Kat Saunders Promoted to Executive Vice President, Client Strategy
March 31, 2022 | By: Julie Curtin
Development Counsellors International (DCI) is thrilled to announce the promotion of Kat Saunders to Executive Vice President, Client Strategy.
Kat will continue to serve as a lead strategist for client work, overseeing DCI’s economic development public relations service and coordinating with digital, research, creative services and paid media service teams to develop integrated programs for DCI clients. In this expanded role, Kat will also serve as the lead on DCI’s third practice area of Talent Attraction as it relates to expanding the service across the agency and across the economic development and tourism industries.
“Elevating Kat to EVP and head of DCI’s third practice area of Talent Attraction is an exciting and perfect-fit decision for our agency,” said Julie Curtin, DCI Partner. “Her expertise in economic development, talent attraction and place marketing, combined with her ability to build strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement in client communities around the globe, make Kat an ideal leader to advance this important practice area for our agency and the communities we serve.”
DCI announced its new Talent Attraction practice area after 62 years of specializing in economic development and tourism marketing aimed at helping destinations around the world attract business investment and visitors to spur economic growth. This elevated offering is built on a strong foundation of more than a dozen years of talent attraction marketing, starting with the launch of a talent attraction brand and campaign for Wake County, NC. Since then, DCI’s talent attraction marketing services have evolved to include websites, marketing strategies, brands, media relations, advertising, and social media campaigns. DCI also publishes “Talent Wars,” its annual research study that reveals how people choose jobs and locations.
Kat is a graduate of Florida State University and has more than 15 years of experience in economic development, talent attraction and real estate marketing, as well as a background in government relations and public affairs. She regularly speaks at global place marketing conferences, including the International Economic Development Council and Destinations International, as well as statewide conferences such as the New York State Economic Development Conference and the Florida Economic Development Conference.
