Game Changers Feted by She Runs It

Using the entrepreneurial spirit possessed by all She Runs It members though this year39s Awards which took place over Zoom on November 19 served as a reminder of the resiliency and creativity that women bring to every industry they work inShe Runs It CEO Lynn Branigan handed off MC39ing duties to Jill Kelly CMO of GroupM and Lynn Lewis US CEO of UM There were four categories Brainwave No Apologies Paradigm Shift and Quantum LeapThe Brainwaves honorees were lauded for changing the way a brand or product is marketed the No Apologies honorees for creating whole new business models or marketplaces the Paradigm Shift for changing the way a customer segment or target audience is approached and the Quantum Leapers for changing the way an organization is aligned to proactively meet new challengesThe honorees came from a variety of industriesamp8212fashion beverages mediaamp8212with a variety of different viewpoints A few distinct themes emerged from the honorees39 speeches thoughFlexibilityJennifer Olsen CMO of fashion brand UNTUCKit was faced with a complete overturning of her business model Her business was focused on the trend toward business casual in workplaces and all of a sudden there were no workplaces quotBusiness casualquot has transitioned to pure casual and that mindset is here to stay quotPeople going back to work are not going to be dressing in a formal wayquot So the company took its personable knowledgeable staff and put them to use as online concierges They took the concept of the quotZoom shirtquot and ran with it quotWe39re doing things that will serve us well even postpandemicquot Olsen saidMolsonCoors CMO Michelle St Jacques faced a similar issue with the shutdown of restaurants and bars putting to use her quotfast messy and awesomequot mindset and 5point indepth survival guide to chaos quot The biggest challenge in this moment is to make sure you don39t stand stillquot she said While the creative from other companies felt rather Doomsdayish St Jacques decided on a different approach quotAmerica could use a beerquot Combined with a virtual tip jar for service workers affected by shutdowns MolsonCoors was able to be a bit of a light amidst the gloomMedia has also seen a fundamental and perhaps permanent shift though perhaps because of the nearconstant seismic changes in this particular industry women in media were fairly prepared for the effects of the pandemic on their business quotMy career has been grounded in change and bringing order to chaosquot said Senior Vice President ampamp Chief Revenue Officer CNN Digital WarnerMedia Ad Sales Christine Cook Aside from a quotsick love for chaosquot she sees three principles as the core of her team39s success through the pandemic service patience and creativityquotWe saw our clients39 strategies changing on a dimequot Cook said It was crucial to allow those strategies to change and to remain flexible when it came to creative time and budgetsamp8212to serve the clients39 needs with patience and creativityIt wasn39t just clients whose needs were changing quotGeneration Stream demands more choice and controlquot Hulu ad sales Vice President Lauren Benedict said Hulu and other streamers have seen massive audience increases during the pandemic and Benedict and her team have been working day and night to connect these viewers with ads that are actually relevant and enhance the viewing experience Custom binge ads pause experiences and integrations are the order of the dayPublicis Media Chief Digital Officer Helen Lin dropped perhaps the pithiest aphorism though quotAgencies in motion stay in motion Agencies at rest rest in peacequotCreating Space for EveryoneMichelle Cordeiro Grant founder and CEO of LIVELY had to scuttle plans for store openings when the pandemic hit But because the company which prides itself on creating undergarments that fit everyone already has such a strong community it was able to shift its marketing strategy relatively quicklyThat meant creating content around staying home taking care of your skin and perhaps more importantly taking care of one another in a digital world The company connected with and lifted up its community quotWe honored our biggest asset and that was our peoplequot Grant saidMordecai Principal of Mordecai Inc makes a point of quotoffering consumers a space to be who they arequot quotFor me one of the important things is to first look at the now and when I approach the now I ask 39What if39quot That leads to a mindset of inclusion of intersectionality that creates space for innovative ideasamp8212and per Mordecai becomes an integral part to the growth of the businessquotCompanies must be change agentsquot said Lucinda Martinez executive vice president HBOHBO Max Multicultural and International Marketing And while for women of color that may mean having to deal with the discomfort of being the only woman or person of color in the room it39s all the more important for them to use their voicesCOVID19 has presented an opportunity for companies to be real change agents said Louisa Wong Wavemaker39s CEO of the Americas Remote work means companies can recruit from populations that were previously locked out of certain industries or positionsamp8212women single mothers carers who don39t have flex time people who don39t live in New York quotWe can build connectivity it39s about empowering our peoplequot she said quotI39m so excited about the talent poolquotHeartcentered LeadershipNearly every one of the 18 honorees talked about putting their people first to do that they agreed you need to lead with empathyamp8212with heart This principle extends not just through the teams being led but to clients and customers as wellVaynerMedia Chief Heart Officer Claude Silver has made this principle the core of her professional and personal existence quotWe39re connecting heart to hustlequot she said quotI think we39re all Chief Heart OfficersquotLeading with the heart means taking into account the affects of the pandemic on mental health said Wavemaker39s WongThe physical effects are topofmind as well Rachel Tipograph the founder and CEO of eCommerce platform MikMak has spent the last six years building her company through the right people She39s committed to providing completely freeamp8212paid for by the companyamp8212health care to every single MikMak employee quot I truly believe if you can create an environment that meets everyone39s basic needs they will show up and be the best versions of themselvesquot she saidSarah Kramer chief client and operating officer of Spark Foundry agreed quotPeople will always be at the heart of my strategy for how we win and evolve and move at the pace our clients expect and needquotYou can check out the full list of honorees at hereClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Game Changers Feted by She Runs It

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Oriana Schwindt

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