[Fredslist] Gotham Profile: Kelly Welles

[Steven Skyles-Mulligan]

She dated jazz great Artie Shaw, was pursued by Ted Turner, ghost wrote
for diet doctor Robert Atkins, had tea with Estee Lauder, and became a
member of Barry Diller's cabinet at Paramount Pictures. Recently she had
a chance encounter with Deepak Chopra.   No wonder she was Gotham's
Networker of the Year in 2006.  But Kelly Welles is no celebrity-seeking
gadfly.  She is a connector - the kind of player every Gotham member
aspires to be.  People are her life.

Although she is easily mistaken for a native New Yorker, Kelly
originally came from Washington State as a semi finalist in a Vogue
writing contest. Soon after, she discovered acting.  Like all hopeful
young actors, she had to make a number of adjustments, eventually
launching an international marketing consultancy with offices in New
York, London and Paris. Clients included Fortune 500 companies and high
profile players in the entertainment world, as well as the United
Nations and the Ford Foundation.  Following the crash of 1987, she used
her business acumen to reinvent herself as a financial service
professional.  

One of her earliest assignments at a major retail bank had Kelly
supervising accounts for 3,000 businesses and belonging to just about
every networking organization in town.  Her already vast Rolodex grew
exponentially.  At the same time, so did her understanding of the way
people are - and need to be - connected to each other.  Now, introducing
people to each other is simply a reflex for Kelly.  From the moment she
meets someone, she begins to consider who she knows who could be helpful
to that person.  

Dealing with demanding advertising clients gave Kelly a keen ear for
needs, both stated and unstated.   This not only makes her an
extraordinary networker and trusted confidant, but also an incredible
resource for her clients. Entering the life insurance business on a whim
because she wanted to launch an original annuity concept, Kelly found a
powerful platform for participating in people's lives.  Her clients -
whether business owners or high net worth executives, senior citizens or
newlyweds - rely on Kelly to insulate them from financial insecurity and
help them build enduring peace of mind. Sometimes her work is critical
to preventing people from going out of business or losing their homes.
Sometimes it helps them accumulate and preserve wealth.   Either way,
Kelly uses her 30+ years of well-honed financial experience and proven
strategies to provide the right guidance.

Not infrequently, Kelly's clients report that nobody previously posed
the questions she asked.  Because she gains such a deep understanding of
clients' circumstances and feelings, it can sometimes take a few weeks
to create the right solution mix, which can include various life
products, guaranteed disability, long-term care, "key-man" and other
insurance.  Kelly works closely with CPAs, attorneys, management
consultants and other financial professionals who often turn to her when
their most coveted clients need insurance reviews or sound exit planning
strategies.  Recently, she was able to save a 100-person company
$200,000 per year on group health premiums.  

Kelly is profoundly committed to financial literacy.  In addition to the
extensive time she devotes to this with her clients, she founded a
series of free seminars offered by Certified Financial Planners (CFP(r))
at The New York Public Library, created the Malcolm S. Forbes Award for
journalists who treat the subject of financial planning intelligently
and obtained a quarter million dollar grant from Chase to promote
financial planning post 9/11.

Kelly is married to Dr. Lee Evans, a society pianist, composer, arranger
and professor of music at Pace University.  They love reading, music and
theater. Recent reading includes Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist and Deepak
Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.  A current film favorite is
Slumdog Millionaire.  A serene citizen of the universe in addition to an
urbane citizen of the world, Kelly stays centered with meditation and
exercises her curiosity about world cultures and religions.  Her
favorite activities are kayaking in the salt ponds of East Hampton and
listening to the world's greatest live music with her musician husband.
For such an excellent conversationalist, Kelly is also proficient at the
art of silence. 

If by some chance you do not already know Kelly Welles, make her
acquaintance as soon as you can; she almost certainly knows at least
half a dozen people you should meet.  Do not be surprised if she asks
some questions nobody else has thought to raise - and do not be startled
by how comfortable you will feel answering them.

 

 

 

Steven Skyles-Mulligan

Executive Director

Evoke Strategies

www.evokestrategies.com

http://newyorkmarketer.typepad.com

Member, Gotham Open House

Official "Profiler," Gotham Networking

 

 

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