Amber C Payden
| Brand Architect.

Amber C. Payden is the Founder and CEO of Marque Strategy Group and the Editor-in-Chief of Marque Mag, known for blending brand clarity with business growth to help companies go from overlooked to unforgettable.

With over two decades of experience in branding, sales strategy, and go-to-market execution, Amber has advised global corporations, scaled local businesses, and reshaped industries through creative positioning and smart strategy. She has served on high-impact teams for James Hardie Building Products, where she helped expand product lines into Home Depot and Lowe’s throughout the Chicagoland region, and led regional sales training programs for RadioShack during national rollout phases.

​

At AT&T Global – Mobility, Amber ranked in the Top 10 performers across Illinois and Wisconsin, earned multiple national sales awards, and received the Vice President’s Culture Coin Award for creative selling and training excellence. From achieving 115% attainment in Q1 to leading strategic market penetration projects for Fortune 100 companies, Amber brings precision and performance to everything she builds.

Beyond corporate, Amber has led rebranding campaigns, partnership activations, and scalable growth programs for organizations across sectors.

 

Her work includes:

• Rebranding the University of Akron’s athletics department with the enduring “Fear the Roo” campaign

• Leading the repositioning of the LeBron James Shooting Stars Tournament, growing team participation by 33% YoY under its new identity as the Dru Joyce Classic

• Producing real-time fundraising activations where clients flipped a $20K investment into $35K on the day of the event — and secured an additional half-million dollars in sponsorships shortly after

• Brokering strategic partnerships with hospital systems, beverage brands, telecoms, and corporate supplier networks to expand brand visibility and revenue

​

Amber has also supported B2B programs through government initiatives and local ecosystem builders, helping founders translate their big vision into strategic wins — with consistent traction, funding, and visibility.

As Editor-in-Chief of Marque Mag (launching Oct.2025), she curates stories at the intersection of brand, business, and lifestyle — spotlighting founders who are building with both purpose and presence. Her editorial vision expands Marque’s impact beyond consulting by shaping culture through content, conversation, and community.

Amber holds a degree in Interpersonal Communications from the University of Akron, with a specialization in rhetoric and a minor in Piano Performance and Consumer Marketing. With 20+ years of earned wins, high-level strategy, and bold pivots under her belt, she helps others bring ideas to life with clarity, elegance, and unstoppable momentum.

 

Before Marque

​

Amber’s path to founding Marque Strategy Group was shaped by the lessons of three previous ventures — Curator Creative, ThinkSMARK, and Seven Integrated Strategies — each one sharpening her eye for what brands need, and what leaders deserve.

From launching creative agencies to building integrated strategies for small businesses, Amber has seen both sides of entrepreneurship: the wins that go viral and the moments that nearly broke her. She carries all of it into her work — not just the accolades, but the awareness. Resilience. The recalibration.

​

“I’ve built the wrong teams. I’ve hired people who burned me. I’ve launched offers too fast. But I’ve also helped clients raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and repositioned national events. Both are true. And that’s what makes me effective — I’ve lived through the chaos, so now I help others move through it strategically.”

​​