Kate Rothen

Kate Rothen

Partner/Chief Operating Officer at SS+K
New York, United States

About me

Kate arrived at SS+K 13 years ago, certain there had to be a better way.


She had been working in public affairs for several years at the time, alongside a lot of people who thought and sounded just like her. And she felt uninspired. Why didn’t she get to play with creativity, design and innovation, like her friends in the advertising world? As it turned out, SS+K was way ahead of her, and she’s been at home here ever since.


Since then, she’s gotten to work alongside a team from every imaginable discipline, from artists to data wonks. Some projects that have gotten her out of bed in the morning include mobilizing the youth vote for President Obama [twice], advising Starbucks on how to live their values, coaching Samsung on how to build brand love out of a crisis, and rallying teachers for the Gates Foundation.


Now COO of SS+K, Kate is responsible for translating the mission into action, and generally managing the happy chaos of the agency.


In 2011, Kate was selected by The Impact Center as a Women’s Leadership Fellow. She sits on the Board of the City College of New York’s Branding and Integrated Communications Master’s degree program, where she has also taught.


Kate lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband. She is a graduate of Amherst College, where she learned good English and bad French. 

Positions

COO, Partner
New York, United States
2005 - Present (19 years 10 months)
Kate is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer at SS+K. As COO, she’s responsible for translating SS+K’s mission into action, and generally managing the happy chaos of the agency. Among many projects at SS+K, Kate has helped to mobilize the youth vote for President Obama [twice], devised strategies to get Americans plugged into the electric car for Chevrolet, and advised Starbucks with their groundbreaking corporate reputation initiatives.
Along the way, she served as SS+K’s Head of Account Services and first Director of Social Media. In 2011, Kate was selected by The Impact Center as a Women’s Leadership Fellow. She sits on the Board of the City College of New York’s Branding and Integrated Communications Master’s degree program, where she has also taught.
Before joining SS+K in 2005, Kate worked through the ranks in the PR and public affairs world handling economic development for the Dutch government at Ruder Finn, helping launch Splenda at RF Binder Partners, and helping Airbus speak American (and vice versa) at AGG International. Kate is a graduate of Amherst College, where she learned good English and bad French. 
Adjunct Lecturer
New York, United States
January 2014 - May 2015 (1 year 4 months)
I teach a graduate course in agency Internal Management, as part of the Branding and Integrated Communications (BIC) Master's degree program.
Director, Client Services
AGG International
2004 - 2005 (1 year)
Senior Associate
RF Binder
2000 - 2004 (4 years)

Education

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

1996 - 2000 (4 years)

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