About Leigh
Leigh Durst is a recognized authority in business, operations and AI-driven transformation. Her career highlights include establishing the eCommerce divisions of two global giants, leading the zero-to-one growth of multiple startups, products and services, and spearheading mission-critical initiatives as a trusted advisor, consultant and fractional executive. She serves Fortune 1000 enterprises, funded startups, nonprofits and businesses across sectors and driven growth, innovation and ROI at companies like Google, American Express, Walmart Labs, Bristol-Myers Squibb, IEEE, National Grid Ventures, First PREMIER Bank, 1-800-FLOWERS and Apple.
Her clients refer to her as a “force multiplier” who understands how to seamlessly engage where traction and leadership are most needed. Her unique, multidisciplinary background blends B2B, B2C and SaaS experience with strong business, marketing and operational acumen, a deep grasp of digital, AI and emerging technology, hands-on expertise in product, service and customer experience design, and a proven ability to elevate brands and position go-to-market strategy with exceptional writing and storytelling skills. She excels at clarifying vision, aligning teams, developing actionable strategies and leading execution to measurably improve awareness, engagement, acquisition, conversion and revenue — while increasing operational efficiency. Leigh engages in high-stakes environments to gain traction and drive progress, and is often retained for the long-haul, working as an embedded advisor and mentor.
Leigh has been featured in media outlets like Fast Company, CNN, CNET, ABC News, National Geographic, Retail Magazine and CustomerThink. She has spoken and organized remarkable dialog at SXSW, RSA, New Media Expo, Upward Women, Bay Area Leaders Network, Tech Up for Women and Passion Talks (Google) for decades. Her 2011 SXSW4Japan fundraiser was compared to the #Occupy movement and Wikipedia in the 2014 .org domain documentary, The Digital Citizen. After being featured in three best-selling books, her own book, Walk, Climb, or Fly: Surviving and Thriving in the Workplace Wilderness, was released as a passion project to help professionals and managers better navigate workplace dynamics, build stronger working relationships, and derive more satisfaction and gratification from work.
