Heidi Davidson

Dr. Heidi Davidson is a marketing and communications executive with more than 30 years of experience helping individuals and companies of all sizes tell their stories.

Dr. Heidi Davidson is a marketing and communications executive with almost 30 years of experience helping individuals and companies of all sizes tell their stories. Through the firm she co-founded, Galvanize Worldwide, she works with a number of start-ups, scale-ups, incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms to evaluate investment opportunities and advise businesses. She also co-founded Galvanize On Demand, a tech platform that matches skilled and screened marketing talent with projects. She works with clients of all sizes on marketing and communications programs, startup advisory, crisis communications, change management, as well as media and presentation skills training. Almost 10 years later, Galvanize Worldwide is the largest distributed network of marketing and communications experts with more than 200+ members.

Before co-founding Galvanize Worldwide, Heidi spent four years as part of the turn-around team at BlackBerry in the roles of senior vice president of Corporate Marketing and before that senior vice president of Corporate Communications. During this time, Heidi managed the CEO transitions of three different leadership teams, and was responsible for BlackBerry’s internal and external programs to rebuild the company’s reputation and corporate viability as it shifted from a handset manufacturer to a security software provider. During this time, Heidi and her team won a number of awards, including Global PR Week’s Corporate Branding Campaign of the Year for their work in turning the media sentiment of the company around.

Prior to that, Heidi worked at MasterCard Worldwide at its global headquarters in Purchase, New York for 11 years. She served in various senior leadership capacities in communications roles, compliance, global public policy, consumer education, training and events, fraud investigations, security and risk management, mergers and acquisitions, CEO transition, and franchise integrity. She was a frequent speaker and trainer, and testified at both the state and federal government levels on a variety of payment card related topics. During this time, Heidi managed the settlement of a number of retailer payment card breaches impacting MasterCard customers.

Prior to joining MasterCard, Heidi served as a senior account executive at Brodeur Worldwide, a high-tech public relations agency. In addition to serving large, global brands, she worked on the agency’s Advanced Technology Group – a function for start-up technology companies. She supported a variety of start-up clients, including Research In Motion-BlackBerry, which included the launch of the first BlackBerry and the company’s IPO on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. Other clients included IBM, Philips, Minolta and Hyperion Software. She was the 1999 recipient of the Brodeur Employee Achievement Reward for outstanding service to the agency. Prior to this, Heidi served in various roles at John Mallen Communications, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the New York State Public Employees Federation AFL-CIO.

Heidi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Relations from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY, where she was awarded the distinguished Woman of Influence Award in 2022. Heidi also holds an MBA in Marketing, and a Doctorate degree in Business from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York. Heidi received the Pace Changemaker’s Award in 2025. Heidi’s doctoral research focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, startups, and incubator and accelerator models. She has also served as a Forbes contributor since 2019. Heidi was awarded the WEDC Enterprising Woman Award in 2021. She has also been named to Westchester Magazine’s Most Intriguing List and The Westchester Power 100 from City & State Magazine. In 2015, Heidi was named to the PR News list of Top Women in PR and won Canada’s Top Women in Technology – Leadership Excellence Award. She is a former Chairman of the Board for the Business Council of Westchester, where she was instrumental in launching programs like the Westchester Innovation Network – a program designed to facilitate enhanced economic development through innovation, and continues her work with the organization as a Board Member, Executive Committee Member, and the Nominating Chair. Heidi is also an independent director for Tompkins Bank – Hudson Valley, where she also serves on the Loan Committee, and the Tompkins Financial Corporate Board (NYSE: TMP), where she serves on the Compensation Committee.

Get in Touch

heidi@galvanizeworldwide.com