14397: NBA CMO Pam El Retiring Her Jersey.

Adweek reported NBA CMO Pam El is retiring at the end of the year. Gee, the typical CMO changes teams more often than Chucky Brown.

NBA CMO Pam El Announces Plans to Retire at the End of 2018

She first joined the organization in 2014

By Katie Richards

After a 35-year career in marketing, Pam El has announced she will retire at the end of the year. El currently serves as the evp and CMO of the NBA. Although she will be leaving her role, the NBA noted that El will continue to work with them, serving as an adviser on marketing and branding matters in the future.

El joined the NBA in 2014 after a brief stint at Nationwide. Prior to that she spent 11 years at State Farm where she served as marketing vice president in charge of sales and marketing in the U.S and Canada. During her time at State Farm, El worked closely with the NBA and WNBA to establish a partnership between the two leagues and the insurance company.

“We are grateful for her incredible impact spearheading marketing strategy for all four of our leagues, and we wish her well in retirement after an award-winning career,” NBA deputy commissioner and COO, Mark Tatum, said in a statement.

Some of her other achievements while with the NBA include launching the leauge’s “This Is Why We Play” campaign and the WNBA’s “Watch Me Work” campaign. El also spearheaded a new brand identity for the NBA in a move to get more global recognition for the league.

Throughout her career, El has been recognized for her work in the marketing world. She has received numerous honors from Adweek including, most recently, being honored in the annual Adweek 50 list (for the third consecutive year) for raising the league’s profile in the U.S., but also worldwide.

El noted in a statement that working for the NBA, “has been an amazing privilege,” for her.

“I am particularly proud of the terrific team of marketing experts we’ve assembled globally—truly a skilled group that is among the best in professional sports. With this great team now in place, it’s the right time for me to transition from a full-time position to focus on board opportunities, my non-profit work and spending more time with my family and friends,” she added.

13624: Black Like She.

Campaign presented five lessons learned at “Their Truth: The Summit on Black Women in Advertising, Marketing and Media”—a diversity smokescreen sponsored by IPG and The Advertising Club of New York.

First of all, why is it “Their Truth” versus “The Truth”? Is the implication that Black women have a separate version of the truth? Would Kellyanne Conway insist there are alternative facts and alternative truths?

If the advertising industry indeed features fewer than 100 Black female executives—as revealed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—how many people appeared for the event? Heaven forbid Kat Gordon or Cindy Gallop might express outrage over the far-less-than-3% representation of Black women in the C-Suites.

Of course, as the accompanying image depicted above shows, Michael Roth turned the affair into a photo-op that will probably be added to the patronizing propaganda IPG presents to position itself as dedicated to diversity. Perhaps panelists were invited to an after-party hosted by Campbell Ewald in San Antonio.

Campaign could have added a few key takeaways from the event:

6. There’s no room on the White women’s bandwagon for Black women—they don’t even rate a backseat on the bus.

7. For every Black female panelist, there is at least one Black female stereotype in advertising: Aunt Jemima, The Pine-Sol Lady, Annie the Chicken Queen, The Honey Bunches of Oats Lady, Summer’s Eve Talking Vagina, Aunt Flo and Lady Rerun.

8. “Their (Black adwomen’s) Truth” is a result of “Their (White adpeople’s) Lies.”

5 lessons learned about black women in marketing and media

By Kathryn Luttner

IPG and The Advertising Club of New York examine “their truth” at the Paley Center.

The Interpublic Group and The Advertising Club of New York hosted a frank discussion about what it’s like to be a black woman working in marketing and communications at the Paley Center for Media in New York on Monday night. A night of programming billed as “Their Truth: The Summit on Black Women in Advertising, Marketing and Media” tackled the industry’s diversity issues head-on, sharing research about black female leadership and personal stories from industry luminaries about survival and success.

Speakers included advertising veteran Valerie Graves, who read from her book “Pressure makes Diamonds: Becoming the Woman I Pretended to Be,” and a panel discussion moderated by MSNBC’s Joy Reid that included Jocelyn Carter-Miller, president of TechEdVentures and SoulTranSync and IPG board member; Pam El, CMO of the NBA; Vita Harris, chief strategy officer of FCB; Jeanine D. Liburd, EVP of marketing, corporate communications and corporate social responsibility at BET; Lisa Price, SVP, founder and creative director of Carol’s Daughter; and Carol H. Williams, CEO and chief creative officer of Carol H. Williams Advertising.

