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Selected Projects

Channel® — Rise Brand Relaunch
  • Channel
  • Branding

Ambetter — Mission for Better Campaign
  • Ambetter
  • Campaign

Ambetter — This Is Your Moment Campaign
  • Ambetter
  • Campaign

Channel® — FieldFeast Campaign
  • Channel
  • Campaign

Channel® — Always Show Up
  • Channel
  • Campaign
The Envu In2Care mosquito station product in the ground with surrounding greenery.

Envu® — In2Care® Launch
  • Envu
  • Branding
A man in workwear holding a walkie-talkie kneels on a golf green, framed inside a large circular graphic showing a cross-section of turf and roots against a rolling green landscape.

Envu Golf — Plant Health Campaign
  • Envu
  • Campaign
A bold graphic on a black textured background featuring neon green text that reads "THE WATCH" and a white tagline, "KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW," alongside an image of an insect in the bottom right corner.

Bayer Traits — The Watch Campaign
  • Bayer Traits
  • Campaign
An array of Masterbrand cabinets cabinets in various colors.

Masterbrand – Fieldstone & Starmark Rebrand
  • Masterbrand
  • Branding
A cityscape with a purple and pink gradient shape surrounding it. Text that reads "break through to new horizons" and a prompt that instructs you to "Wave to move forward."

Envu – Innovation Trade Show Experience
  • Envu
  • Branding
A women wearing bright colors and makeup with text in the background that reads: Enter the Cryptoverse.

CINQ by Coinstar
  • Coinstar
  • Branding
A Collage showing a ranchers and wildfire workers around a central "Share the Spark Project" wildfire-prevention logo that reads: "partnering for Wildfire prevention."

Envu – Share the Spark
  • Envu
  • Campaign
A traveler with a hat and backpack walking a scenic trail, shown through a smartphone frame displaying the Marriott Bonvoy search bar.

Marriott Bonvoy
  • Marriott
  • Digital
A sketch of a jockey riding a horse with central text that reads: "Channel Seedsman Ignite 2023"

Seedsman Ignite
  • Channel
  • Branding
Three cans of ArchCity Defenders’ beer labeled "Justice for Some," with a dark blue and red design.

Justice for Some
  • ArchCity Defenders
  • Campaign
A women walking hand in hand with her young child down a path leading to a city.

Envu – Global Brand Development
  • Envu
  • Branding
A flyer that read "Stay on top of root Health" and "Introducing Resilia. A first-of-its-kind solution to protect your roots." A golf ball is located in the top right corner over a pink and purple gradient background.

Resilia
  • Envu
  • Campaign
Two men from Channel in a field with large crop reviewing data on a tablet.

Channel Brand Campaign
  • Channel
  • Campaign
  • 31 Mar 2026
  • Insights

Q&A with Alison Berry, COO

A blonde woman in a white shirt sitting in front of a brick wall

From intern to partner: a career built on curiosity, change and raising her hand

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

Two things usually surprise people. My dad actually worked at this agency when it was Hughes, so I was exposed to this world at a really young age. And I also started here as an intern between my junior and senior year of college in the account management department.

When you think back, what first drew you toward this industry, and what kept you here?

I come from a very creative family. My mom was an interior designer, my dad was a graphic designer, and they were both really passionate about art and culture. So I was surrounded by that growing up. I also got exposed to agency life early because of my dad, and once I got into college and had a series of internships, that really solidified it for me. I knew this was what I wanted to do.

What’s kept me here is the people and the pace of change. Our people are amazing. I learn from them every day, still today. You are surrounded by people who are incredibly passionate about what they do. And then the pace, no two days are the same. You’re constantly learning and constantly being exposed to new things. That’s what keeps me motivated.

You started at HLK as an intern and are now Partner and COO. Looking back, what moments were most pivotal?

It definitely was not a straight line. There were a lot of moments along the way. One was my first role here as a digital account coordinator. I didn’t totally know what I was getting into, but I ended up doing a lot of content loading, managing paid search and really getting immersed in digital at a time when it was evolving quickly. That experience built the foundation for my career.

