Karen Jones has been working in the marketing industry for more than 30 years. She joined Ryder System, Inc., an $8.9 billion FORTUNE 500® commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions company in 2013. In her role as chief marketing officer (CMO), she is responsible for all marketing and new product development efforts across Ryder’s business segments that lead to revenue generation and better customer experiences.
Recently, she spearheaded the development and launch of three innovative digital products: COOP by Ryder™, a first-of-its-kind asset-sharing platform for commercial vehicles; RyderShare™, a cloud-based platform that provides load-location visibility, tracking alerts, and collaborative communications across the entire supply chain; and, RyderGyde™, a one-of-a-kind mobile application where fleet managers, renters, and drivers can manage fleets in real time from their smartphones or tablets.
On and off the job, Karen believes in doing things that matter. That’s why she finds time to serve as an executive board member for the Jackson Health Foundation, which helps fund the not-for-profit Jackson Health System in Miami. She has a special connection to the organization, thanks to a world-renowned surgeon who successfully performed a life-altering – and possibly even a life-saving – procedure on her when she was just 15 months old. Karen also serves as a board member for the Broward Public Library Foundation and is a former board member of Take Stock in Children, because she believes knowledge is power and that everyone has a right to it.
Prior to joining Ryder, Karen was CMO for NRG/Reliant Energy, Inc. where she was responsible for launching the company’s new corporate brand in 2010. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of Marketing & Corporate Communications for DHL Express in the United States. Her marketing efforts at DHL resulted in the largest awareness increases in the company’s history and within the logistics category, which were considered a major contributor to the advancement of DHL’s recognition in the “Top 100 Most Valuable Brands” by BrandZ. Prior to DHL, Karen served in positions responsible for worldwide brand advertising, sponsorship, strategic alliances, and product marketing for Hewlett Packard and Compaq Computer Corporation.
She was named among the year’s most “Influential Business Women of 2019” by the South Florida Business Journal; “CMO of the Year” by South Florida Business & Wealth magazine in 2017; “Most Powerful & Influential Women in Business” by the National Diversity Council in 2014; “Marketer of the Year” by BtoB magazine in 2005; and was ranked in the annual “Best Issue” by BtoB magazine from 2006-2008. She also served as a panel speaker for the Sports Business Journal Sports Symposium and as a marketing industry expert for various television networks.
Raised in Texas, Karen holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Houston. While she still roots for the Cougars, she now calls South Florida home, where she may – or may not – still own a pair of cowboy boots (she’s not saying). Ask her about her personal life, and Karen will tell you she is a wife of more than 30 years, a mother, a dog lover, a yogi, a sailor, and a lover of music.