Kyra Barker
Owner + Principal Consultant at K8R
Kyra Barker
Owner + Principal Consultant at K8R
San Fernando, San Fernando
Overview
Work Experience
Owner + Principal Consultant
2022 - Current
At K8R, I lead a team of consultants dedicated to delivering tailored strategies for visionary business leaders. We specialize in comprehensive marketing, brand development, culture consulting, tourism strategy and new product launches. By focusing on sustainable growth and measurable impact, K8R helps businesses navigate complex challenges and achieve long-term success. Our approach ensures that every strategy we develop is aligned with the unique goals of our clients, driving real results across diverse industries. Key Services Offered: - Consulting (Retainer + Project Based) - Strategy Development - Corporate Training
Venture Partner
2021 - 2023
Republic gives people power to invest in the future they believe in by providing access to startup, real estate, crypto, and video game investment opportunities. Focused on creating a diverse, sustainable, connected world, Republic and its affiliates have facilitated over $500 million in investments from over one million global community members. With a global team in six countries, Republic is backed by Galaxy Digital, The Motley Fool, Binance, Naspers, AngelList and more. Republic Venture Partners collaborate across the startup ecosystem to support founders and their ideas. If you are a startup founder looking to raise capital from the crowd, message me here on LinkedIn!
Venture Scout
2021 - 2023
I connect Ada Ventures to diverse founders with bold ideas. Ada Ventures finds and funds extraordinary talent-building breakthrough ideas for the hardest problems we face. We invest across climate, economic empowerment and healthcare & ageing. Overall, bold ideas are the ones that change the world. They're ideas that find something completely new, flip categories upside-down, or see the world from an entirely different perspective. Our focus is to discover and build the possibility of these bold ideas, and provide investment to support the incredible founders behind them. Whoever and wherever they are.
Venture Scout
2021 - 2022
Connecting founders of B2B SaaS, future of work and consumer social solutions to Gumroad Founder/CEO Sahil Lavingia. Through shl.vc Sahil invests over $10 million a year into early-stage technology startups, mostly via $100K-$250K checks. Looking for: - pre-seed/seed stage opportunities in the first round of external fundraising, with less than $15M post-money valuation - technical founders focused on product, with a novel GTM strategy - an MVP to tinker with Popular companies in his portfolio: - Figma - Notion - Clubhouse - Lambda School
Independent Consultant
2016 - 2021
Through my independent consultancy I've provided strategic guidance to brands across a spectrum of industries, including FMCG, finance, healthcare, logistics. C-Suite Advisory: Partnering with leadership, I’ve clarified pricing strategies, spearheaded product launches, and uncovered market insights, all contributing to enhanced brand visibility and performance. Strategic Partnership Facilitation: I’ve been instrumental in driving corporate innovation, creating synergies between startups and established companies, which led to significant operational improvements and growth. Corporate Training Excellence: My bespoke training programs have empowered marketing teams and reshaped company cultures, instilling a spirit of innovation and strategic thinking. International Workshops: Leading workshops in global cities like Barcelona, London and New York, I’ve shared my marketing acumen with business leaders and entrepreneurs from all major continents, fostering a global perspective on innovative marketing strategies. Integrated Marketing Strategy: Leveraging my expertise in digital marketing since 2010 alongside traditional advertising, I’ve developed holistic strategies that seamlessly integrate across channels, maximizing brand impact and audience engagement. Experiential Marketing: Specializing in crafting immersive brand experiences, I’ve deepened customer engagement and loyalty, distinguishing brands in competitive markets. Budget and Strategic Planning: Managing robust marketing budgets, I’ve outlined strategies that are not just aligned with, but actively propel, business goals, showcasing an acute grasp of market dynamics. This consultancy journey is more than a list of services... it’s a testament to a dedication to marketing excellence and strategic growth. As the focus shifts toward wellness and well-being , the aim is to guide brands towards achieving success that’s both meaningful and sustainable, with health and humanity at the forefront.