Here are five key takeaways from the event.

1. Black women are more confident and qualified than white women

Sheryl Sandberg doesn’t need to convince black women to lean in. A study from the Center of Talent Innovation found that women black women are more confident than white women and more likely to hold a graduate degree.

Tai Wingfield, SVP of communications at the organization, kicked off the evening with findings from the 2014 study “Black Women: Ready to Lead.” The non-profit surveyed black and white women employed in white-collar occupations and found that 22 percent of African American women aspire to a powerful position with a prestigious title, compared to just 8 percent of white women. What’s more, they’re 9 percent more likely than white women to hold a graduate degree, with 71 percent earning Master’s degrees and 65 percent earning doctoral degrees. And when black women get promoted, they’re 44 percent more likely than white women to be confident that they can succeed.

“I understand the unique insights we bring to the table as black women, and if our organizations and our clients fail to tap into those insights, we all stand to lose,” Wingfield said.

Black women are doing it all, she added, pointing out that 54 percent of them out-earn their spouses or partners and 43 percent hold leadership roles outside of work, giving back to their communities in the form of mentorship and involvement.

2. “Racism in the workplace isn’t my problem—it’s theirs”

If black women are more confident and more qualified, then why aren’t they running the show? One reason is inherent racism, according to the panelists. Bosses promote talent who look and act like them, which creates a majority of straight, white men in positions of power. But FCB’s Harris advised African American females to not internalize racist experiences, citing an experience from early in her career when her boss asked her to be taken off a piece of business because the client was uncomfortable with her skin color.

“I didn’t see that quite honestly as my problem,” she said, causing the room to erupt in laughter. “One of the things I see often is that young, black women take that on as their problem, and that discourages them, that causes them to exit this industry.”

It’s the company’s responsibility to address those problems, she said. “I always see it as the other person’s problem, so in that particular instance, I asked, ‘What is the company going to do?’” recalled Harris. “What ultimately happened was the agency that I was working for at the time resigned the business. I had to have a voice in that; it didn’t just happen on its own.”

TechEdVentures’ Carter-Miller, who once worked as the CMO of Motorola, reflected the time she was up for a promotion to lead the company’s Latin American division. Rumors flew that her colleagues didn’t think a “tall, black woman” should be considered, which made Carter-Miller confront the sector president and say, “If you have a problem with my qualifications, we can discuss that, but if you have a problem with my packaging, then this is not the company that [I] thought it was nor the company that I want to work for.”

3. Control your emotions or your emotions will control you

Agency founder Williams, however, advised women to take a more tempered approach when dealing with workplace adversaries. She quoted a line from “Star Trek,” in which Spock’s mom said, “Control your emotions, or your emotions will control you.” Her cool-handed approach has served her well over the years, elevating her from “a kid on Chicago’s Southside” to “making millions of dollars” as one of the few black women to run her own eponymous advertising agency.

“In my mind, I’ve knocked the hell out of some people,” she said. “But guess what? They didn’t know it.”

4. Black women need to be invited in

Not only do black women in advertising need to be included in conversations, Carter-Miller pointed out that the black consumer needs to feel wanted, too. “One of the things that always struck me about multicultural marketing,” she said, is “the difference between a black consumer and a white consumer is that black people need to be invited in. We need to feel we’re welcome here. We do.”

Inclusion was the main theme of the night, from the importance of finding a sponsor or mentor to creating a work culture that values diversity. For IPG’s part, CEO Michael Roth said he views diversity events as “recruiting opportunities.” “Frankly, if the industry doesn’t” hire more black women, he said, “we’re going to do it at IPG and use it as a competitive advantage.” With 40 percent of its board members being female, IPG is committed to inviting women, especially black women, in.

5. The biggest lie in advertising is “I can’t find them”

When it came time for audience Q&A, NBA’s El bounced in her seat for the chance to answer the question about what agencies and brands can do to diversify their staffs. Companies need to work harder at finding candidates, she said.

“The problem is CEOs go to used car lots to buy new cars,” she said. “You find the same people who you’ve interviewed before. If you wanted that talent bad enough, you would go find it.

“The sad part is, I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and we’re still talking about diversity 30 years later,” she added. “I believe the biggest lie that’s ever been told in advertising is ‘I can’t find them.’ That is bull.”

12351: Highlighting 14 In 2014.

