Best known for her individualistic expertise when it comes to coaxing out the real power in brands to spike the bottom line, Mary van de Wiel [alias: Van] is CEO and Brand Anthropologist of Zing Your Brand & Co., a New York-based creative brand consultancy. Dubbed Brand Therapist and Master Provocateur by clients and media alike, Van brings a highly-eclectic perspective to branding whether as weekly host of NY Brand Lab Radio, leading The NY Brand Lab Workshops, speaking, consulting, blogging and producing the Brand Reinvention Summit. For 15 years, Van ran her own global branding shop with offices in New York and Sydney, Australia with Fortune 500 clients across four continents. She’s written for Dan Schawbel’s Personal Branding Blog, Entrepreneur.com and been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, Reuters and Entrepreneur Magazine. She is the author of soon-to-be-published Dead Brand Walking.

Dubbed “Brand Therapist,” a “Master Provocateur,” and “a leader and innovator in the global branding space,” Van is best known for her idiosyncratic views on the emotional clues that beckon audiences, hearts beating & eyes gleaming. On stage, on air, and in the boardroom, Van’s modus operandi is all about zeroing in on that irresistible spark that attracts business like crazy — with a synergistic blend of expertise, intuition and visceral questions that cut to the quick.

As a speaker, MC & workshop leader, Van is a Master of Serious Play, in action: She invigorates audiences from coast to coast with stories, strategies and just the right amount of emotionally-charged provocation. What’s more, her live, on-the-spot Brand Audits are the stuff of legends. Think: ten minutes in the hot seat, with your business’ website beamed onto the big screen, while a visual storytelling expert unpacks & critiques with dazzling speed. When Van asks, “who’s my next volunteer?” the hands go flying.