Digital marketing veteran Rachael Marret to help lead Evantage

Rachael Marret, a digital marketing veteran and former president of Campbell Mithun, is now managing director of Evantage Consulting.

Marret earlier this year stepped in on a contract basis to help Kate McRoberts, who bought the Minneapolis business consulting firm after the death of founder Robin Carpenter in April. McRoberts had been Evantage's managing director for several years and a minority partner to Carpenter for a decade.

"After Robin died, I called Rachael for a little support," said McRoberts, who appointed Marret permanently on Monday. "I needed to run the firm, negotiate the purchase, lead the team and make sure everybody felt secure."

The company provides strategic consulting and support to many of the largest companies in the Twin Cities, including General Mills, Land O'Lakes, Medtronic, Optum Health, Target, UCare and UnitedHealthcare. About two-thirds of its clients are in the health care industry.

Marret most recently spent 18 months as senior vice president for consumer engagement at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, a unit of Minnetonka-based Carlson Cos. She earlier spent 11 years at the McCann Worldgroup, including more than five years as chief of the Minneapolis office of its digital agency MRM and then three years as the first woman president of Campbell Mithun, the longtime Minneapolis ad agency that's part of the McCann network.

In a statement, Marret said she has long admired McRoberts and Carpenter and the capabilities of the people at Evantage.

"The firm has all the right assets to achieve meaningful growth, seasoned and sharp consultants, strong relationships with excellent clients and a tight-knit culture of fun, respect and balance," Marret said.

Carpenter, who died in April at age 61, was an influential figure in Twin Cities health care and marketing circles and helped start the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association, one of the first groups to concentrate on the emergence of digital technology in the region's broader advertising community.

The death of a founding owner can often raise questions about the ongoing existence of a company. McRoberts said it didn't take her long to realize she wanted to invest in the company's future by buying Carpenter's stake. The firm's revenue grew 15 percent this year, even amid the trauma of Carpenter's death, which McRoberts called a "testament to a long-term, solid group of people."

"The foundation for us is we have had 16 years of delivering really high quality work for our clients," she said. "What they are working on is so incredibly fascinating to all of us."

Evan Ramstad • 612-673-4241