It wasn’t easy to find 14 highlights in the advertising industry for 2014, but here goes (in no particular order):

1. Artist/Writer/Recovering Adman Lowell Thompson marched on.

2. The Marcus Graham Project Infographic exposed the exclusive state of affairs on Madison Avenue.

3. Pam El was drafted by the NBA as the league’s new CMO.

4. Dawn Hudson was drafted by the NFL as the league’s new CMO.

5. Jerry Seinfeld dissed the advertising industry at the CLIO Awards—unintentionally proving to be prophetic with his ultra-lame Acura campaign featuring a Black guy.

6. The Advertising Standards Council of India created mandates barring spots that portray dark-skinned people negatively.

7. Roy Eaton delivered the best 3.5 minutes you’ll spend all year.

8A and 8B. Issa Rae and Living a Creative Life enlivened Here Are All The Black People.

9. Commonground/MGS was unveiled as a new holding group comprised of eight independent, minority-owned agencies.

10. Ogilvy & Mather South Africa CEO Abey Mokgwatsane examined three macro drivers contributing towards a very vibrant South African ad industry: talent diversity, digital migration and the changing role of South Africa as a gateway to the rest of Africa.

11. MediaCom UK CEO Karen Blackett was named “most influential Black person in Britain” on the Powerlist 2015.

12. David&Goliath President Brian Dunbar declared, “L.A. is a very culturally diverse city and I think the cultural makeup of the agencies reflects that. It certainly does at David&Goliath. I see a lot more diversity here than I have at other agencies in my career and I think that helps make the work more interesting.”

13. Despite a rough year, Steve Stoute and Translation rebounded by winning the NBA shootout.

14. Team Epiphany may be the most diverse enterprise in the advertising industry.

12297: Translation Wins NBA Shootout.

Advertising Age reported the NBA alley-ooped its account to Translation, and the beleaguered shop slam-dunked over 20-year incumbent Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Did NBA CMO Pam El take Jeff Goodby’s sage advice when making her decision? Probably not. To his credit, Translation Founder Steve Stoute has shown strength in his ability to create and capitalize on relationships. He apparently used such skills to once woo Anheuser-Busch InBev U.S. Marketing VP Paul Chibe and win beer business. Stoute’s ties to El when she worked at State Farm—as well as his connections to the New Jersey Nets—were clearly enough to outplay GS&P and R/GA in the shootout.

Goodby certainly can’t cry foul, as he’s benefitted from relationships to originally nab Chevy; plus, he’s picked up lots of business for being an indentured servant in Omnicom. And if Goodby’s still asking, “Where are all the Black people?” well, one of them just beat his ass in hoops.

NBA Taps Translation After Review

Incumbent Goodby Had Been Working With NBA for 20-plus Years

By Maureen Morrison

The National Basketball Association has tapped Translation to handle creative after a review.

A spokeswoman for the league confirmed the win, calling the shop the “primary agency” for creative. The scope of the work, however, is yet to be determined, the spokeswoman said.

The account had been at Omnicom’s Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the NBA’s agency of record since 2007, though the shop has worked with the association for more than 20 years. The review process was overseen by Hasan & Co.

Goodby declined to comment. Translation couldn’t be immediately reached.

It’s not immediately clear whether the review will result in another agency of record relationship or whether the association will move to soliciting work on a project basis from the winning shop.

The review began less than three months after Pam El was named the NBA’s new chief marketing officer. Previously she had been at State Farm for 11 years, most recently as exec VP-marketing. Ms. El is familiar with Translation through State Farm; the shop handles some advertising for the marketer.

Goodby’s last campaign for the NBA was the work themed “Everybody Up,” which began in the current season. Ms. El said in October that the league will be more aggressive in its marketing moving forward, an effort to lure more casual fans.

In 2013, the NBA spent $93.6 million on measured media, a figure that includes ads promoting the NBA TV cable channel, as well as plugging the WNBA, according to Kantar Media.

12140: Everybody Up In NBA.

Advertising Age reported on fresh marketing and advertising being developed for the NBA under recently-hired CMO Pam El. A new campaign features the tagline, “Everybody Up.” Fairly certain everybody does not include Donald Sterling, Bruce Levenson or Danny Ferry.

The NBA’s Marketing Will Get More Aggressive Under New CMO

A New Campaign Is Supported by Broad-Based Media Buy

By E.J. Schultz

The National Basketball Association, which recently inked a lucrative media rights deal, will increase its marketing budget as it looks to lure more casual fans, according to the league’s new chief marketing officer.