Director of Marketing Strategy & Operations
2016 - 2018
As a Digital Marketing Service Provider, F1RST Media Ltd provides best in class service to clients by leveraging digital marketing tactics to reach and engage target audiences across various industries. My role at F1RST gave me the opportunity to lead a dynamic team of creatives in the development of innovative digital marketing campaigns that consistently exceed client expectations while achieving strategic objectives. I was also entrusted with the responsibility of managing business operations with specific focus on operational efficiency, talent acquisition + team structuring, pricing + cost control and client management. While in this role, my impact was positive as evidenced through increased earnings from existing clients, acquisition of new clients, team restructuring + addition of new hires, streamlined processes, improved productivity, increased service quality and higher profit margins. Key Skills Developed: - Leadership Skills - Organisational Development - Change Management - Strategic Direction - Managing a Fully Remote Team
Conference Catalyst + Panel Moderator
2017 - 2017
Tech Beach Retreat is designed to build an evergrowing active conference community providing a nexus for the global tech ecosystem to connect with the best companies in the Caribbean. The goal is to build bridges that yield increased investment, partnership and mentorship spurring an entrepreneurship and innovation revolution in the Caribbean, unlocking the full economic potential of the region through identifying industries ripe for profitable disruption to elevate the Caribbean out of emerging market status. This is an early stage opportunity to connect with one of the world's last frontier markets. In the capacity of Conference Catalyst, I collaborated with conference co-founders Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, Phin Mpofu and Kyle Maloney to execute the 2nd edition of this 3-day event. Primarily, my focus rested on: - Crafting the 2017 Program - Development of Panel Topics and Discussion Points - Assignment of Speakers - On-site Logistical Support Panels comprised of 40+ speakers from globally recognized companies like Uber, New York Times, TechStars, Facebook and Twitter to name a few. Our keynote addresses were made by Lloyd Carney - CEO of Brocade, Pilar Manchón - Director of Cognitive Interfaces at Amazon and Jack Dorsey - CEO of Twitter & CEO/Co-founder of Square. In addition to my primary role, I also took the stage as moderator of the "Hybrid Reality" panel discussing the future of Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality technologies alongside Lisa Godwin - Creative Technologist at The New York Times, John Koetsier - Futurist & Journalist for Forbes & Tune, Alan Smithson - CEO of MetaVRse and Vijay Pradeep - Robotics Engineer formally at Google. Tech Beach Website and Photos from this year's event can be found below as we look forward to #TBR2018
Account Executive
2015 - 2016
Caribbean Ideas is one of the region’s leading Digital Marketing Agencies specializing in Inbound Marketing Tactics, Website Design, Mobile App Development and Strategic Integration of Digital Marketing techniques. While at Caribbean Ideas I managed key client accounts and developed Digital Marketing campaigns for leading large brands in the telecommunications, finance, education and food & beverage sectors. Key Skills Developed: - Inbound Marketing - Strategic Digital Integration - Client Relationship Management
Marketing Officer
2012 - 2015
I conceptualized and led the rejuvenation of the Lucky Dollar brand through marketing and communication activities incorporating digital marketing tactics, guerrilla type brand activations, strategic media placement and revitalized creative elements. As a direct result, we achieved 25% business growth for fiscal 2013/14 coupled with a 4% market share increase during that period. For the Courts brand, I implemented and managed multi-channel integrated marketing campaigns while simultaneously analyzing sales performance against monthly targets and prior year comparisons. In addition to which, I closely monitored activities within the competitive landscape and developed tactics to improve lead generation and customer acquisition. I injected innovation into the brands' media mix through the use of non - traditional marketing channels and led in-store campaign launch events that surpassed targets (e.g. achieving upwards of $1.3M in sales within an 8 hour period). I also developed and managed a $30M multi-channel A&P budget and worked closely with the Marketing and Commercial Directors on margin management, revenue generation tactics and campaign analyses. Key Skills Developed: - Cross-Functional Team Management - Integrated Marketing Campaign Management - Budget Preparation & Management - Brand Event Management - Brand Partnerships - Physical Retail Management
Media Buyer
2011 - 2012
ReachCaribbean, a member of the One Caribbean Media Group, is a Media Buying Agency which facilitates placement of advertisements in broadcast, print and out of home media channels throughout the Caribbean Region. In my capacity as Media Buyer, my core function was the development of strategic multi-market media plans for local and international clients' regional advertising campaigns. This entailed negotiation of rates, preparation of effective media proposals within assigned budgets and strategic placement of ads to achieve clients' campaign objectives in each territory. While at Reach, I also conducted field research and gathered market intelligence to be used in rate negotiations with leading Media Houses within the then untapped Suriname market. Additionally, I developed and maintained the company’s active online presence via website and social media profiles. Key Skills Developed: - Media Planning & Management - Rate Negotiations
Education
Master's degree
2013 - 2015
BSc
2006 - 2008
Associates Degree
2004 - 2006
altMBA Cohort 15
2017 - 2017
Certificate
2009 - 2009