Nicole Selena Carter

Professional Experience

Brand Strategy Leader, Corporate Affairs

Georgia Power (operating company of Southern Company) | January 2023 - Present

Lead a communications team responsible for developing and executing brand strategy resulting in improved customer sentiment, B2B and B2C program growth and revenue, and increased stakeholder engagement.

  • Leadership: Direct a team of people managers and individual contributors in developing and executing high visibility omnichannel brand strategies that are aligned with business goals and customer insights.
  • Executive-Level Advisor: Partner closely with senior executives by delivering actionable, data-driven insights that shape business decisions across multiple verticals.
  • GTM Strategy: Develop go-to-market strategies in collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure brand alignment and the successful launch of new products, solutions, and transformative initiatives.
  • Analysis & Risk Assessment: Lead comprehensive market research and competitive analysis to inform corporate strategy, identifying consumer trends, growth opportunities, and conducting brand risk assessments to guide product line mergers and acquisitions.
  • Budget Management: Oversee a $10M annual advertising budget, strategically allocating funds across digital, traditional, event, and sponsorship channels to maximize ROI.
  • Operational Excellence: Within the first eight months in the role, successfully generated 45% annual cost savings (over $700K) through new vendor selection and contracts as well as negotiations with existing partners.

Marketing Manager, Community & Economic Development

Georgia Power (operating company of Southern Company) | October 2021 - January 2023

Led team of marketers and creatives in the creation of customer-centric, multi-channel strategies that positioned the organization’s business development team as industry leaders and effectively promoted B2B professional services to domestic and international markets, resulting in 20% year-over-year growth of leads generated.

  • Performance Marketing:Developed new integrated marketing strategy. Within 12 months, increased web visits by 81%, web conversions by 29%, and email open rates that outperformed the industry average by 170%.
  • Account-Based Marketing: Developed a content and account-based marketing strategy, elevating the Economic Development sales team as thought leaders in target industries and resulting in year-over-year increase in organic lead generation.
  • Sales Enablement: Led the development of a sales enablement strategy that equipped customer-facing teams with collateral, marketing toolkits, and templates to consistently promote professional services.
  • Start-up Ecosystem:Launched a new statewide program, based on market research identifying the unique needs of minority-owned small businesses and start-ups. Expanded program from digital-only to in-person experiences for start-ups to connect with venture capitalists such as Collab Capital, Valor Capital, and Zane Capital.
  • Activations:Led team in innovative and immersive activations. One such activation for the Executive Chairman of Hyundai, assisted in Hyundai’s selection of Georgia for its new EV plant – bringing 8,100 jobs and $5.54 billion in investment to the state.

Sr. Product & Program Marketing Manager

Georgia Power (operating company of Southern Company) | January 2020 - October 2021

Created and led the implementation of multichannel marketing strategies for a portfolio of B2C/B2B energy programs, pilots, and an eCommerce website, increasing program engagement and contributing to meeting and exceeding enrollment and revenue goals.

  • Program Adoption: Led performance marketing strategy and execution for low-income customer programs. Resulted in a 21% conversion rate and successfully exceeding goal – achieving 112% of target.
  • Strategy-Driven Results: Improved year-over-year clickthrough rate of digital media channels (display ads, social media, and streaming video) by over 40% through development of engaging campaigns, an impactful content strategy, and data-informed segment targeting.
  • Technology & Strategy: Developed customer segmentation and content strategies for business and consumer customer journeys leveraging marketing technology for automations, tracking, reporting, and content calendars, resulting in increased product, program, and pilot engagement among customer segments.

Co-Founder & Account Executive

Creative Flame Media & Diversity Photos | 2014 - 2019

Founded marketing agency and managed a cross-functional team to ensure timely and budget-compliant delivery of diverse media assets for Diversity Photos product line, leveraging expertise in content and innovative technologies.

  • Account Leadership: Led a talented and nimble cross-functional team. Specializing in the tech and energy industries, worked with brands such as Dell, Google, RSA, VMware, AMD, and Southern Company.
  • Strategic Partnerships: Negotiated a pivotal partnership with Adobe Stock, driving substantial market expansion and revenue growth, and positioned Diversity Photos as a premier provider of diverse commercial content.
  • Creative Direction: Served as Creative Director for over 100 shoots and curated a vast repository of 200K+ licensable media assets by optimizing operational efficiency.
  • Community Development: Recruited over 100 photographers to join as contributors to Diversity Photos.

Sales & Marketing Director

Biscardi Creative Media | 2012 - 2014

  • Added over $1.2 million to sales-pipeline and increased customer-base interactions by 200%.
  • Oversaw company branding and marketing communications and developed go-to-market strategies for new services.
  • Analyzed industry trends and competitive landscape, and developed and implemented targeting and segmentation.
  • Wrote and disseminated all press releases and organized media interviews.

Business Development Manager, Economic Development

Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce | 2010 - 2012

  • Business Recruitment: Spearheaded business development efforts to attract high-value companies to Gwinnett, highlighting real estate options, tax incentives, and demographic insights to drive interest and investment.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Forged high-impact partnerships through oversight of the Gwinnett Technology Council, engaging over 100 technology executives, venture capitalists, community leaders, and educational institutions to drive innovation and foster collaboration.
  • Deal Closures: Achieved substantial business growth by successfully recruiting over 25 companies, including the county’s largest data center, and resulting in $300M+ in new investments within Gwinnett County.
  • Lead Generation: Conducted 50+ annual on-site consultations with core technology employers to understand company needs, strengthen alliances, and proactively support the county’s business ecosystem.

Additional Work Experience

  • Program Manager (2008-2010) | Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
  • Manager, Management Training (2006-2009) | Cintas Corporation

Education

Master of Business Administration, 2012

  • J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
  • Focus: Entrepreneurship

Bachelor of Business Administration, 2006

  • Terry College of Business, University of Georgia
  • Major: International Business and Finance

Skills

Team Leadership & Development

Brand Management

Sales Enablement

Customer Insights

Corporate Strategy

Market Research

Marketing Strategy (B2B & B2C) 

Data Analysis

Budget Management 

Go-to-Market (GTM) 

Strategic Partnerships 

Strategic Planning 

Executive Presentations & Reporting 

Vendor Negotiations 

Change Management

Featured Speaking Engagements

  • Hartwell (Case Study, August 2024) & Utility Dive (Publication Interview, Oct 2024)
  • E Source Forum, October 2024
  • E Source Marketing & Communications Leadership Webinar, August 2024
  • Utility Communicators International Conference, June 2024
  • She Leads, Atlanta Hawks DE&I Program, April 2024
  • Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA) Conference, October 2021
  • Adobe Stock Webinar Series, 2021, “Diverse Representation in Stock Imagery”
  • Adobe Summit, 2019, “Creative Democracy”
  • Praxis Conference (Trinidad & Tobago), 2016, Digital Marketing for a Global Audience
  • Catapult You, 2015, “Marketing Tips & Tools for the Busy Business Owner”
  • BronzeLens Film Festival, 2010, “Digital Gaming in the ATL”

Trainings & Certifications

  • McKinsey & Company Leadership Program, 2024
  • Transforming Success for Women, 2024 Cohort, Southern Company
  • American Marketing Association, Member and Mentor
  • Georgia Power ERGs – PEER & AMIGOS, Member and Mentor
  • Listed on Inc.’s 2019: Female Founders 100
  • GiANT Leadership Training
  • Six Sigma, Greenbelt Certified