At Campaign's inaugural U.S. Agency of the Year awards last night, Weber Shandwick president and CEO Gail Heimann was named Head of Agency - PR. The win was a unanimous decision, with Campaign recognizing Heimann for her role in driving the firm's growth, fostering innovation, and leveraging data to produce better insights with bigger impact.
"Gail has a fierce commitment to evolving Weber Shandwick and the industry at large to better deliver for clients and our people," said Andy Polansky, chairman and CEO, Constituency Management Group (CMG), and executive chairman, Weber Shandwick. "Her unique vision and contagious penchant for innovation are evident in the work, in Weber Shandwick's solutions-oriented culture and in the impact the firm makes for brands, organizations and important issues around the world. She is an absolute force."
One Campaign judge noted, "An exceptional entry and impressive accomplishments. Growth, but also innovation and creativity at a large global agency are especially rare these days."
A long-time leader within Weber Shandwick, Heimann has been a driving force in the agency's evolution and continued growth. She has spearheaded countless new offerings and initiatives that create better solutions for clients and Weber Shandwick's teams. She assumed the role of CEO in July 2019 in addition to her role as president, which she took on in 2013. Outside of the agency, Heimann is also deeply committed to advancing the PR industry as a whole. She sits on the board of The LAGRANT Foundation and recently served as chair of the PR Council. Heimann is also widely recognized as a creative leader in the industry. She is the incoming jury president for the 2020 PR Cannes Lions and was first-ever PR Jury Chair at the 2019 Clio Awards. In 2019, she was honored twice by PRWeek, as U.S. Agency Professional of the Year and Global Agency Professional of the Year.
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators, we have won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was named to Ad Age's Best Places to Work in 2019 and was the only PR firm designated an Ad Age A-List Agency Standout in 2017 and 2018. Weber Shandwick was also honored as PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and The Holmes Report's Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The firm earned 25 Lions at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-led, with earned ideas at the core, the agency deploys leading and emerging technologies to inform strategy, develop critical insights and heighten impact across sectors and specialty areas, including brand and B2B marketing, healthcare marketing, change management, employee engagement, corporate reputation, crisis management, data and analytics, technology, public affairs, social impact and financial communications. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com
