Michelle Martinez Reyes is the Chief Relations Officer at Florida-based firm Kelley Kronenberg.
She previously served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Greenspoon Marder. She was under 40 when she first ascended to the C-Level amongst the AmLaw 200 and NLJ 300 ranks. She also worked as part of the marketing and business development teams for some of the largest firms in Florida and the U.S., including Hunton Andrews Kurth, Akerman, Holland & Knight and Greenberg Traurig.
She is actively involved in communities throughout South Florida and the U.S. Her sphere of influence has been built over the course of 25 years working across the country and internationally.
Michelle is a recognized executive most recently named “Corporate Latina Executive of the Year” by LatinaStyle, “People of the Year” and “Top Women in PR” by PR News, “Top Women in Communications” as a “Game-Changer” by Ragan Communications and PR Daily, “Women of Influence” by Lifestyle, “Most Prestigious Women” by South Florida Business & Wealth and named a “National Latino Leader” by the National Diversity Council. (Can we just say WOW!)
Learn more about her in this Women Who Wow profile.
What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Find good sponsors and mentors along your journey that will teach you, trust you, foster and support you, and ultimately help promote you. Very few people get to the top alone and stay there. When you’re on the climb, ego is not your amigo. Focus on constant growth and development alongside your allies and alliances. The driver in the game of business is ultimately money.
How has social media helped you build your business/brand?
Social media has been a game-changer for those of us in the big, wide world of marketing, business development and public relations. It’s like they gifted me a megaphone and let me have the mic on stage as the MC. All of my professional and board roles in the last 15 years have had some tie to social media, and so have many of my client relationships. It is a rocket ship towards access, communication and engagement.
What do you wish you could tell your younger self?
Talk less and listen more. Emotional intelligence is going to be critical to your journey and one of your most valuable tools in the toolbox…difficult to understand, learn, attain, sustain, evolve and control.
What is a surprising/fun fact about you?
I am a classically trained pianist with a formal music education over 10 years. I love being a musician but haven’t figured out how to monetize it yet.
Yes, I’m a music junkie and a former band nerd!