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Chief Marketing Officer
Monarch Landscape Companies
Karen Schakarov serves as chief marketing officer of Monarch Landscape Companies, one of the largest commercial landscaping firms in the United States, where she is leading one of the most ambitious brand transformations in the industry’s history.
With 30 years of marketing experience, Schakarov joined Monarch to unite a growing portfolio of regionally distinct brands under a cohesive identity – one that honors the heritage and uniqueness of each regional brand while creating alignment through centralized marketing paired with Monarch’s colors, icon and tagline. Her purview includes brand strategy, customer experience, internal communications, marketing technology and growth marketing, all aligned with the company’s private equity partners’ long-term vision. Over the past 12 to 24 months, she has overseen a company-wide rebrand, the rollout of new marketing and customer experience platforms, and strategic integration efforts following key acquisitions.
Prior to Monarch, Schakarov served as president and founder of ES&SY Group, a strategic consultancy delivering marketing, culture and philanthropic programs for global brands, including Toyota, JetBlue, Sony and JFK International Airport. She led employee experience and corporate culture programs for JFK’s $2.5-billion terminal expansion and spearheaded philanthropic initiatives supporting education and sustainability through Toyota/Lexus.
As vice president of marketing at Caesarstone US, she drove a 40% increase in brand awareness year-over-year, 500% revenue growth and over 1.7 billion earned media impressions in a single year, elevating the brand from a niche product to a household name through celebrity and lifestyle partnerships.
Beyond her professional achievements, Schakarov is a committed advocate for youth development and equity. She launched and leads a mentorship program for high school students and young adults and served on the boards of Mothers Fighting for Others and the West Valley Jewish Community Center. She has also supported breast cancer awareness campaigns and nonprofit storytelling efforts for institutions, including City of Hope and the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Schakarov holds a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from New York University.
