A thirteen-year telecommunications industry veteran with a decade of retail leadership experience, Makesha Benson currently serves as the Vice President of Retention Channel Marketing for Comcast Corporation in Philadelphia, PA.
Makesha is responsible for delivering highly visible, top priority National programs for channels in which Comcast’s customers disconnect. This includes a targeted focus on both the general market and multi-cultural segments.
During her tenure at Comcast, Makesha has dedicated herself to building a strong sales and growth culture and garners results by having a laser focus on the employee experience. Makesha has been recognized consistently by senior executives for her expertise in organizational strategy and employee engagement, as well as her ability to drive strategic and tactical success in highly competitive and rapid growth environments.
Prior to working in the cable industry, Makesha worked for large retailers such as Banana Republic and Limited Brand where she led sales, loyalty, and operations teams. In 2000, she left retail and began a new career in the cable industry where she started at RCN in Chicago leading sales, MDU, and customer retention efforts.
Makesha’s background in project managing, opening, and operating large retail implementations coupled with her cable knowledge positioned her uniquely which led her to Time Warner Cable in 2004. There she was hired to lead the Division’s sales organization while opening the company’s first prototype retail location in Wisconsin. Makesha led strong results and was asked to add Loyalty and customer retention to her scope while opening a second experience retail center. It was then where Makesha personally negotiated a partnership with a large consumer electronics company to provide all HD units gratis. These innovative +3,000 square ft. stores serve as the industry model for cable operations today.
In 2010, Makesha left Time Warner Cable as the Midwest Region’s Senior Director of Sales to join Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region where she led sales and retention efforts for the Company’s second largest Region and in 2011 helped them achieve System of the Year. Makesha was later promoted to Vice President, Business Initiatives in the Freedom Region where she led major Regional initiatives for the Market Senior Vice President.
Makesha previously served on the board of Women in Cable Telecommunications’ Chicago-area chapter (WICT) and is an active member of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC). Makesha has been recognized by CableFax as one of 2012’s ‘Most Influential Minorities’ as well as has received the “Emerging Leader” award from WICT-Greater Chicago.
Makesha attended Loyola University in Chicago and recently graduated from Comcast’s Executive Leadership Forum (ELF) and The Wharton School’s Executive Leadership Development Program for Women through Comcast University. In 2007, Makesha graduated from NAMIC’s Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) through the Anderson School of Business at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Makesha, her husband and their three children live in Chicago’s west suburbs.
