Mr. Smogard is a customer first, profit-focused executive with senior level, leadership experience in financial services, retail, technology and entertainment with leading brands including American Express and Blockbuster/Viacom. During his career, Mr. Smogard has had general management responsibility and consistent success turning around or launching new products & building high performance businesses and teams in complex, multi-product, multi-channel environments. He has strong U.S. & international management experience and has worked with businesses in over 40 countries.
In 1988, after earning his Ph.D. in International Studies (focus: International Business) at the University of Miami, he started his career at American Express where he worked with various product lines and markets throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, including an expatriate assignment in Argentina. In 1995, he joined Blockbuster where he managed international business development. He later led the design, launch and management of Blockbuster REWARDS, one of the nation’s leading, fee-based loyalty and customer frequency programs. He eventually became President of the Marketing Solutions division. In 2002, Mr. Smogard launched his own investment group and is currently CEO of 4 Catalysts Consulting.
Key accounts with whom Mr. Smogard has worked include: Sony, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Time, GE, Nintendo, Coke, American Airlines, AOL, General Motors, Hilton, Hyatt, CBS, Paramount, Northern Trust, MTV, Nickelodeon, Simon & Schuster, Samsung, Viacom, Visa, Wells Fargo, Direct TV, VH1, MCI, and Showtime. Mr. Smogard is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society, the Dallas Fort Worth World Affairs Council, SMU’s Cox School of Business Mentor Program, the Innovation Alliance at UTD and the Southlake Executive Forum.
