NRG People Power: Get to Know Kimberly Carpenter

Welcome to the latest edition of NRG’s People Power series, where we shine a light “behind the scenes” on the innovative individuals who help us revolutionize your energy experience. In this feature, we’re excited to introduce Kimberly Carpenter, marketing leader and recent customer experience award-winner.

Kimberly Carpenter, NRG's Senior Director of Strategic Marketing & Customer Experience (CX), and a 14-year marketing leader in the energy sector, recently clinched the Silver award for CX Leader of the Year at the U.S. Customer Experience Awards. This achievement is more than a feather in her cap, it’s a milestone for NRG, marking its inaugural participation in these prestigious awards.

Competing against internationally-known corporations, Kimberly’s award is a testament to her leadership and innovative approach to customer experience. In addition to her individual Silver award, she led her team to a Bronze award in the Best B2B CX Strategic Approach and CX Team of the Year categories, showcasing the team’s collective dedication to its customers.

Kimberly developed her ability to communicate effectively from the customer’s perspective early in her career. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas and began working as a copywriter for a homebuilder’s magazine. While there, she won an International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Bronze Quill Award for her writing.

As much as she enjoyed writing, Kimberly knew she wanted to expand her career and be more involved in the corporate world. She went back to school to earn her MBA and made the shift to marketing, working for corporations like Citigroup, Centex, and Spark Energy, which broadened her experience across multiple marketing and leadership disciplines.

Her decision to join NRG in 2013 was inspired by her personal experience as a Reliant customer, where she was impressed by the personal touch offered in the daily energy usage emails she received. Since starting at NRG, Kimberly has grown the Strategic Business Marketing & Customer Experience from a small operation to the current group that includes roles across all disciplines in business to business (B2B) marketing and customer experience.

Although Kimberly's responsibilities have expanded, overseeing a team that has grown in size, scope, and complexity, she remains involved in every project, offering her insights and serving as a sounding board for her team's creative ideas. Kimberly's leadership is characterized by her ability to mentor and coach, listen carefully, and recognize successes. From navigating difficult decisions to celebrating her team’s victories, such as their 2023 IABC Houston Bronze Quill Award, Kimberly is adept at making the most out of every situation.

Never content with complacency, Kimberly keeps her team focused on their next goals. Her excitement for the future of Business Marketing at NRG is palpable, particularly regarding the potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics.

"We've mastered the art of creating a good customer experience in the fundamentals. The next evolution is finding ways to embrace technology to benefit the customer base," Kimberly explained. This forward-looking approach aims to personalize the customer experience to an unprecedented degree, making every interaction with NRG a meaningful engagement for customers.

Although she lives in the bustling cityscape of Houston, Kimberly relaxes by gardening — a hobby tied to her childhood. Growing up in the Piney Woods region of East Texas, Kimberly helped out on her grandparents' farm, where she learned the value of hard work and the joy of reaping the rewards of her labor. This gave her a deep appreciation for planting, nurturing, and harvesting — lessons she still uses in her leadership style today. In her urban “little green patch”, she loves the tranquility of growing vegetables, and enjoys her fresh tomatoes and pickling bumper crops of cucumbers.

Beyond the garden, Kimberly’s zest for life doesn’t only apply to pickles – she also used to enjoy the thrill of jumping out of planes. It’s been a few years since her last jump, however, and she prefers to travel AROUND the world now, rather than hurtling TOWARD it at high speed. Her recent trip to Italy left her completely enamored with the country’s historical beauty and the warmth of its people.

When she’s not working in her garden, you can find Kimberly curled up with her dapper gray cat, Simon, enjoying a good book. Fostered by her parents' frequent trips to the library during her childhood, Kimberly developed an appetite for reading and learning that has stayed with her all her life. Whether it's self-development books or non-fiction works on any subject, she is driven by a desire to understand how things work.

For Kimberly, curiosity is not just a personal trait, but the engine that drives her professional ethos and leadership at NRG. It's this relentless pursuit of the unknown — "We don't know what we don't know" — that propels her and her team forward. Kimberly champions a culture of continuous learning and exploration, setting a high standard for her team and fostering an environment where growth, innovation, and collaboration with an eye to the future flourish.

NRG’s Strategic Marketing & Customer Experience team supports NRG Business and its customers related to the B2B field.The team handles marketing, from customer lifecycle journeys and experience, to digital assets and creation, web platform user experience, communications analytics, regional marketing, broker experience, and product marketing.