Chris Perkins Joins Bernstein-Rein in New Role as Managing Director

In a move designed to spur growth, 50+ year-old  independent agency Bernstein-Rein has hired leading marketing veteran Chris Perkins in the new role of Managing Director.  In this position, Chris will be charged with managing Bernstein-Rein’s agency brand and building business.  He will be a key member of the management team and report directly to Steve Bernstein, President of Bernstein-Rein.

A native mid-Westerner, Chris is joining the 150-person shop after a successful year at StrawberryFrog in New York where he was instrumental in significantly growing new business, including winning SunTrust Bank in August, and adding some top talent. He was also recently on the client-side, working as the first-ever CMO for Brand USA. He has deep agency experience working on both start-up agency brands including Blitz Media as well as established agencies such as Ogilvy, RAPP and Arnold among others.

“Our agency has a legacy for building great brands and supporting a culture of entrepreneurialism,” noted Steve Bernstein. “Chris is a proven marketer who brings a vision for how agencies today must work to further connections with clients, brands and consumers. I am confident that he will be the spark for us to do the best work of our lives and help propel our clients to even greater heights.”  

With Perkins in a new leadership role at the agency, Bernstein said that he will increase his focus on expanding the agency’s growing portfolio of diversified businesses. “We have long invested in building business beyond core agency services. Our model continues to thoughtfully evolve, making us a more vital partner and contributor to our client’s success.” Bernstein-Rein is one of only a few agencies to create and own its own retail business – Beauty Brands – which it partnered with a private equity firm last year,  giving it unrivaled expertise.

According to Perkins, the move to Bernstein-Rein as an agency leader was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.  “Bernstein-Rein is a 51-year-old success story. My passion as a business and brand strategist is building an irrevocable connection between people and brands so this is a perfect fit.  I look forward to working with Steve Bernstein and helping the agency leverage its spirit of innovation and big brand ideas.”

Chris brings more than 20 years of marketing experience to BR, and has managed and contributed to some of the world’s notable brands including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, HP, Microsoft, Shell, Pepsi, DHL, Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Breville, NAPA Auto Parts, Cooper Tire, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, The Limited, Pearle Vision, Babies R Us, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Visit Florida and Brand USA