The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), a membership-based U.S. trade association for the advertising and marketing communications industry, announced today the appointments of Vita M. Harris, Chief Strategy Officer, FCB Global; Kate MacNevin, Global Chairwoman & CEO, MRM; and Megan Pagliuca, Chief Activation Officer, Omnicom Media Group; to its Board of Directors as Directors at Large.
The new board members will help empower the organization's 600+ member agency base to drive commerce, spark connections and shape culture through infinite creativity.
On the appointments, Marla Kaplowitz, President & CEO of the 4A's, said, "The challenges of the last year have reaffirmed the pivotal role the 4A's plays in guiding our member agencies and helping them thrive during these uncertain times. As we continue to support the needs and ambitions of our members in 2021, I am thrilled to welcome such a wonderful group of leaders to our Board of Directors who will partner alongside our leadership team to further identify opportunities to support members and advance the industry."
Said Barry Wacksman, Board Chair of the 4A's, "I am honored to know all three of these insanely talented agency leaders and I could not be more thrilled to be partnering with them as the 4A's continues to catapult into the future and uncover new ways to serve our members and the industry at large. With these appointments, we continue the march to diversify the skills, background and expertise of our board members."
Vita M. Harris, Chief Strategy Officer, FCB Global
As the Chief Strategy Officer, FCB Global, Vita M. Harris is dedicated to helping drive agency and client success, as well as cultivating new business opportunities. As one of only a handful of Black women rising to the ranks of the C-suite in general market advertising, Vita brings with her not only the necessary depth and breadth of advertising experience, but also a rare and critically needed perspective on culture, diversity and inclusion. With over 30+ years in the business, her innovative frameworks, techniques and tools have resulted in transformative strategies and award-winning work for clients that have led to industry-wide recognition, including 4A's "100 People Who Make Advertising Great," Black Enterprise's 2011 Power Issue as one of its "Top Executives in Marketing and Advertising" and was recognized as an ADCOLOR Award Legend in 2010. She is also a member of the Ad Council's Campaign Review Committee, which appraises the strategic and creative direction of campaigns designed to promote social change.
Kate MacNevin, Global Chairwoman & CEO, MRM
Leveraging the learnings accrued from a 30-year international marketing career, Kate MacNevin leads MRM, a global marketing agency part of the McCann Worldgroup network. Under her leadership, MRM achieved double-digit growth in both client business and industry accolades, while navigating unprecedented challenges and expanding equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. Kate's relentless drive to reinvent how agencies serve their clients, employees and communities has helped aid MRM's worldwide acclaim, including being named a "Best Workplaces for Innovators" by Fast Company, Ad Age's 2018 B-to-B Agency of the Year, and for the first time, WARC's global Effective 100 ranking in its top 40 effective digital agencies listing for 2020. Most recently, Kate was named to Campaign US's 2020 list of "40 Over 40," celebrating the most innovative and influential talents over 40 across advertising, marketing, media, technology and communications. Kate's career began in her native Canada with the Procter & Gamble account at Grey Canada before joining the McCann network in Toronto in 2006.
Megan Pagliuca, Chief Activation Officer, Omnicom Media Group
As Chief Activation Officer for Omnicom Media Group in North America, Megan Pagliuca leverages the Omnicom network's vast data resources to advance more customer-centric and data-driven investment strategies. An ad-tech veteran who was part of the Right Media team that launched the first real-time bidding platform in 2007, Megan went on to build Merkle's digital media practice in the early 2010s before joining Omnicom Media Group in 2015 as the CEO of Accuen, OMG's programmatic division. As the Chief Media & Data Officer at Hearts & Science, she transformed the agency's digital go-to-market strategy, and led its evolution from traditional ad inventory to a "programmatic first" approach that reduces waste while also delivering more relevant consumer experiences.
To learn more about the 4A's please visit: https://www.aaaa.org/.
About the 4A's: The 4A's was established in 1917 to promote, advance, and defend the interests of our member agencies, employees and the advertising and marketing industries overall. We empower our members to drive commerce, spark connections, and shape culture through infinite creativity. With a focus on advocacy, talent and the value of creativity and technology to drive business growth and cultural change, the organization serves 600+ member agencies across 1,200 offices, which help direct more than 85% of total U.S. advertising spend. The 4A's includes the 4A's Benefits division, which insures more than 160,000 employees; the government relations team, who advocate for policies to support the industry; and the 4A's Foundation, which advocates for and connects multicultural talent to the marketing industry by fostering a culture of curiosity, creativity and craft to fuel a more equitable future for the industry.
