Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel is a cultural theorist, writer, social critic, and strategist specializing in inclusivity within marketing, media, and tech. Currently a senior insights lead at Reddit, she earned her doctorate in cultural studies from Duke University and has consulted for the world's top brands, including Nike, Samsung, Disney, Diageo, and AMEX, at agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Dentsu Creative, McCann New York, among others. She is the author of Cultural Intelligence for Marketers, forthcoming with Kogan Page in March 2024.

A lifelong activist, Dr. Gabriel helps brands ignite cultural innovation and leverage the power of media for good. Academically, she spent close to a decade being trained as a scholar of culture and identity, with expertise in cultural theory, Black critical theory, critical race studies, Black feminist theory, and  gender and sexuality studies. Her commercial work in cultural research and strategy deliberately draws on the power of interdisciplinary knowledge, rigor, and critical thinking.

To issues of cultural fluency, inclusion, and equity in media, Dr. Gabriel brings a principled discernment that bridges commercial advantage and social consciousness. A respected thought leader and advocate, her insights have been featured in AdWeek, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), WARC, Advertising Week, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and Teen Vogue. 

She is a proud, self-made immigrant hailing from Rīga, Latvia.