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Elevate your team's leadership and innovation skills with Katrina Cole, speaker, businesswoman, and investor.
Kat Cole is a prominent American businesswoman and investor, renowned for her influential leadership in the food and beverage industry. With a career that began humbly as a waitress at Hooters, Katrina's journey to becoming the President of Focus Brands is a testament to her tenacity and strategic acumen. At Focus Brands, she oversaw well-known chains such as Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's, driving growth and innovation across these beloved brands. Katrina's leadership style is often described as dynamic and forward-thinking, qualities that have made her a sought-after speaker on topics including leadership, innovation, and brand development. Her insights are grounded in real-world experience, having navigated the complexities of the corporate world from the ground up. This unique perspective allows her to connect with audiences, offering practical advice and strategies for success in business. Throughout her career, Katrina has faced and overcome numerous challenges, each contributing to her depth of knowledge and expertise. Her ability to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing industry underscores her resilience and commitment to excellence. These experiences have shaped her professional journey and equipped her with the tools to inspire others to pursue their own paths with confidence and determination. In addition to her professional achievements, Katrina's contributions to the industry have been recognised with various accolades. Her story is one of perseverance and vision, making her an inspiring figure for aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs. Whether discussing the intricacies of brand development or the nuances of effective leadership, Kat Cole offers valuable insights that resonate with a wide range of audiences, making her a compelling speaker and thought leader in her field.
Topics, sessions and talks
Kat Cole offers unparalleled insight into the grit and resilience needed to build or revitalize a brand. She addresses why a brand matters, the role of employees at all levels in upholding it, and how to build a brand culture. Cole also explores integrating new brands or repositioning old ones, and redefining oneself, a team, or a company. While acknowledging the risks of a brand being in many hands, she highlights the opportunities. Drawing from her extensive experience and success, Cole provides answers to crucial questions and shares career stories to help organizations navigate complex branding challenges. Attendees will learn practical strategies for effective brand management.
Kat Cole draws from her personal and professional experiences to illustrate how they shaped her as a leader and woman. In this inspiring presentation, she recounts her journey from humble beginnings to becoming a powerful global executive. Cole emphasizes that her most valuable leadership lessons were learned as a child with a single mother. Whether doing humanitarian work in Africa or running a billion-dollar brand, she believes in the power of empathy, hustle, and heart. Attendees will learn how to build lasting companies that stand for something meaningful and make a positive impact, while also supporting women in business and leadership.
Kat's journey from a hostess to an executive is not just inspiring but also packed with invaluable lessons. Throughout her career, she has championed a unique business philosophy that prioritizes connection, creativity, and community. These core values have been instrumental in her success and can be applied across various fields to achieve similar outcomes. Attendees will gain insights into how embracing these principles can drive success in their own careers and ventures, learning directly from Kat's extensive experience and achievements.
During her four-year tenure as president of Cinnabon, Kat Cole transformed the struggling company into a global brand with over 1,200 stores in 56 countries, surpassing $1 billion in sales. Cole believes that innovation and success come from being observant and immersed in the action. She emphasizes the importance of hustle, heart, grit, and resilience in following through after taking risks. In her presentation, Cole shares key leadership and innovation lessons, including her "hotshot rule" and "hustle muscle." Attendees will learn how to identify meaningful patterns, essential qualities for new hires, and manage tough decisions for long-term success.
Testimonials
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Dido Harding
Women's Health
Change Management
frequently asked questions
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Kat Cole draws on career autobiography — tracing her progression from waitress to global executive — to anchor leadership and brand-building principles in concrete professional episodes.
Kat Cole's sessions address brand building and resilience, leadership lessons drawn from personal experience, and career progression from entry-level roles to executive leadership. She served as President of Focus Brands, where she oversaw chains including Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's, having begun her career as a waitress at Hooters.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