There was also a period where I went part time. I was working with my family in retail and coaching field hockey while also working at HLK. I loved that time, but it also made it really clear to me that being full time in advertising was what I wanted. And then in 2010, when we won the Monsanto digital AOR business, I had a choice to make. Do I stay on the clients I had or take on something new? Ultimately, I chose to lead that business, and that was an especially pivotal moment for me. When I look back, it really was those moments of leaning in and then taking a leap.

Early in your career, what guidance shaped how you approach your work today?

Two things have guided me and still do today: curiosity and embracing change. Curiosity is critical. I immersed myself in learning everything I could about the industry and my clients’ businesses. The more you understand, the more confident you are and the better your work becomes.

And then there’s change. Change is hard, but it happens all the time, especially in this industry. You look at where we are right now with AI, you have to embrace it and figure out how it fits into what you do. The people who see change as an opportunity are the ones who go far. And beyond that, I always come back to the basics. Work hard, be kind to people and care about your work. Put your heart into everything you do, big or small.

How would you describe your leadership philosophy?

At its core, it’s pretty simple. Invest in people, create clarity and hold a high standard for the work. I think it’s really important to give people opportunity, to support them and to be honest with them so they can grow.

Clarity is a big one for me. Clear, direct communication, even when it’s hard, produces the best results and builds strong relationships. And I do have high expectations for the work. Whether it’s something small or something big, everything that goes out the door should be something we’re proud of.

From your perspective, what separates teams that collaborate well from those that don’t?

It really comes down to trust. Teams that build that relationship and develop trust with one another are the ones I see perform the best. 

It's interesting. HLK recently conducted a survey to better understand the misalignment between sales and marketing teams. This is something we see so often with our clients, especially clients with long sales cycles, in the B2B space and in highly regulated industries. We talked to over 1,000 B2B leaders and what it revealed is that processes and technology cannot solve misalignment; it first starts with people and the trust they have for one another. At first, that was a hard outcome to hear from our research because people problems are hard to solve. But, as I reflected on it more, it made perfect sense. 

At HLK, we talk a lot about “teams over disciplines.” When you strengthen those relationships and align around the outcome, it leads to better work and a better experience.

As the first woman partner at HLK, how do you think about that milestone?

If I’m being honest, at the time, being a female partner wasn’t really something I thought about. But once the announcement was made, I had so many women in my network reach out and share how inspired they were. That’s when it really shifted for me. It made me realize the impact I could have in that position.

At HLK, we have a lot of really strong female leaders, and I’m really proud of that. I’ve loved being able to learn from them and watching them grow and succeed. Most recently, Shelby Georgis and Emily Kircher became partners, which was really exciting to see. So now three of our seven owners are female, which we’re really proud of. I hope women in leadership positions continue to happen more and more, to the point where it’s not something we’re even talking about anymore.

What advice would you give to women working toward leadership roles?

I think the biggest thing I would say is don’t wait until you feel ready, because you probably won’t. Raise your hand before you feel ready. Put yourself out there. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations where you’re learning and growing. That’s what makes the difference.

And I’ve seen that in my own career. There was a point where I had to raise my hand and say I was interested in becoming a partner, and I had no idea what the response would be. But if I hadn’t taken that leap, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’d also say stay curious and build strong relationships. Those things matter every day, and they matter over time.

What excites you most about what’s ahead for HLK and for the industry?

I’m really excited about the growth of our Chicago office. We opened it about a year and a half ago, started with around 10 people and we’re already up to 28. It’s been a really positive way for us to tap into new talent and continue growing.

For the industry, I have to talk about AI. It’s what we’re all living with every day. It’s exciting, it’s a little scary, but there’s so much opportunity to make our work stronger and more impactful. It feels like every day there’s a new way to integrate it into what we’re doing. It comes back to embracing change. The people who lean into it and are motivated by it are the ones who are going to lead what’s next.

Alison’s journey is a reminder that growth isn’t always a straight line and doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from staying curious, embracing change and being willing to raise your hand, even when you don’t feel “ready.”

As we close out Women’s History Month, we’re proud to celebrate leaders like Alison who raise their hand and make space for others to do the same.