Some of the new spending will back the league’s season-long campaign, which debuts Saturday and will run on a broader set of networks than in years past, said CMO Pam El, who joined the NBA in August after stints at insurance companies State Farm and Nationwide. “We are going to be much more aggressive with our marketing. We want to go after a larger fan base,” she said in an interview.

While she declined to reveal spending figures, she said the new campaign, called “Everybody Up,” will run on news and entertainment networks such as BET, CNN, TBS and VH1 “just to name a few.”

The first ad of the campaign is called “Roll Call” and will first air on Saturday during the Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preseason game that will be played in Rio de Janeiro and air on ESPNews. The ad is by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and features narration by hip hop artist Common.

Previously, the league had mostly confined its early-season campaign to ESPN and TNT, which both carry NBA games, Ms. El said. The league will still air ads on the two networks, but “we are going to branch outside of that media to reach not only the avid fan, but also our casual fan,” she said.

In 2013, the NBA spent $93.6 million on measured media, a figure that includes ads promoting the NBA TV cable channel, as well as plugging the WNBA, according to Kantar Media.

Ms. El’s hiring represents the first time the league has a CMO title since the 1990s. More recently, the league’s top marketing position was filled by Jamie Gallo, who held the title of exec VP-marketing, before he left the NBA in January. “The fact that the league has decided to hire a CMO is a sign of how much more aggressive we want to become as a marketing entity,” Ms. El said.

The league will have plenty of money to spend after its new media rights deal kicks in beginning in the 2016-2017 season. The pact with Walt Disney Co. (ESPN and ABC) and Turner Broadcasting System (TNT) more than doubles the NBA’s current deal and is worth $24 billion over nine years, according to various media reports.

Some analysts have speculated that TV viewers could eventually cover some of the costs through higher cable bills. So it makes sense for the league to try and broaden its fan base via new marketing, said D.J. Koeller, an associate VP at Intersport, a Chicago-based sports and entertainment marketing company.

It’s critical for the NBA to bring the casual fans into the fold “because eventually they may be the ones footing the bill,” Mr. Koeller said. “You want to make sure that everybody has embraced the product if ultimately there is going to be a cost associated with it.”

The “Roll Call” ad includes footage of fans, players, coaches and cheerleaders, while weaving in scenes from foreign markets such as London, China and Mexico City.

“The idea of this spot is that teams win championships, individuals don’t,” Ms. El said. “We are proposing that the team is a combination of the players and the coaches, but also the staff and employees and the fans and the families—and that all of those folks actually contribute to the NBA experience.” The international flavor is meant to emphasize that the “global NBA community is much broader than just the 30 teams here in the U.S. (and Canada),” she added.

A Spanish-language ad by Bromley is in development.

The campaign comes as the NBA is in the early stages of a creative agency review, as Ad Age recently reported. Ms. El declined to comment on the process other than to say Goodby has “done a tremendous job” with the new campaign.

Media planning and buying for the new campaign was handled by Media Storm, which is part of the Water Cooler Group network that is co-led by former Mindshare exec Antony Young. The NBA, which had previously handled media internally, began working with the network last year during the NBA Finals, according to a spokesman.

11949: Pam El Drafted By NBA.

Advertising Age reported Pam El—formerly of State Farm Insurance—has been named CMO of the NBA. Guess her promotional connections with Chris Paul and LeBron James paid off. No comment or congratulatory voicemail yet from former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

Pam El Named NBA CMO

Former State Farm Marketer Calls New Job a ‘Dream Come True’

By E.J. Schultz

The National Basketball Association has hired former State Farm marketing executive Pam El as its chief marketing officer.

Ms. El will report directly to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and oversee the league’s global marketing operation, “directing brand development, overall marketing and advertising for the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League,” according to a statement from the NBA.

The NBA has not had a CMO since the 1990s, when the position was held by Rick Welts, who is currently the president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors, according to the NBA. Most recently, the league’s top marketing position was filled by Jamie Gallo, whose title was exec VP-marketing. Mr. Gallo, a former ad agency executive, left the NBA in January.

Ms. El left State Farm about a year ago after an 11-year run. Most recently she served as VP-marketing.

Mr. Tatum said in a statement said that he had “personally worked with Pam for many years on the NBA’s partnership with State Farm,” adding that, “she will be a huge addition as we work to build our brand on a global scale.”

Ms El referred to her new role as “a dream come true,” saying in a statement that “I love the competitiveness of the game and admire the league’s world-class teams and passionate global fanbase.”

She will start work on Aug. 18.

