# Megan Gardner

> Megan Gardner is the founder and former CEO of Plum District and founder of Independent & Co, a technology CEO advisory practice established in 2013. Her career spans investment banking, corporate strategy, consumer commerce and international board work.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Independent & Co
- **Organizations:** Independent & Co, Plum District, YPO, Tinybeans (former director), Crown & Caliber (past advisory board chair), DoubleNet Pay (past director), Apiary (past adviser), Ameriprise Financial, Deutsche Bank, SoundView Technology
- **Education:** BA, history and women’s studies, Smith College, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Built Plum District into a service with more than one million subscribers., Led a company that managed over 350 employees and contractors., Established an international technology advisory practice.

## Career timeline

- **1998** — Graduated from Smith College; began her investment-banking career at Deutsche Bank.
- **1999–2003** — Worked in investment banking at SoundView Technology.
- **2006** — Earned an MBA at Harvard Business School and received a leadership fellowship.
- **Before 2010** — Served as director of strategy and business development at Ameriprise Financial.
- **2010** — Led the launch of Plum District, a daily-offers company for mothers and families.
- **2011** — Plum District expanded to 27 markets and announced a $20 million financing round in December.
- **2013** — Susan Kim succeeded her as Plum District CEO; Gardner founded Independent & Co.
- **2018–2020** — Served as a non-executive director of Tinybeans.
- **2025** — Discussed her continuing advisory practice and financial-aid giving in a Smith College interview.

## Achievements

- Built Plum District into a service with more than one million subscribers.
- Led a company that managed over 350 employees and contractors.
- Established an international technology advisory practice.
- Served on the board of ASX-listed Tinybeans.

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — A Smith College interview confirmed she continued to run Independent & Co and discussed her support for financial aid.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganegardner
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mgardnernd

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/megan-gardner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24