Prior to launching her own investor relations practice, Brandi was a managing director for the Anne McBride Company, a New York based global investor relations consultancy. At Anne McBride, Brandi assisted in doubling revenues over a one year period and was instrumental in the strategic sale of the company. Earlier, she was a senior account executive for Financial Relations Board working mostly in the Internet, technology, media and consumer industries. Prior to beginning her agency career, Brandi was investor relations manager for Evolve Software (acquired by Oracle). As an investment consultant for Bluedot Software, Brandi developed private investment and business development opportunities which eventually led to the acquisition of the company to Ambassadors International. She began her career as a broker for UBS (formerly PaineWebber and Kidder Peabody) in San Francisco.
Since forming The Piacente Group in 2005, Brandi has established offices in New York, California and China. She has built a client base with some of the leading companies in their respective industries. The firm is primarily focused in the tech, media, Internet, consumer, alternative energy, environmental services and industrials. The firm represents small to large cap companies based in the U.S. and China.
Brandi studied Chinese language and literature at the University of California at Berkeley and is fluent in Mandarin. Her firsthand knowledge of Chinese business and culture comes from extensive travel throughout the region since 2004 and long-established relationships in the Asian corporate and financial sector.
Brandi is a world Kung-fu champion (Taiwan 1992) and won several national and international championships in the U.S. and Hong Kong. In 2002, she became the first female executive referee in the world to be certified by The World Kung-Fu Federation. She went on to serve as Executive Referee for the full contact divisions during the first World Kung-Fu tournament in Brazil in 2003, the second World Kung-Fu tournament in Singapore in 2006 and again during the third World tournament in Germany in 2009. She also assisted the U.S. Head Coach in preparing eight of the U.S. Team members of the 2003 full contact team that competed in the World Tournament in Brazil. Brandi currently holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt in East West Martial Arts. www.bokfudo.com.
