Full Time Staff
Kyle Karnes
Chief Executive Officer
Currently the CEO of Student Agencies, Inc., Kyle formerly founded and served as the President of Red Pearl Advisors, a boutique strategy consulting and M&A advisory firm focused on delivering high impact strategy development, execution and transaction advisory services to small and middle market companies. As the principal on all Red Pearl client engagements, Kyle leveraged his experience as a consultant, start-up leader, line executive and corporate development officer to provide direct strategic and tactical support to client owners and executive decision-makers.
Prior to founding Red Pearl, Kyle worked for Harris Interactive for eleven years. He joined the firm in 1998 to lead the development of the company’s pioneering Internet-based market research business, which ultimately led to the firm’s IPO in December 1999. At the time of his departure in 2009, Kyle served as Harris’ Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and was responsible for overseeing the firm’s global expansion and related M&A activities. Prior to assuming the corporate development role, he served stints as Group President for the Technology, Automotive and Product Solutions business units; Division President for the Technology, Automotive, CPG, General Markets, Financial Services and Advanced Analytics business units; Senior Vice President, Technology Research; Vice President, eBusiness research; and Vice President, Product Development and Market Planning.
Before joining Harris Interactive, Kyle worked for the LIGHTNIN Company, where he was the Director of Business Development and Operations for LIGHTNIN Process Equipment Services. Prior to joining LIGHTNIN in 1996, he worked in the Office of the Corporate Vice President of Operations for General Signal, LIGHTNIN’s parent company. He began his career as a Staff Consultant with Andersen Consulting and later worked abroad as an independent consultant for a then recently privatized company in the Czech Republic.
Kyle graduated from Cornell University’s School of Engineering in 1991 with a BS degree in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering (ORIE) and later earned his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1995.
Board member since 2013.