Robin Koval

Robin Koval (born 1955) is a best-selling author and CEO of Publicis Kaplan Thaler, an advertising agency based in New York City.

A native New Yorker, Koval graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA and later earned her MBA from Baruch College.

Throughout her career, Koval has served as a marketing strategist and new products expert. She has worked with clients across almost every category, ranging from beauty and beverages to distilled spirits and pharmaceuticals.

In July 2012, the Kaplan Thaler Group merged with Publicis New York to form Publicis Kaplan Thaler, where Robin is CEO. Previously, Koval served as the President of the Kaplan Thaler Group, responsible for the general management of the agency, including client services, strategic development and new business. The Kaplan Thaler Group’s client roster include: Aflac, Procter & Gamble(Aussie, Dawn, Cascade and Swiffer), Champion, Edmunds.com, Napa Auto Parts, Pfizer, Supervalu, U.S. Bank and Wendy’s.

Koval also serves as a faculty member at New York University, where she is an adjunct professor in Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

Koval has authored three best-selling titles. Her collaborations with coauthor Linda Kaplan Thaler—Bang!, The Power of Nice and The Power of Small—have all received national recognition. Koval has had several guest television appearances including NBC’s “The Today Show,” “The Martha Stewart Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America"” and “Nightline.”

Koval is the recipient of a 2011 New York Women in Communications Matrix Award and a 2011 Women’s Venture Fund Highest Leaf Award. In 2008, she was named one of Self-Made Magazine's top 50 “Women Entrepreneurs Who Inspire,” as well as one of the top 20 female entrepreneurs in the U.S. by Blogtrepreneur.com. In November 2008, Koval was presented with the Women's Leadership Exchange (WLE) Compass Award, given to individuals who have shifted the paradigm of how women are perceived as business leaders. In January 2007, Koval was honored with the Advertising Women of New York’s Working Mother of the Year Trailblazer Award. Koval’s dedication to her family and career also won her a nomination into the YWCA’s Academy of Women Achievers in 2002.

Koval lives in New York City and is married to Kenneth Koval, Associate Executive Director, Gouverneur Healthcare Services. Their daughter, Melissa, also resides in New York City.

• BANG! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World (Random House, 2003)
• THE POWER OF NICE: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness (Random House, 2006)
• THE POWER OF SMALL: Why Little Things Make All the Difference (Doubleday, 2009)
• GRIT TO GREAT: How Perseverance, Passion, and Pluck Take You from Ordinary to Extraordinary (Crown Business, 2015)

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