The AAF (American Advertising Federation) named Renetta McCann, chief talent officer of Leo Burnett US, as the 2014 Industry Influential for her tireless effort in championing multiculturalism in the advertising world, and promoting opportunities in the industry for a diverse range of candidates. McCann received the prestigious honour at the 2014 Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards (DAMA) Dinner & Forum over the weekend in Boca Raton, Florida during the AAF's national conference know as ADMERICA!
McCann received the prestigious honour at the 2014 Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards (DAMA) Dinner & Forum
McCann rejoined Leo Burnett from in 2012 and since then, she has been dedicated to implementing diversity initiates within the agency. McCann has been a part of the industry since starting at Leo Burnett in 1978, and is one of the top-ranking African-American women in media and marketing. Former roles include CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group and chief talent officer at Vivaki, which (like Leo Burnett) is a Publicis Groupe agency. She has not only helped to completely change the way in which the agency's employees discuss diversity in the workplace, but has broadened the conversation even further, to involve inclusion and identity with the bespoke Leo LENS platform. This has resulted in a work environment, which celebrates the employees differences, differences that make Leo Burnett, and Leo Burnett's workers so unique.
Renetta McCann
Rich Stoddart; CEO of Leo Burnett North America and 2013 Industry Career Achiever award winner, believes that “Diversity is fundamental” to an agency's product, and says than McCann has been “Instrumental” in creating and nurturing such an environment. He underlines her passion to “Help others lead, change, grow and embrace diversity,” which he feels has benefitted both Leo Burnett, and the advertising business in general. As well as McCann's incredible achievement Leo Burnett also took home the Mosaic Diversity award in the Multicultural Traditional Media Usage category at the AAF's for Allstate's “Out Holding Hands” campaign.
The AAF is the nation's oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association which represents all facets of the advertising industry
The AAF is the nation's oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association which represents all facets of the advertising industry. Headquartered in Washington, DC, it acts as the "Unifying Voice for Advertising," with a membership of nearly 100 blue chip corporate members comprising the nation's leading advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies; a national network of nearly 200 local clubs representing 40,000 advertising professionals; and more than 200 AAF college chapters with over 6,000 student members. The AAF operates a host of programs and initiatives, including the Advertising Hall of Fame, the American Advertising Awards, the National Student Advertising Competition, the Mosaic Centre on Multiculturalism, and summer Ad Camps for high school students.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who (until this morning) assumed the AAF was an off-shoot of the WWE.
