Roland Jacobs is President & CEO of AspireUp, a strategic marketing consultancy dedicated to helping companies grow. Roland founded the company in 2002 and has overseen its rapid expansion. He is a recognized expert in the areas of marketing strategy, branding and innovation and consults with large corporate clients and nonprofits across a wide range of B2B and B2C industries. Among his clients are Microsoft, Wells Fargo Bank, Staples, Reynolds Consumer Products, Johnson Outdoors, WernerCo, ITW, Univar, GHX, Materion, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and Wausau Homes.

In addition to his work as a consultant, Roland has served as a guest lecturer in marketing strategy and innovation in the MBA programs at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business.

Previously, Roland served as the top marketing officer at three different companies that grew rapidly under his leadership. He was the chief marketing officer responsible for the launch of Orbitz, the online travel company founded by the major airlines. At Orbitz, Roland oversaw a team of 500 people to deliver what was labeled “the most successful e-commerce launch in the web’s history.” Roland also served as SVP Marketing & Business Development for DigitalWork and VP Marketing for Petopia.com.

Roland developed a strong foundation of marketing skills in the packaged goods industry. He spent 10 years with The Clorox Company focused on building brands, introducing new products and expanding into new countries. During his tenure, he rose to Global Category Director with marketing responsibility for Clorox products across 33 countries. Roland began his career in financial services as an Assistant Vice President in corporate banking with Bank of Boston (now Bank of America).

Roland serves on the boards of several companies and nonprofit organizations. He is also an advisor to CEOs of early-stage companies and an active angel investor with Hyde Park Angels and Harvard Business School Angels of Chicago.

Roland received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA, magna cum laude, from St. Lawrence University.