11240: State Farm Is There. Pam El Is Not.

From Advertising Age…

Pam El Departs State Farm

Marketing VP Oversaw Big Advertising Changes at Nation’s Largest Auto Insurer

By E.J. Schultz

Pam El has left State Farm after an 11-year run, including most recently serving as marketing VP. She has been replaced by Leif Roll, a 14-year veteran of the company’s marketing department, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Ms. El led the Bloomington, Ill.-based company through a branding makeover as the nation’s largest auto insurer fought off big-spending competitors such as Geico, Progressive and Allstate. She led the marketer’s first logo redesign in 60 years, while overseeing humor-filled ad campaigns in a move to keep the company relevant with younger consumers.

Last year Ad Age named Ms. El as one of the 100 most influential women in advertising, joining a list of other female power players, pioneers and innovators. State Farm ranks as the nation’s 55th-largest advertiser at $775.8 million in U.S. spending, according to the latest ranking from the Ad Age Data Center.

Ms. El joined State Farm in 2002 after stints at Martin Agency, US West and Terabeam.

Mr. Roll joined State Farm in 1999 as assistant VP-marketing and was promoted to VP-marketing in 2004. (Although that title sounds similar to his new position, he was outranked by Ms. El until he succeeded her.) Prior to joining State Farm, Mr. Roll spent 18 years in the banking industry, with stints at Mellon Financial Services, First Union Bank and Key Bank.

As Ms. El did, Mr. Roll will report to Christy Moberly, senior VP for agency and marketing and Rand Harbert, exec VP-chief agency sales and marketing officer.

10718: ANA Multicultural Conference Notes.

The Big Tent published “Key Takeaways From the ANA Multicultural Conference” by Walton-Isaacson Chief Hispanic Marketing Strategist Rochelle Newman-Carrasco. The piece presented a few highlights warranting commentary:

• Florida Marlins Director of Multicultural Marketing Juan Martinez is “one of only a handful of multicultural marketers in baseball.” Newman-Carrasco noted the oddity, as baseball features diverse players appealing to diverse audiences. Major League Baseball does boast the standard Diverse Business Partners program. Ironically, the Cleveland Indians also show public support for diversity, including a video starring Cleveland Indians Owner and Chairman Diversity Oversight Committee Larry Dolan hyping the organization’s commitment. Um, you might want to consider finally dumping your racist mascot, Mr. Dolan.

• President and CEO of Ram Truck Brand and CEO of Chrysler de Mexico Fred Diaz is allegedly a staunch defender of diversity. According to Newman-Carrasco, “Diaz denounced ‘tolerating’ diversity, as opposed to embracing it. He is unequivocally proud of his Latino heritage and his bilingualism, a leadership quality that many Hispanics who have gone before him have had to sublimate as they climbed the corporate ladder.” Okay, but will Diaz take an approach like State Farm VP of Marketing Pam El and continue to conspire with White advertising agencies where exclusivity reigns—or will he demand change from his partners?

• President of Kellogg’s North America Bob Davidson “spoke about going to great lengths to spend time with Latino consumers and retailers and experience first-hand what it is to live in their homes, walk in their shoes, shop in their stores and eat in their kitchens. He has made cultural immersion mandatory for his brand managers as well.” Davidson declared, “If you’re not humble, you can’t learn.” Okay, but will Davidson take an approach like State Farm VP of Marketing Pam El and continue to conspire with White advertising agencies where exclusivity reigns—or will he demand change from his partners, including making cultural immersion mandatory for agencies too?

• Newman-Carrasco remarked, “Asian marketing is still getting short shrift in the multicultural marketing arena and at conferences like these.” Um, multicultural marketing gets the short shrift in the marketing arena. So does “getting short shrift in the multicultural marketing arena” essentially translate to receiving the leftover crumb (singular versus plural form deliberate here)?

• Newman-Carrasco also remarked, “Pepper Miller was a standout on the subject of marketing to black consumers.” No surprise. However, did anyone connected with a Black advertising agency or client have anything interesting to share? Seems like little progress is happening in the area of marketing to Blacks—as well as hiring Blacks.

10584: Pam El Is Irritated—And Irritating.

Business Insider reported State Farm VP of Marketing Pam El gets irritated when her ad agencies show up for meetings with token Black employees. El said, “It’s so irritating when agencies walk in the door and they feel that they have to bring a black person—and we all know that they don’t have any—so they bring in the intern to present to me.” Someone should ask El why she employs advertising agencies that are clearly not diverse. Clients who turn a colorblind eye to blatant exclusivity from their shops are most irritating.

