Personal note

• Merrell finished her last semesters of undergraduate school in Athens, Greece, and later worked on an archeological dig at an ancient Minoan palace on the island of Crete.

As an award-winning senior-level marketing professional with progressive experience in domestic and international strategic marketing planning, including consumer and business-to-business audiences, Michele Merrell brings skills ranging from corporate communications to thought leadership platform development and mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. She also has learned the traits of today’s influential businesswoman.

She’s authentic, real, honest and confident, and has a personal vision of her life and a definition of what success looks like. They’re risk takers, with a solid personal vision. They have a personal plan and dreams, and know how to mend those with their professional vision.

“The best women business leaders follow their instincts and are good at putting their finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist,” she says. “We know what we stand for – honesty, integrity and dependability – and act accordingly with clear boundaries. As good leaders, we can be depended on for professionalism and follow through at all times.”

Whether with Brightstar, the Broward College Foundation, Tyco International and BellSouth Cellular, or now with Merrell Consulting Group, her consulting practice, Merrell has honed at least three traits key to being a skilled professional provider to others.

She remains committed to continuous learning and being as competent in her professional area as possible. She understands what needs to be done in an organization, and find ways to help get it done. And she focuses on operational excellence.

Her advice to others? Find and work with a mentor. Develop your professional roadmap. And focus on continuous networking, tapping into contacts and displaying expertise to help lay inroads.

“You have to be persistent and do your homework,” she says. “At the end of the day, people will do business with people they like. Know that it may get rough, but never, ever give up because the rest will follow.”