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A former business school dean and frequent speaker, he brings over 30 years of experience advising more than 200 organizations, including Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Previously, McFarland served as CEO of Nivo International, overseeing a global network of 2,000 testing centers across 56 countries. He also led Collectech Systems, growing revenue from $10 million to $100 million in two years and securing major contracts with companies like Verizon and AT&T.

He began his career in academia, becoming one of the youngest business school deans in the U.S. at age 26 at Pepperdine University.

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Kennedy has 25 years experience helping organizations achieve market-beating performance and has seen a lot. Industry challenges facing financial services, consumer products, insurance, automotive, pharmaceutical, sporting goods, big box retail, specialty online luxury, airlines, publishing, food and beverage, quick service retail, wholesale distribution, aerospace, global consultancies, electronics and wireless communications to name a few. Disruptive technologies like online commerce, cloud computing, and smart phone-enabled mobility. Globalization of markets, labor and human capital. Multitudes of regulatory regimes and new business models and challenges unimaginable just a decade ago. Kennedy joined RED Strategy Group after successfully implementing RED over a 5 year period to transform a stagnant system integration firm into a fast growing agency positioned at the convergence of online commerce and marketing. Kennedy’s work as a RED consultant brings this unique blend of breadth of experience with direct RED expertise to bear for his clients.

Prior to joining RED Strategy Group, Kennedy spent 6 months leading a Nike AAU girls basketball program to a national runner up finish. Prior to that he was founder and co-CEO of Crown Partners, a full service eBusiness agency. Over a 14 year period, Kennedy and his business partner grew Crown into a successful global agency with clients and business operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Crown’s growth was recognized six times by INC Magazine’s INC500/500 list and four times by the Software 500. In 2014, after a 5 year RED Strategy makeover, Crown was acquired by Publicis Groupe of Paris and integrated into razorfish. The acquisition was awarded the 2014 M&A Advisors Strategic Acquisition of the Year. Crown clients included Keurig, General Motors, Johnstone Supply, The Pampered Chef, Amway, Clinique, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Exxon Mobil, US Army, Fidelity and many more. Crown produced an annualized ROI of 130% for investors.

A valuable lesson: Kennedy’s first outside board directorship was with firm that provided statistical analysis software. During preparation for the first board meeting with the Chairman, Kennedy peppered the Chairman with questions about his role on the board and what the expertise the firm was lacking. “Is it strategy? Sales process? Product roadmap? Strategic marketing? Technology process?” "No," said the Chairman. "It’s your enthusiasm. This company is boring as hell and your enthusiasm is contagious. They need to catch some."

Kennedy has an electrical engineering degree from Bucknell, where his most distinguished accomplishments came on the baseball diamond. He, his wife Valerie and their golden retriever Sadie live in Knoxville, TN. Go Vols!

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Coker has more than a decade of experience in leading and managing companies and teams, with roles in Engineering, Manufacturing, and Operations management, and more recent roles including General Manager and Managing Director, primarily within the manufacturing and mining sectors.

As a former client of the RED Strategy Group, Coker has experienced firsthand the growth and focus that RED brings to a company, from which he discovered a personal passion for creating and implementing strategy. Working directly with McFarland as a client for 4 years likewise gave Coker deep insight into the RED process and the value it creates. Using that insight, Coker implemented RED at subsequent companies to great effect, including the turnaround of a struggling manufacturing business in less than 9 months. Coker’s proficiency in business has seen him build and restructure leadership teams, co-create and execute strategic plans, reconfigure and direct sales initiatives, and lead the development and implementation of new systems in Engineering, Sales, Manufacturing, and Logistics.

As an entrepreneur, Coker owns and runs several businesses, and continues to evolve and grow them using the RED principles. The ability to continually adapt and change his businesses has been critical to his success, particularly throughout the economic volatility that has become part of the Australian business landscape since the end of the mining boom.

Coker’s experiences have also been broadened and enhanced by engaging with clients and customers in Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Indonesia, Mongolia, PNG, Mexico, and the USA, with a practical appreciation of the challenges and opportunities presented by exporting goods and services globally.

As a non-executive board member and a chair and member of various advisory boards and committees, Coker brings broad governance and advisory experience to combine with his practical and hands-on leadership and management skills.

Coker has a PhD and bachelor degree in mechanical engineering, and spent his early career designing OEM equipment for the mining sector before moving into leadership and management roles in a nationally recognized and awarded company in Australia. He and his family live near Toowoomba, Queensland.