About KIWI
Two generations. Three decades. One integrity-led service philosophy.
Founder of KIWI Strategic, Marian Iglesias brings over 30 years blending strategic communication, creativity, and multicultural marketing expertise.
Before launching KIWI in 1994, she wrote for The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, served as vice president for a multimillion-dollar media company, and tripled Hispanic market sales leading a national division for GE. Her strategic positioning helped launch Zacapa Rum into global prominence and elevate established brands into category leaders.
Marian has consulted for Fortune 500 brands like Marriott, JM Smucker, and Tetley USA, alongside professional services firms, local businesses, and nonprofits across South Florida. Her work has taken her across the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and she has represented Women for Human Rights at the United Nations.
Together with her son Gabriel, Marian leads KIWI Strategic, offering clients a Strategy-Guided Marketing System with verifiable results, year-round support, and Fractional CMO services. Her role blends mentor, strategist, and trusted advisor, helping businesses move beyond traditional marketing plans toward messaging that drives real growth.
A Miami native, Gabriel Iglesias brings two decades of hands-on experience across technology, professional services, and local businesses.
His 11 years at Apple culminated in Global Retail Marketing, coordinating worldwide campaigns across digital, social, and in-store channels. That experience built his expertise in brand strategy, go-to-market execution, and what drives business growth across products and services. Combined with entrepreneurial ventures and experience spanning Fortune 500 brands to local service companies, Gabriel developed a deep understanding of what makes brands succeed.
As President of KIWI Strategic, Gabriel leads strategy and client engagements with a clear conviction: most businesses don’t have a marketing problem, they have a strategy problem. He partners with owners ready to define what they’re trying to win before spending another dollar on execution, building brands that compound rather than rent attention. His approach combines Apple’s clarity and empathy-driven culture with deep local market knowledge and a real commitment to client outcomes.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Kiwifruit—commonly known simply as “kiwi”—originated in Asia and made its way to New Zealand in the early 20th century. Few people were impressed with its appearance, and its original name, Chinese gooseberry, did not help at all.
One determined New Zealand distributor, frustrated by slow sales and growing inventory, believed that maybe a new name would change the fruit’s ill fated destiny. Inspired by the fruit’s similarity with the kiwibird—the country’s national bird, he proposed renaming the Chinese gooseberry, “kiwifruit.”
The rest is history. The name shift transformed the weird looking fruit into a star and changed consumer perception almost immediately. Almost instantaneously the kiwifruit went from unfamiliar to exotic, sophisticated, delicious, and desirable. The new identity transformed its image and its future.
KIWI Strategic stands for Knowledge. Insight. Wisdom. Ingenuity—the four pillars we bring to every engagement. It’s also a name that resonates deeply with the Chinese gooseberry’s story. Proving that the right strategy, the right positioning, and the right name, can change everything.
The next time you encounter a Chinese gooseberry, remember: the fruit did not change. The story around it shifted, it provided meaning and transformed its future. That’s the power of a name. The power of a story. The power of strategy.
Is your brand story powerful enough to shift the future of your business? KIWI Strategic can change that.
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