Getting to know Kenny Gary, Infinite Global’s first Chief Growth Officer

Infinite Global recently welcomed veteran communications, marketing and business development professional Kenny Gary as the firm’s first chief growth officer. A former journalist and editor at Thomson Reuters, publisher of the National Law Journal, chief marketing and business development officer for a legal technology company and head of business development for a leading business-to-business wholesale cannabis platform, we sat down with Kenny to learn more about his career and what brought him to IG.

Tell us about yourself.

First of all, it was my understanding that there would be no math.[i]

Who is Kenny Gary? I grew up in Washington, D.C. oversaturated with politics, the law and a family of comical wizardry and intellect—both of which seem to have escaped yours truly. Being inside the Beltway from birth taught me how our governmental branches work, and more importantly, how deals get done. That, and a family of lawyers, led me to work on Capitol Hill, at a prominent lobbying and PR firm, inside an important financial services government affairs arm and several regulatory agencies, to clerk for a judge and to attend law school.

And then came prescription eyeglasses, Advil and eventually yoga.

Currently, I live in Manhattan and love being in the city. I never dreamed that I would flee to Gotham for solace, but I did. And it works.

You’ve been in the legal world for over 20 years. What were you doing prior to joining Infinite Global?

The bulk of my professional career spawned from my work at Thomson Reuters, where I spearheaded a securities and corporate governance lead-gen product that ultimately was a feeder for new platform subscribers. In hindsight, it was one of the first heavy content marketing initiatives at the company, and possibly in the legal space. I was then adopted by the TR sales and marketing teams as a subject matter expert, helping them distill complex legal issues into messaging that would resonate with their law firm clients.

It was then that my professional career pivoted, and I began to understand where I could make the biggest impact. It turns out I’m a people person—who knew? Well, my mother knew…and probably all of the teachers I had growing up, but that’s neither here nor there. My focus from that moment onward: communicate, connect and deliver. Not necessarily in that order.

I then spent nearly a decade at legal publishing behemoth ALM, helping them oversee the National Law Journal and Legal Times in Washington. I had the opportunity to transform my position from a local operational role to a national sales and marketing role. As I grew my network, I got smarter and was able to bring new and exciting product and event concepts to ALM that were both scalable and profitable for the company. Before I knew it, I was overseeing a large national team of skilled sales, marketing and product managers.

In 2016, I left ALM to join another prominent legal advisory firm where I spent five years bringing fresh ideas, talent and new anchor clients to the company, nearly tripling their revenue and headcount along the way. While there, I worked to stand up a digital marketing arm, add new technologies like CRM and other tools that enhanced workplace efficiency. I also helped launch their legal tech and innovation practices, which today remain a core business there. My relationships with those clients remain tight to this day, and I’m proud to have been able to help them all in both building their businesses, as well as working with them to protect their reputations in times of crisis. Given the sheer size, level of professionalism and global nature of IG, I fully expect to have an even more explosive impact here.

Most recently, I took a glorified sabbatical from the legal industry to run national business development initiatives for LeafLink, the leading unified B2B wholesale cannabis platform. It was an amazing opportunity to gain real, unabashed insight to how this emerging market is growing, how it will be regulated and the legal, compliance and political hurdles that loom for those businesses. I worked with the largest cannabis operators in the world in an emerging regulated industry in its infant stages of growth—who could ask for more? I also represented the company as a board member of the U.S. Cannabis Council, where I was able to influence the organization’s policy positions on pivotal cannabis-related issues. I’m excited to continue to help these operators and the technology service providers that support the cannabis and psychedelics industries from the IG pulpit.

It’s like the Love Boat: exciting and new. The only rule is it begins[ii]

You have a unique mandate at Infinite Global as its first chief growth officer. What are some of your plans in your role?

I’m so excited to be here! We have mad opportunity to reshape and expand the way we conduct business with our clients and partners globally, as well as launching into new industries and practice areas that I’ve earmarked both in the immediate and longer term. We’re uniquely positioned in the intersection of business and the law. Every industry—particularly the regulated ones—has a need for our expertise. Whether that be in marketing and amplifying a corporate message, rebranding an organization to help separate them from a crowded market or stepping in at times of crisis to help them protect their reputation across all media channels. This is what we do, and we’re the best in the business. Historically, we’ve worked for law firms and our law firm clients’ clients. I see that shifting in a powerful way as we enter new markets.

What I have learned: please me have no regrets. Always move forward and disregard the noise because a week is a month, and an hour a day. Pick three projects you can accomplish every week and stick to it. And always remember: “Just relax, you’re doing fine.”[iii]

Tell us about your average day at Infinite Global.

Generally, I surrender to the flow[iv]. Every day is different for me—I thrive that way. More than half of my time is spent client-facing, talking to my network and growing it. You never know where new business will come from. I’m constantly amazed and overwhelmed with joy from the events that lead to new relationships. It’s what I wake up for.

I spend the remainder of my time working with our internal teams to identify efficiencies and install new process measures where needed. This too comes in many forms – I’m looking at new technology tools as well as how our internal teams communicate and collaborate as one. We’re a global business, so ensuring that everyone is on the same page is critical to our corporate growth. My eye is on nurturing that culture, which is already strong here at IG.

One mantra that always keeps me centered, focused and energized: “Oh this moment, is the only thing you know.”[v] Always so true both in business and my personal life.

What are some of your interests outside of work?

Wait, there’s life outside of work?

Over the last decade, I have embraced New York City’s live music scene—it’s like religion to me. In many ways the people I have met through music have become a family away from home to me. I’m lucky to live in a city that offers so much talent every night (barring a pandemic) and have built an amazing network of friends and even business opportunities from this interest. In the city, it’s no different than spending a day on the golf course…

I also spend a lot of my time outside… my mantra: “Going where the climate suits my clothes.”[vi] So there you have it. Come and join.

Skiing has been a passion of mine since I was a grade-schooler and ultimately led me to live out west in my formative years. I return for the solace and thrills as much as I can and am looking forward to spectacular season in 2023. Last season I finally made it to Big Sky, Snow Basin and Bridger Bowl. Before the pandemic, I’d organized a ski trip for legal marketers—we had a group of 50 people booked in Aspen following what was supposed to be the LMA Annual Conference in Denver in 2020. We all know how much fun that worked out to be… not! Hoping I can revive that effort soon as there has been an outcry for it—stay tuned for next season.

So stupendous, living in this tube.[vii]

In the warmer weather, I love spending time both in the mountains hiking and on the shore soaking up the sun. Lakes work for me as well. And boats. And kayaks. And motorcycles. But rarely a canoe. Don’t ask.

[i] Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, SNL

[ii] Phish, “Backwards Down the Number Line”

[iii] Phish, “Strange Design”

[iv] Phish, “The Lizards”

[v] Goose, “Creatures”

[vi] Grateful Dead, “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad”

[vii] Phish, “Tube”