Renetta McCann, Chief Inclusion Experience Officer, Publicis Groupe, was today named the recipient of the Chicago Advertising Federation’s 2019 Silver Medal Award. The CAF Silver Medal Award recognizes a distinguished member of the Chicago advertising community for outstanding career accomplishments in the areas of: creative ability, contributions to the general advancement of advertising, contributions to a specific area of advertising, and contributions to the community.
McCann is the 25th professional and fifth woman to earn this illustrious honor. She has been recognized as one of the leading innovators and most influential executives in the advertising, marketing and media industries, with a global reputation for not only building brands, but also the organizations and leadership to sustain them.
“It’s impossible to quantify Renetta McCann’s influence on our industry and the people within it, but immense, game-changing, enduring and human would be a good way to start describing it,” said Richard Roche, Executive Vice President, Edelman and President, Chicago Advertising Federation. “Renetta is that extremely rare executive who is both innovative and operational, both analytical and empathetic. Everything Renetta does, from leading global businesses to mentoring individuals, she does with passion and leads by example. Her achievements, particularly what she has done in and for the city of Chicago, are what made her stand out for the Board of Directors of the Chicago Ad Federation. A generation of industry leaders thanks Renetta; awarding her the CAF Silver Medal is a chance for the Chicago ad community to honor her immense contributions, in the company of some of the countless people she’s impacted.”
“The Silver Medal Award truly acknowledges what I’ve centered my career around: helping others and contributing to the greater good of our industry and our community,” said McCann. “I am humbled to join the prestigious group of professionals who’ve also earned this honor.”
As Chief Inclusion Experience Officer for Publicis Groupe, McCann works to drive inclusion at all levels of the organization, with an emphasis on ensuring that the company’s clients are benefiting from the many strategic advantages that diverse teams deliver.
McCann is no stranger to the Publicis family. She began her career at Leo Burnett, and, after a long tenure, became the CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group Worldwide. Under her leadership, client billings exceeded $26 billion and the global workforce rose to over 6,000 people. Most recently, she served as the Chief Talent Officer for Leo Burnett USA and Publicis Communications North America.
Throughout her career, McCann has been an active volunteer and contributor to various industry and civic organizations. Currently she serves on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust, the Marketing Committee of the Robert and Ann Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Legacy Giving Committee of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
She is a frequent name in the press. In 2002, McCann was named “Corporate Executive of the Year” by Black Enterprise magazine and was selected Ad Woman of the Year by the Chicago Advertising Federation. Essence named her one of “50 Women Who are Changing the World” and she received a Matrix Award in 2006 from New York Women in Communications. She has appeared on the pages of Advertising Age, Business Week and Chicago magazine. In 2014, the American Advertising Federation honored her with a Diversity Achievement Award for her contributions as an Industry Influential and she received The Pantheon Award from the 4A’s MAIP program. Recently, she was featured on Adweek’s list of “11 Inspiring Women Who Have Broken Down Advertising’s Most Persistent Barriers.”
After nearly 30 years of communications management and leadership, McCann went back to the books, earning an M.S. in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University.
She worked as an executive coach and organizational change consultant before rejoining Burnett in fall 2012. Currently, she is an adjunct lecturer in the MSLOC program, teaching a course on organizational design. McCann has also served as a Corporate Director of Tribune Publishing.
She lives in Chicago with her husband, Kevin, and children, Ella and Alexander.
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