4A’s CEO Marla Kaplowitz set to depart

4A’s CEO Marla Kaplowitz announced she will be stepping down from the organization on May 30, 2025, to pursue advisory work and more corporate board seats. The 4A’s board of directors is forming a committee to search for her successor. Kaplowitz has been at the helm since 2017, when she replaced Nancy Hill, who went on to found consultancy Media Sherpas and later became CEO of independent agency Marcus Thomas. Hill announced her retirement earlier this year. Kaplowitz exited her former role as president in May, when Mollie Rosen was promoted to the new role of president, member experience. Ad Age Leading Women Luncheon Join us Aug. 7 in New York as we recognize this year’s honorees Buy your ticket today Kaplowitz’s tenure “I am moving onto the next phase of my professional journey,” Kaplowitz told Ad Age, emphasizing that she is “not retiring ... I remember when I joined, I told the search committee this is my next job, not the last job.” Kaplowitz said a lot of people assume when an executive is joining a trade association that they are gearing up for retirement and that is not her plan, although she will be celebrating several personal milestones next year including her 60th birthday, 25th wedding anniversary and her youngest son graduating college. As for what type of corporate board seats she might be interested in pursuing, Kaplowitz said she’s “open to just about anything. I’d like to leverage my advertising and marketing experience and do something still related to this industry.” She currently has a board seat at Penn Entertainment, where she chairs the nominating and governance committee, and serves on several ad industry boards including BBB National Programs, VoxComm and Ad Council. Before the 4A’s, Kaplowitz was North American CEO of GroupM-owned media agency MEC, which has since been folded into Wavemaker. She was previously executive VP and managing director at Publicis Groupe’s MediaVest, now just Publicis Media, where she worked closely with Procter & Gamble. Her media background was critical at the time. When Kaplowitz joined the 4A’s—the American trade association serving the interests of advertising agencies—the industry was wrestling with the media transparency controversy surrounding findings from the Association of National Advertisers that media agencies accepted undisclosed incentives from third parties to influence clients’ budgets. Kaplowitz said she always envisioned staying with the 4A’s for three to five years, but then the industry continued to undergo upheaval and she ended up staying what will be eight years when she leaves in May. During her leadership, the industry navigated a host of world events and issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, a social justice movement that shed renewed light on a widespread diversity problem, the Ukraine war, brand safety issues, data privacy and now the rise in AI that has caused controversies surrounding its potential threat to industry jobs. Through the disruption, Kaplowitz implemented many 4A’s initiatives including adding an annual, member-exclusive “value” report; forging partnerships with other industry organizations including the ANA; moving its Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) and high school programs into the 4A’s Foundation, to better advocate for diverse talent in the industry; and creating the Advertiser Protection Bureau to bring media agencies together to focus on issues such as brand safety. According to the 4A’s, Kaplowitz improved member net promoter scores during her tenure from 21 to 42, and member satisfaction soared by almost 700%. Kaplowitz said she learned quickly in the role that the 4A’s was “far more complex” than she originally thought, and had to pick up skills in areas such as government relations, lobbying and insurance. “Be open to possibilities,” Kaplowitz advised the next 4A’s leader. “You need to be curious; there is so much to learn. This is not a role I initially thought I would be interested in, but it has been the privilege of my career.” What the 4A’s needs in its next CEO Cross-industry partnerships such as the ones with organizations including the ANA that Kaplowitz formed in her time at the 4A’s will continue to be critical for whoever takes the CEO-president position, especially as the lines increasingly blur between advertising, marketing and tech, Kaplowitz said. “Organizations move faster through partnerships,” she said. “It’s why agencies exist, to help companies grow and thrive and move faster, especially through complex times.” The 4A’s is hoping to make a hire in the coming months so there is a seamless transition before Kaplowitz leaves in May, said Abbey Klaassen, chair of the 4A’s board and CEO, Denstu Creative U.S. “We’ll kick off the search in the fall.” The search committee will be looking for someone with “a really diverse mix of experiences,” Klaassen said. “When you think about digital, media, creative, PR; we need somebody who really understands that breadth of the industry. We are looking for some softer skills too: A leader who is super collaborative. We believe collaboration is going to be how this industry is going to continue to succeed.” She added that, ultimately, the job of this person will be to “advocate for agencies and help them in the industry.” Helping them navigate AI will be one initial top priority, according to Klaassen. “The right leader is going to have to come in and really deeply understand our member constituents and what matters to them,” Klaassen said. “Marla has done a great job of that and the new leader will have to embed themselves in that.” ~ ~ ~CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Kaplowitz’s title. She is only the CEO of the 4A’s after exiting the presidential role in May. Ad Age Agency Report 2024 Revenue and analysis for agency companies Click here

4A’s CEO Marla Kaplowitz set to depart

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