Overview
Ms. Brenna Garratt founded Sustena Group in 2001 with a vision to offer mid-market growth-focused companies an opportunity to develop stellar brands that could compete as effectively as larger, more well-funded competitors. For over 20 years, Sustena guided dozens of business-to-business companies in building successful brands to compete more effectively and raise their enterprise value. The firm’s brand development prowess has been recognized as a critical factor in the successful growth and strategic outcomes of Sustena’s clients and their investors.
After selling Sustena Group to Pariveda Solutions in 2021, Brenna has continued to lead its talented and multi-disciplinary team to fulfill a range of strategic and creative assignments, from developing and repositioning brands to architecting go-to-market plans for new and existing organizations
Experience
As a 30+ year practitioner of strategic brand development, Brenna honed Sustena’s original brand development process which has been the framework for the group’s success. Applying this rigorous methodology and her industry expertise resulted in developing compelling and competitive brands with the right balance of business strategy, brand differentiation, clear storytelling, and a contemporary visual presence.
Brenna’s years of experience have provided her with the ability to articulate a powerful case for the importance and business value of strategy-driven brand development to executive leaders. She has also cultivated a distinctive niche for Sustena in creating value for private equity-backed portfolio companies as there are unique dynamics these businesses need to navigate. Brenna’s skills in building long and trusted relationships with her colleagues and her clients have been fundamental to Sustena’s continued success.
Outside of the office
When Brenna is not working, she can often be found sailing with her partner Randy aboard their sloop Dazzle. Recently they have been sailing the waters of the Northeast US in the summer, and southern Florida in the winter. Their next destination will be exploring the Caribbean. When land-locked, Brenna enjoys the multicultural buzz of NYC and South Florida along with perfecting favorite recipes or finding new ones.
Education and service
Brenna graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 1988 where she also received the school’s top award – The Agnus Gund Memorial Scholarship, the first for a Graphic Design Major since 1965. Today, Brenna is a valued advisory board member to two organizations: Convergency Partners a firm focused on guiding pioneering technology businesses in the increasingly digital and data science-filled world of financial services and Xyla, an innovative organization of diverse practitioners focused on discovering the science of friendship to help people find new friends and to understand and deepen the friendships they already hold dear.
