Skip to contentCEO & Co-Founder of LeadSmart Technologies
Kevin Brown is a second-generation distribution professional with over 30 years of experience—rising from field sales at a national distributor to founding a manufacturers' rep agency, leading a manufacturing company, and ultimately co-founding LeadSmart Technologies. Today, he helps power digital transformation across the channel with LeadSmart’s AI-enabled Customer Intelligence, Sales Enablement, and SmartCRM platform purpose-built for distributors, manufacturers, and their partners.
His talks draw on decades of hands-on experience in field sales, product development, traditional and digital marketing, and modern technology leadership—equipping companies to grow confidently in today’s digital landscape.
Kevin is also the co-creator and co-host of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution and Manufacturing, a weekly newsletter and podcast delivering insights, trends, and conversations that matter to manufacturers, distributors, and the channel.
Real-World Insights for Real-World Leaders
Kevin’s talks, panels & keynotes help wholesale distributors, manufacturers, buying groups & associations bridge strategy, people & technology. Each session blends decades of operational experience with modern, AI-enabled practices — giving attendees practical steps they can apply immediately.
Kevin’s Signature Talks and Keynotes
A real-world roadmap for modernizing sales, marketing, operations, and leadership in an industry built on relationships, service, and execution.
Key Takeaways:
- How to break digital transformation into achievable steps instead of overwhelming initiatives.
- What leading distributors and manufacturers are doing today to modernize without disrupting the business.
- A clear framework for aligning sales, marketing, IT, and leadership around one shared digital strategy.
A practical exploration of AI tools and workflows that accelerate marketing effectiveness, customer engagement, forecasting, and decision-making.
Key Takeaways:
- How to break digital transformation into achievable steps instead of overwhelming initiatives.
- What leading distributors and manufacturers are doing today to modernize without disrupting the business.
- A clear framework for aligning sales, marketing, IT, and leadership around one shared digital strategy.
A leadership framework for mapping the next 3–5 years of technology decisions across IT, sales, marketing, and operations.
Key Takeaways:
- How to prioritize technology investments that deliver measurable commercial outcomes.
- Why adoption fails — and a proven method for ensuring your people embrace new tools.
- How to build a multi-year roadmap that supports growth, resilience, and long-term competitiveness.
How distributors and manufacturers can unlock the intelligence already inside their ERP, e-commerce, marketing, and quoting data and other internal data to achieve better customer experience and accelerate revenue growth.
Key Takeaways:
- How to transform raw data into actionable insights that guide marketing, product strategy, enhanced customer experience and account growth.
- What data leaders pay attention to — and how to spot hidden revenue opportunities in everyday transactions.
- A practical model for aligning sales and marketing and your overall company around customer engagement and expansion.
Why successful transformation depends more on culture and leadership than technology — and how to bring people along with confidence.
Key Takeaways:
- Proven ways to reduce resistance and increase enthusiasm for new technology and AI initiatives.
- How to build alignment across sales, marketing, IT, and leadership during periods of change.
- A blueprint for shifting from a traditional sales-only model to a modern, integrated commercial engine.
No two organizations face the same challenges — that’s why Kevin offers fully custom talks designed around the specific goals, industry dynamics, and transformation priorities of each audience.
Panels & Podcasts
Kevin actively participates in industry panels, roundtables, interviews, and podcasts, sharing real-world strategies on the future of sales, technology, and growth in manufacturing and distribution.
He brings experience-driven insight and clear takeaways to conversations about:
Kevin is also the co-creator and co-host of the globally top ranked Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution podcast — a weekly show and newsletter exploring the biggest trends shaping the industry, featuring expert discussions on the economy, supply chain, distribution and manufacturing, sales, marketing, AI, robotics, tech, M&A and leadership.
Each appearance is tailored to the audience and designed to inspire action, spark new thinking, and connect strategy to execution.
Need an industry veteran for a quote or comments for an article or whitepaper, Kevin can help there and does so regularly.
Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution
A Podcast for Modern Distribution, Manufacturing, and Channel Leaders
Co-created and Co-hosted by Kevin Brown, Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution delivers weekly insights, hot takes, and actionable ideas from across the global wholesale distribution and manufacturing ecosystem.
Consistently ranked among the top podcasts globally in media industry rankings, Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution is a must-listen for professionals across manufacturing, distribution and the channel. The show engages international audience—from C-suite executives to sales, marketing, operations, supply chain and channel leaders by delivering real-world insights, emerging trends, and candid conversations that matter. Regularly joined by respected industry thought leaders, the hosts break down key topics from the weekly Around the Horn newsletter, offering expert commentary and actionable takeaways. Widely recognized as a go-to resource, the podcast helps industry professionals stay informed, aligned, and ahead in today’s competitive, digital-first economy.
With over 30 years of proven executive leadership, Kevin Brown has built a legacy of driving sustainable growth, expanding market share, and transforming business performance across industries. He has helped startups, mid-market innovators, and global enterprises unlock new revenue streams, reimagine go-to-market strategies, and revitalize their brand relevance in competitive markets.
Kevin’s expertise spans:
- Startup & Scale-Up Leadership: From early-stage ventures to market leaders, Kevin has guided companies through successful launches, growth stages, and market expansion.
- Product & Business Development: Known for identifying unmet market needs, Kevin has led the development of market-leading products and even created entirely new product categories.
- Channel & Distribution Expansion: Kevin is recognized for designing and executing high-performance sales and distribution strategies across both direct and indirect channels—resulting in exponential partner and customer growth.
- Sales Force Leadership: He has built and managed top-performing sales organizations, aligning teams around technology adoption, data-driven performance, and customer success.
- Brand Revitalization & M&A Strategy: With a track record in revitalizing established brands and navigating mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, Kevin uncovers and scales growth opportunities with precision.
Kevin is best known for his ability to connect vision with execution—crafting strategies that are practical, scalable, and rooted in real business outcomes. He thrives at the intersection of innovation, technology, and customer engagement and is a passionate advocate for digital transformation in industries that are evolving from legacy systems to modern, data-driven platforms.
“Technology should serve people — and the companies that embrace it will lead the future.”
From the Field to the Future: Kevin’s Journey
Kevin is a second generation distribution leader. After working for his father's distribution company Kevin’s expanded his career working for a national distributor before founding and later selling a successful manufacturer’s rep agency. He later invested in a manufacturing company, 10X'd its product line, developed a North American network of manufacturers reps and distributors including selling through North America’s largest wholesale distributors. Later after many years advising global leaders in both manufacturing and distribution through his firm Sunwest Ventures, Kevin took a bold step into technology — founding LeadSmart Technologies to unite data, people and processes in one intelligent platform.
Beyond business, Kevin has spoken monthly for over 10 years to audiences of hundreds to nearly ten thousand, refining his ability to inspire, educate and connect on a human level — experience that translates to every stage he steps onto.
How Kevin Prepares for Each Talk
What Audiences Are Saying
"Kevin was a stand out contributor to our recent member conference, delivering and engaging session on breaking down siloed data. The sales and marketing professionals in the audience gained strategic insight into how to connect their data and use AI and other tools to uncover opportunities and improve performance. We look forward to having him back as a guest and educator!"
Alison Greene
Director of Marketing HARDI
“Kevin connects deeply with industry audiences because he truly understands our members’ world. His authenticity sets him apart — he’s not speaking at the audience, he’s speaking with them. Kevin blends relatable industry stories with forward-thinking insight, delivering sessions that feel both engaging and practical. Our members leave inspired, confident, and equipped with clear next steps.”
Bring Confidence and Clarity to Your Next Event
Book Kevin Brown to energize your audience with real-world insight, practical takeaways and a vision for the future of distribution and manufacturing.
