Forty Under 40: Sarah Hood
by January 1, 2014 12:00 am 95 views
Sarah Hood surprised her parents when the natural-born storyteller with a lifelong love of the English language opted to pursue an accounting degree.
Not long into her academic career at the University of Arkansas business college, she found middle ground between the practical, problem-solving field of business and the more personal and emotional world of writing — “the softer side of finance,” as she calls it — in marketing.
“It scratched the storytelling itch in a roundabout way,” she said.
And, during her eight years at Saatchi & Saatchi X, Hood has been entrusted by several billion-dollar brands to help craft their narratives.
She leads the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. marketing strategy teams for Procter & Gamble and TracFone Wireless and previously worked with Sam’s Club, which named her Outstanding Partner in 2012.
Sometimes, she lends her marketing prowess to the 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Foundation, a scholarship-granting organization created in honor of her brother, who died in Iraq in 2007.
Hood, who serves as board secretary, inadvertently started the Keeping TIME Project (a T-shirt line that promotes self-empowerment) when she wore her shirt during her first marathon.
Running is one subject Hood writes about on her popular blog, The Musings of Motherhood. She also writes about traveling and raising her 6-year-old son.