State Farm VP Reveals The INFURIATING Way Ad Agencies Pitch To Her As A Black Woman

By Laura Stampler

Pamela El is a major player in the advertising industry.

After working 25 years on the agency side at The Martin Agency, US WEST, and Terabeam, she is now the vp/marketing at State Farm.

El is also a black woman, which is still a relatively rare sight on Madison Avenue.

As an Advertising Week panel on sexism in the agency world — triggered by veteran ad exec Colleen DeCourcy’s confessional in Digiday — was wrapping up at the NASDAQ building, El stood up to make a confessional of her own: The infuriating way that she is pitched to, now that she’s in charge on the client side.

“It’s so irritating when agencies walk in the door and they feel that they have to bring a black person — and we all know that they don’t have any — so they bring in the intern to present to me,” El said to a crowded room.

“And it’s really hard for them to bring the black female intern,” she continued, laughing, “because they really don’t have any of those!”

Women make up only three percent of creative directors. The percentage shrinks even more for black female creative directors.

10552: Ad Age Recognizes Women In Adland.

Advertising Age spotlighted the 100 Most Influential Women in Advertising. Highlights included Caroline Jones among the Innovators.

Caroline Jones

Founder, Caroline Jones Advertising

As one of the most successful African-American women in advertising, Caroline Jones left an indelible mark on adland. In addition to being the first black woman creative director at J. Walter Thompson—where she worked her way up from secretary and copywriter posts—Ms. Jones held executive positions at BBDO and other general-market agencies. Later she launched and co-founded several well-respected specialty shops, including Caroline Jones Inc., where she was president at the time of her death at age 59 in 2001. Some of her biggest clients included McDonald’s, American Express, Anheuser-Busch and Kentucky Fried Chicken, which took Ms. Jones’ “We Do Chicken Right” campaign and adopted it as its general-market slogan. “Her importance in the industry was not fully understood,” ad exec Ted Pettus old Ad Age near the time of Ms. Jones’ death. “There are all too few role models for African-American men and women in this business, and Caroline was one of them.”

Ad Age recognized three Black women in the Power Players category.

Pam El

VP-Marketing and Advertising, State Farm

Pam El, VP-marketing and advertising for State Farm, has kept the nation’s-largest auto insurer at the forefront of an ultra-competitive category with massive ad spending and contemporary marketing.

“Like a Good Neighbor” is now “Get to a Better State,” while the insurer’s familiar red three-oval logo was revamped to remove “auto, fire, life,” emphasizing aggressive moves into other services such as State Farm Bank. It was the company’s first logo refresh in nearly 60 years.

Ms. El joined State Farm in 2002 after stints at the Martin Agency, US West and Terabeam. Her outside initiatives include serving on the board of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. At State Farm, she encourages teamwork, including among the marketer’s various agencies. “They can’t have my back if they are at each other,” she said at an industry conference a couple years ago.

Ann Fudge

CEO, Y&R

In a lengthy mid-1990s profile about her glass-ceiling-breaking ability, Ann Fudge cited the race riots she lived through following Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination as a transformative experience. “They made me incredibly determined,” she told The New York Times.

“I wanted to do something that black people hadn’t done before.” General Mills and Kraft Foods (she was president of Maxwell House at the latter) she did just that at Y&R, becoming CEO at one of the largest agencies in the business—a rarity for a black female. While she was unable to stem account losses at the agency and retired three years later in 2006, her appointment is seen as a watershed for adland. She also served as a member of President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Renetta McCann

Chief Talent Officer, Leo Burnett

One of the most prominent female and African-American executives in the advertising and marketing industries, Renetta McCann started her career in 1978 at Leo Burnett. She rose steadily through the ranks to become global CEO of Starcom MediaVest, the giant Publicis Groupe-owned media-investment arm, in 2005. Ms. McCann was always a multitasker: She won and led the Sony Consumer Electronics business in 1991 at Starcom while also becoming a mother. She juggled diaper-changing with media plans for 28 separate Sony product lines.

“When you’re in a meeting with Renetta she’s always thinking three meetings ahead,” Dan Albert, then exec VP-chief media strategist for Starcom USA, told Ad Age in a 2001 interview. “You have to be on your guard.”

And now it is potential hires who will need be on their guard: Ms. McCann emerged from a consulting post to rejoin Leo Burnett this month as chief talent officer.