Straightline Welcomes Patti Balbas as Brand Strategist

NEW YORK, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Straightline is pleased to announce that Patti Balbas has joined the strategy team. Patti is dedicated to helping clients formulate brand strategies that drive business results. She has an extensive background working with private and public sector health brands while at InterbrandHealth and Humana.

"Patti is a great addition to our already strong strategy team. We're especially excited about her experience at Humana. It gives her insight into and empathy for the issues our clients are facing every day," said Michael Watras, President and CEO. "Patti's mix of public and private sector healthcare knowledge drawn from both consulting and the client-side gives her a unique perspective on brand," added Maryann Stump, Senior Director of Strategy.

At Humana, Patti took a leading role in establishing the firm's first international subsidiary – Humana Europe. Patti developed Humana Europe's corporate brand strategy and created social marketing campaigns focusing on healthy lifestyles and behavior change. Also while at Humana, Patti was assigned to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta as a public health analyst focused on bridging the gap between public and private health bodies. During her tenure at InterbrandHealth she advised clients such as Abbott, Medtronic, and DePuy.

Patti has a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University and an M.B.A. with a strategic marketing concentration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

About Straightline:

Straightline, founded in 1994, is a strategic brand consulting firm that builds value for market leaders and emerging companies around the world by creating and implementing powerful brands.  The firm is frequently called on to help companies successfully navigate times of great change – from M&A activity to rapidly changing market conditions and evolving business strategies – with strategic brand tools that help galvanize employees, amplify competitive advantages and position for sustainable growth.  Clients include some of the world's leading enterprises, including Xerox, Madison Square Garden, Pfizer, Thomson Reuters, Time Warner and T-Mobile.

www.straightlinenyc.com

CONTACT: Jessica Orkin, Managing Director, 212-941-0700

SOURCE Straightline