Elisabeth Burks
Elisabeth Burks (she/her) brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of culture and commerce, driving revenue and relevance for cultural icons like John Legend, global brands like Samsung, and entertainment giants like Sony Music and TIFF. As a visionary strategist, she guides organizations and leaders through the challenges of boardrooms and the marketplace—delivering transformational insights and strategies for leadership, business growth and cultural relevance. As founder and CEO of Known Entity, Elisabeth specializes in creating cultural and commercial strategies that move markets and mindsets. Elisabeth holds an EMBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and the Schulich School of Business, and a B.A. in Media and Cultural Studies from The New School in New York City. A proud mother and wife, she is a sought-after public speaker and moderator and a passionate advocate for youth and social impact.
“Elisabeth’s extensive experience is distinguished as a unique and trusted advisor for top-tier businesses. Her specialized expertise provides a compelling strategic vision on how to harness cultural trends to drive commerce in today’s fragmented market. Her approach, equally strategic and sincere, is both refreshing and inspiring.” —Veronica Gaik, Executive Director, Brand Sales & Partnerships at TikTok Canada
Elisabeth Burks Speaking Topics
- First to Culture, First to Market: Capturing Consumer Shifts for Competitive Advantage
Highlights how staying ahead of cultural movements gives businesses a first-mover advantage in the marketplace. Shares strategies for identifying emerging trends and aligning brand and product offerings with evolving consumer values. - Culture as Currency: Building Cultural Capital for Business Growth
Explores how organizations can leverage cultural insights and societal shifts to drive relevance, engage consumers, and fuel commercial growth. Unpacks how cultural movements and consumer trends are reshaping commerce and how businesses can stay ahead by aligning their strategies with cultural shifts. - Cultural Tailwinds: How to Harness Social Movements for Long-Term Business Growth
Explores how brands can leverage cultural movements (e.g., sustainability, social justice) to not only stay relevant but also drive long-term brand loyalty and profitability.
- Culture-Driven Commerce: How to Build Brands that Resonate and Drive Revenue
Shows how brands that authentically engage with culture can drive deeper consumer loyalty, increase relevance, and create more sustainable revenue streams. Provides customized strategies and actionable insights on how to build cultural capital.
- Aligning Business Purpose with Consumer Expectations: A New Era of Brand Accountability
Explores how consumers are increasingly holding brands accountable for their social, environmental, and ethical practices. Discuss how businesses can align their purpose with consumer expectations to build trust and drive profit.
Renee Hess
A Southern California native, R. Renee Hess works in community engagement for La Sierra University, is an adjunct professor of sports journalism with University of Memphis, and, in 2019, launched the Black Girl Hockey Club, a nonprofit organization that focuses on equity and inclusion for Black women in ice hockey. In October 2020, Renee’s work was profiled in the New York Times and in June, 2021, she was named one of three finalists for the NHL’s Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, for individuals who have positively impacted the community, culture or society through the sport of hockey.
Renee received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in writing and literature at La Sierra University and has published nonfiction works and poetry in outlets such as Black Nerd Problems, Spectrum Magazine, and Racebaitr. Her combined passion for reading, writing, research and hockey has led Renee to archive stories from Black folks about race, community and sports that examine multiple aspects of hockey culture through the lenses of intersectional feminism and social justice.
Renee is a fan of being a fan and loves traveling to hockey games, listening to music that makes her cry, and hanging out in the sunshine with her dogs. Her most memorable moment as a writer includes interviewing Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura, “Star Trek: The Original Series”) at WonderCon and then telling her mother about it.
To book Renee Hess, contact Evan Brown, Brenna English-Loeb and Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.
Amy Stuart
Amy Stuart is a #1 bestselling author, an educator and a competitive hockey coach. She melds this wealth of experience to help companies improve their corporate culture. She worked for fifteen years as a public school educator before shifting her focus to writing, speaking and facilitation. Her first two novels, Still Mine and Still Water, were top bestsellers and she is currently at work on the third and final instalment in the linked series. As one of the rare female head coaches in youth competitive hockey, Amy has a particular insight into issues around inclusion and how that impacts companies and organizations and the individuals working within them. A lifetime fan of the Maple Leafs, Amy lives in Toronto with her husband and their three young sons.
KEYNOTE TALKS
“The Only Woman in the Room”
In this talk, Amy uses her experience of as “the only woman in the room” in the hockey world and addresses the sexism and obstacles she faces. She discusses how that has shifted her thinking about gender and inclusion in the other professional areas of her life and provides companies with the opportunity to reflect on their own workplace environments and steps they can take to improve it.
“Creativity and Performance”
As a creative person who has logged countless hours in traditional workplace environments, Amy uses stories and research to discuss the benefits of giving people space for creativity in their professional lives, regardless of their roles within an organization. She addresses how to nurture creativity among employees and the many ways this creative energy will benefit companies in terms of retention, efficiency and improvements to workplace culture.
GROUP FACILITATION
As an experienced and trained group facilitator, Amy uses her wealth of experience to lead smaller-group workshops on a variety of topics, including:
- Improving listening skills
- Recognizing and addressing unconscious thoughts and biases
- Promoting an inclusive workplace culture
- Fostering creative thinking in the workplace
To book Amy Stuart, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.