Big Valley Marketing Names Katie Huang Shin as President; Fast-Growing Tech Firm Scales Up to Meet Client Demand

Big Valley Marketing today announced the hiring of prominent technology communicator Katie Huang Shin as president, effective immediately. Widely respected for her people-first leadership approach and dedication to client success, Huang Shin will work with founder and CEO Tim Marklein to drive sustainable growth for the tech-focused marketing and communications firm. Big Valley has increased its revenues by 2.5X over the past two years, providing expert strategy, positioning, research, content, and media services for more than 25 technology companies.

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Katie Huang Shin, President, Big Valley Marketing (Photo: Business Wire)

Huang Shin is an experienced consultant and business leader who has successfully helped large and small technology companies navigate critical business issues and opportunities. She most recently served as president at AxiCom, leading the agency’s North American business across nine markets while elevating the firm’s people experience and helping its technology clients grow and transform. Prior to AxiCom, Huang Shin held leadership roles at WE Communications, FleishmanHillard, Weber Shandwick, and other independent and holding company-owned agencies.

Over the course of her 25-year career, Huang Shin has helped several of the world’s most iconic technology companies build their brands, adapt to market needs, and effectively communicate their strategies in a dynamic global environment. Notable clients include Avaya, Checkpoint, Cisco, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei, Intel, Lexmark, Nortel, Novell, Oracle, RSA, SAP, Symantec, Visa, Tencent and other technology innovators. She was recently recognized as a 2021 “Top Women in Communications” by Ragan and PR Daily, and her teams at AxiCom and WE Communications were named to the PR News Agency Elite Top 100 and Provoke Media’s 2019 Global SABRE Technology PR Agency of the Year.

“Over the past few years, Big Valley has built a powerhouse leadership team, client roster and differentiated delivery model. Now we’re ready to scale up to the next level,” said Marklein. “Katie shares our passion for client service and client leadership, while enabling team members to do their best work every day – which sounds obvious but is often lost in the traditional agency model. I can’t think of a better leader to join our team and help us scale Big Valley as the go-to partner for fast-growing tech companies.”

“Big Valley has already built a strong business, and I’m excited to partner with Tim and other former colleagues to grow the firm into a recognized leader,” said Huang Shin. “Building high-performance teams takes focus, dedication, coaching and empathy. Doing that while providing impeccable client service and seasoned client leadership is not easy. I believe there is a better way to lead – and when you unlock everyone’s potential at every level, they will relentlessly focus on client success and deliver exponential growth.”

Fast Growth with Tech Pioneers, Players and Pillars

Big Valley, which has generated significant organic and new business growth over the past two years, is actively recruiting for several open positions. Clients include pioneering startups like Pensa, StarTree, Tendo, Thought Industries, Vic.ai, and Vidyard; hyper-growth unicorns like FourKites, Medable, PsiQuantum and Signifyd; and publicly traded tech leaders including Broadcom Software, Cambium Networks, CTG, Fastly, ForgeRock, Hitachi Vantara and Qumu.

“Big Valley gets it. They bring me experts who can think, write, plan, analyze and consult. They work as trusted members of our team, while staying externally focused on market drivers and audience needs. In a world of mostly mediocre agencies, they are an incredibly valuable partner for me,” said Ellen Roeckl, chief marketing officer at enterprise browser startup Island, recently valued at $1.3 billion.

In addition to Marklein and Huang Shin, Big Valley is led by a seasoned team of experts including:

• Dave Nieland, Head of Client Experience: Dave (formerly executive VP at Weber Shandwick) is the consummate client-obsessed consultant and program leader with 25+ years advising B2B tech clients on corporate reputation, executive visibility, crisis communications, speaker training, global programs and integrated campaigns.
• Scott Friedman, Practice Leader, Strategy + Positioning: Scott is a seasoned tech practice leader (APCO, Text 100 and WE Communications) and former journalist who loves to help startups and blue chips shape their brand strategy, product positioning, corporate narrative and competitive differentiation.
• Inga Starrett, Practice Leader, Research + Analytics: Inga has spent more than 25 years as a research leader (Weber Shandwick, Applied Communications, Golin) helping clients analyze media, markets, content and conversations to better understand their environment, measure their results, and optimize their programs.
• David Bailey, Practice Leader, Story + Content: David’s experience spans public relations, sales communications, demand generation and solutions marketing – via industry leaders (Sun and HP) and agencies (Text 100, Copithorne & Bellows and Applied Communications) – but the common thread is a passion for writing and story crafting to help businesses communicate effectively and authentically.
• Dave Reddy, Practice Leader, Media + Influencers: Dave is a former reporter who brings a journalistic sensibility for news and storytelling to his clients, along with scores of deep media and influencer relationships from The Wall Street Journal to WIRED, CNBC to CNET, and Forrester to Fortune. He is also a prolific media trainer, having coached 250+ executives on how best to communicate their stories.
• Christine Kerst, Head of Talent + Culture: After two decades driving communications programs for B2B tech companies, Christine shifted her focus to building talent and culture – growing a firm that enables and empowers team members to do what they love every day while delivering fantastic results and value for clients.

About Big Valley Marketing

Big Valley Marketing helps technology companies improve their marketing and communications. The firm is led by a team of experienced consultants in strategy and positioning, story and content development, media and influencer engagement, digital and social activation, and research and analytics. Since its inception in 2014, Big Valley has worked with pioneering startups and industry leaders to launch businesses, create categories, build brands and grow revenues. Follow us via LinkedIn and Twitter.

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