Title: Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer
Company: UpperPin
Education: MBA in Marketing and Finance, The Wharton School (1990); BS in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University (1986); Diploma, Fairborn Park Hills High School (1982)
Career History: Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, UpperPin (2024-Present); Founder, Gray Falkon (2022-2024); President, Supply Tigers, Inc. (2021-2022); Chief Marketing Officer, Herff Jones (2020-2021); Senior Vice President, Marketing and eCommerce, Vitamin World (2020); Vice President, Marketing, Champion Petfoods (2018-2020); Founder, Managing Director, Nobility Ventures LLC (2012-2020); Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Zoro US (2015-2018); Vice President, Retail Experience, Kraft Foods (2010-2011); Vice President, Marketing, Kraft Foods (2009-2010); Group Marketing Director, The Coca-Cola Company (2004-2009); Vice President, Marketing, BI-LO, LCC (2003-2004); Vice President, Business Development, Priceline WebHouse Club, Inc. (2000); Brand Management, Procter & Gamble (1990-2000)
Donald King, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at UpperPin, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of brand management.
Driven by his own determination and perseverance, Mr. King has utilized more than 30 years of experience in the industry to build UpperPin, an e-commerce company that specializes in selling artwork that he co-founded in 2024. The Anaheim, California-based business provides realistic, dimensional reproductions of famous pieces of art, presenting them with textured brush strokes that replicate the appearance of genuine paintings rather than flat posters. In his leadership roles, he’s responsible for marketing, operations, and the company’s general functionality.
Mr. King’s branding expertise began in 1990 as a brand manager with Procter & Gamble. After a decade with the firm, during which time he successfully revitalized the Crest toothpaste brand, he was active as the vice president of business development at Priceline WebHouse Club, Inc. and then as the vice president of marketing at BI-LO, LLC. From 2004 to 2009, he excelled as the group marketing director at the Coca-Cola Company—among his notable achievements there, he played a vital role in the relaunch of the Sprite brand in 2006. He went on to be vice president of both marketing and retail experience at Kraft Foods, vice president and chief marketing officer at Zoro US, and the founder and managing director at Nobility Ventures LLC, which was in operation from 2012 to 2020. Since then, he has lent his know-how to Champion Petfoods, Vitamin World, Herff Jones, Supply Tigers, Inc., and most recently led as the founder of Gray Falkon—an organization devoted to protecting large and small brands from illegitimate sellers on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart through AI and automation technology.
The son of a career Air Force officer, Mr. King was born at Edwards AF Base, situated in the heart of the desert in Southern California, and went on to prepare for his professional journey by earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA in marketing and finance from the Wharton School. Looking toward the future, he aims to serve on a corporate board or two, seeking to impart the knowledge he has gained over the years and help others navigate the complexities of business. As for UpperPin, he wants to expand the company significantly and eventually take it public—continuing to push its mission of making masterpieces accessible to a broader audience.
