Thomas Burkhardt is a thought leader in global marketing and brand management, having lead some of the world’s biggest and aspirational beauty and accessories brands for Procter & Gamble, Coty Inc. and Marchon Eyewear.

Born and raised in Germany and having served in the German Air Force, Thomas graduated from the University of Cologne with an MBA, majoring in product management, purchasing and organizational theory. Curious to understand international perspectives, his work experience during his studies took him to Austria, Italy and the United States with companies like Henkel, Barilla, The Readers’ Digest and Colgate Palmolive.

After graduating, Thomas spent 13 years with Procter & Gamble in Germany, the UK and Switzerland. Working on brands like Pantene Pro-V, Herbal Essences and Vidal Sassoon he successively gained increased international responsibility with regional and global roles. Eventually he was appointed global marketing leader for the HUGO BOSS fragrance and male skin care franchise. Besides leading his brands, Thomas was also an active contributor to the P&G’s Marketing Centers of Excellence, supporting company wide efforts in Initiative Management, Commercial Innovation and Branded Entertainment.

In 2010, Thomas joined Coty Inc. in New York City as the global brand leader for Calvin Klein Fragrances & Color Cosmetics – the world’s third largest prestige fragrance house. In addition to growing and re-establishing the brand building fundamentals for Calvin Klein, Thomas quickly established himself as a thought leader within Coty who pioneered new approaches in digital, social media, talent and creative development.

Since early 2016, Thomas serves as the Senior Vice President for Global Brand Licensing, Marketing and Product Design for Marchon Eyewear, a division of VSP Global – one of the leading vision care companies globally. In this position, Thomas works with some of the world’s best known fashion and lifestyle companies such as NIKE, Columbia, Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Lacoste, Chloé, Salvatore Ferragamo, Etro and Marni on developing their eyewear businesses while managing marketing capabilities, media, creative, PR and employee communications for his company. In the summer of 2016 Marchon added responsibility for the company’s global product design and development centers in New York City, Puos d’Alpago/Italy and Hong Kong to his role.

In addition to his day job, Thomas acts as a Global Advisory Board Member for the Wharton Future of Advertising Program and he frequently judges in advertising awards such as the North American Effies.