Planting a tree is simple, but when the climate is unfavorable, we must employ different techniques to uproot the tree. Similarly, in order to achieve success, we must confront unfavorable challenges. The seed of success is the ability to learn new things. Those that are the most adept at picking up new talents are the most successful. Learning something new provides us with fresh and diverse options as well as the opportunity to attempt new things. Learning a new skill can help us step outside of our comfort zone and it allows you to row on a river of progress. Meet Jennifer Kelly Dominiquini, Sr. Client Executive at Curinos, sailing all the way with innovative tactics in the ocean of success.
Jennifer grew up in the New York City suburbs, and she has always had two core traits: a desire to learn new things and a desire to travel to new places. She studied abroad in Seville, Spain, as an international studies student at the University of Scranton, and then spent the summer travelling throughout Europe. After college, she went to Uruguay on a Fulbright Scholarship to study and work with a trade association for a year. After returning to the United States, Jennifer accepted a position as a strategic consultant with Monitor Group to provide counsel in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil. She decided to stay in Brazil and created her own training company before joining another consulting firm to assist a major appliance manufacturer with worldwide innovation. She came to Chicago with her husband, where she continued consulting and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago. After about fifteen years of consulting, she decided to move to the client-side and started working as a Chief Marketing Officer for several divisions of Sears and Kmart. She was introduced to the realm of digital marketing and transformation through this experience.
Jennifer transitioned to the banking sector when she took a role in Houston as the Chief Marketing and Digital Sales Officer of BBVA USA, the US subsidiary of the global Spanish bank. Much of what Jennifer had learned about digital transformation in consulting and retail was quite useful to the bank. One of the aspects of her job that she enjoys the most is when a company uses its platform to help others and make a difference in the community. When BBVA USA sponsored the Pursuit-ride across the country to raise funds for the Center for Pursuit, a Houston-based charity that serves people with intellectual and developmental challenges (IDD), a population often disregarded by society, the bank decided to do something about it. Jennifer even joined a 500-mile portion of the trip that took her across Wisconsin and into Chicago. The Center for Pursuit was able to recover and even create a new campus thanks to the campaign, which rose over $13 million.
She supported the Elton John Aids Foundation, whose goal is to eradicate the disease. In one wonderful event, she joined Elton John and Lady Gaga in giving a free surprise concert to the City of West Hollywood to reward them for their support of the cause over the years.
Curinos
Curinos is a major financial data, technology, and insights organization with over 1500 clients, including the top 100 retail banks in the United States. It assists banks, credit unions, and fintechs in making better, faster, and more profitable data-driven decisions by bringing expertise in deposits, lending, and Omni channel experience. Jennifer oversees some of Curinos’ most important client relationships, ensuring that partners can take advantage of all Curinos has to offer while staying ahead of the ever-changing financial services industry.
Her early consulting experience provided her with the frameworks she needed to think strategically and ask probing questions, and her retail and financial services expertise enabled her to put that foundation into practice and embrace digital marketing. She says, “My MBA from the University of Chicago gave me the analytical skills need to succeed in the boardroom, but I also have learned that excellent marketing must thrive in an ambiguous and changing world. Not everything can be quantified and determined in advance.”
Learning from failure defines success.
Jennifer believes success entails achieving objectives while also enjoying the journey. She believes that having goals and a strategic plan to achieve them is vital, but she also believes that success requires having fun along the way. The key to finding success in failure is to reflect on what went wrong, accept one’s role in the failure, and take something away to help oneself and others grow. There have been numerous occasions when Jennifer has failed. “For example, when the bank where she led digital sales started acquiring customers digitally, the acquisition costs were exorbitant, because while digital marketing looked easy on the surface it actually required Jennifer and her marketing team to learn new skills and get back through ongoing practice. Then, the company discovered that digitally acquired customers had significantly lower balances than branch customers, forcing them to adapt and focus on improved onboarding and customer deepening.
“Overcoming challenges requires me to stay humble, be grateful for the learning along the way, and to work to my strengths and those of the team.” -says Jennifer.
She has received multiple prizes, including contributions to two Guinness World Records, numerous digital marketing awards, and a CMO Club award, among others. The Fulbright Scholarship to Uruguay is, however, the one she is most proud of. This honor humbled her tremendously, and she was honored to represent the United States with this great prize.
Stay to learn what’s further.
Jennifer strives to be appreciative of her accomplishments while also learning from mistakes. Curinos’ tagline is “Navigate Today, Anticipate Tomorrow,” and remaining always ready to learn allows her to accomplish just that, not just for the clients but also for herself.
Jennifer would teach younger leaders that they don’t need to have their entire path planned out; instead, they should be open to alternatives that arise along the way. She would also advise them to expand their horizons by spending time in a different culture or country, setting out to learn something new, and joining associations or non-profits to meet new people. As she has followed the same, she is the CMO Club’s Houston Chapter president. Senior executive marketers from all businesses and backgrounds are invited to join the club. She enjoys both learning from and exchanging opinions with her peers but also with people from different backgrounds and experiences.
Jennifer states, “I enjoy staying connected to my children’s generation and to my younger colleagues who see things from different perspectives and help me learn what’s coming next.”
Website: www.curinos.com
