Mixing It Up With Author, Entrepreneur, and “Rent-a-CMO” Aliza Licht

by Eddie Roche

These days, it seems like everyone is working a gazillion jobs, pursuing infinite passions, and traveling all over the world. Over the coming days, we will be introducing you to a handful of the East End’s top talents whose success is generated by their magical ability to mix it all up. Meet Aliza Licht!

Aliza Licht (PatrickMcMullan/PMC)

Various Hustles: “Growing up, my walls were plastered with high-fashion magazine spreads. Fashion wasn’t a career that I knew of back then, so I set out to become a plastic surgeon, graduating with a degree in neurobiology and physiology. But my heart wasn’t in it, and my signature red lip and the surgical mask didn’t go well together, so after college I pivoted to my dream career, starting at Harper’s Bazaar. From there, I joined Marie Claire. After two years in editorial, I jumped to the other side of the business — public relations.

I joined Donna Karan International and worked my way up for 17 years, ultimately becoming SVP of global communications. But I’m probably best known for creating and being the voice of the social personality @DKNYPRGIRL and building an organic multiplatform community of over 1.5 million followers for DKNY. For the past two and a half years, I was EVP of brand marketing and communications at alice + olivia. I left in March to pick up the consulting business that I started when I left Donna Karan. I think of myself as a ’rent a CMO,’ helping to bring my experience and passion for storytelling to brands in fashion, beauty, wellness, and tech.”

How I Mix It Up: “My role as @DKNYPRGIRL led to me writing my book, Leave Your Mark, which is a career mentorship guide and has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. I’m proud that it has helped young professionals navigate their careers. Now, I’m launching Leave Your Mark: The Podcast, which will deliver freshly brewed career advice every week, with insights from some incredible guests.

I’m also a mom of two kids — Jonathan (14) and Sabrina (11). They keep me super busy and grounded with comments like, “Mom, your posts are cringey.” So no matter what recognition I have ever received in my job, it gets crushed to smithereens at home and makes me question my social media prowess on a daily basis. They keep me sharp! Right now, I’ve spent the bulk of my personal time recording interviews for my podcasts and also working on an Instagram account that my sister and I started last summer called @homesickdotcom. We were both super campers, so we started the account to post all the homesick and hysterically funny letters parents get from their kids who are at sleepaway camp. We’re obsessed with this account; I actually have to remember to check my personal account!”

Travel Philosophy: “I am a last-minute traveler. My husband and I have been known to wake up on a Sunday and say, ’Let’s go to Vegas tonight!’ We never plan in advance, mostly because we can never decide what we want to do or where we want to visit. I didn’t travel that much when my kids were little, but now I’m trying to make up for the lost time. My destination philosophy has always been ’If I don’t need to care about my outfit at this destination, then I don’t want to go there!’ I pack a different shoe and bag for every look. My husband hates me.”

Hamptons Obsessions: “For me, the Hamptons is about family time. Even when we have plans with friends, it’s always with the kids. We host often and can easily have six to eight kids in the house at one time. It’s definitely chaotic and loud, but also so warm and memorable. Everything is better in the Hamptons!”

Read the complete new issue of The Daily Summer below!


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