This year's class of achievers have many varied accomplishments, but they all share one trait: They are smart forward-thinkers who will be driving the business for years to come.

Jonny Bauer
Global Chief Strategy Officer, Droga5
Droga5 is synonymous with creativity grounded in solid strategy. And that's the purview Jonny Bauer and his team, which, among other things, came up with the wholesomeness insight that drove the memorable Honey Maid campaign. Mr. Bauer puts the focus on helping brands be more influential by creating cultural references "through focused, rigorous and thoughtful strategy that's deployed out into the world in a way that people are open and receptive and want to engage with."
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.The flashlight. Use it 10 times a day.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Not cutting bad ties earlier.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.My mother used to tell me that everyone is dispensable, words I remember for sure.
Q.If I had it to do all over again…
A.I'd be happy to.
By Malika Toure
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Chris Beresford-Hill
Exec VP-exec creative director,
BBDO, New York
BBDO, New York
Chris Beresford-Hill leads creative efforts on Foot Locker, Red Stripe and Guinness with partner Dan Lucey. But in his own words he "barely graduated from Boston College with a degree in English." No one would know after seeing the buzzworthy work the duo has created, including 2013's "Wheelchair Basketball" for Guinness—highly emotional storytelling featuring people not often seen in beer ads.
Q.What websites do you check every day?
A.Every morning I check The Economist, The Atlantic, and… oh God, I can't keep up with this lie: I go to Facebook and Bleacher Report.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.I use the podcast app every day.
Q.What possession means the most to you and why?
A.It's probably the giant painting of Snoopy in my living room. It was an impulse buy, but I look at it every day and it makes me happy.
By Malika Toure
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Catherine Borda
Director of youth marketing,
AT&T Mobility
AT&T Mobility
Each blue globe on Tumblr or Snapchat can probably be traced back to Catherine Borda. Ms. Borda never worked in millennial marketing before joining the carrier two years ago but she jumped right in, managing its "Mobile Movement" platform by using lessons from her time in the consumer packaged-goods world and even her undergraduate training in neuroscience. "In science you're solving very complex problems, but you're really focused in one particular area—a very small, sometimes very specific part of the brain," she said. She's putting that experience to work by making sure the telecom giant is up to speed on young consumers ever-changing media habits.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I would be running my own business. For now, I love what I do and I genuinely love working at AT&T. If that love ever quells, I'll go launch my own business.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.If I really boil it down to the bare essentials… it has to be Google Maps. Otherwise, I'd be lost and really late.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Coco Chanel, a businesswoman ahead of her time.
By Mark Bergen
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Adam Butler
Director of Marketing, McCafe Beverages Division at Kraft Foods Group
Kraft and McDonald's have joined forces to sell McCafe-branded coffee in stores. Adam Butler is responsible for overseeing the brand, which Kraft Foods Group describes as the biggest product launch in its history. The high-stakes effort comes as Kraft seeks broader penetration in the cut-throat bagged-coffee market, where Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts also compete. Previously, Mr. Butler worked on iconic brands at Kraft such as Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Crystal Light.
Q.Do you speak another language?
A.Not very well, but my three-year-old son Mason is fluent in Spanish and corrects me all the time.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.I'd say my road bike. It completely changed how I exercise and got me into doing triathlons (for a while anyway). It also helped me explore and appreciate the city of Chicago in a completely new way.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.Three things: Make no small plans. Believe that you can impact every situation. Never take yourself too seriously.
By E.J. Schultz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Chris Carlson
Senior VP, Viacom Velocity
Raised on a family farm in rural North Dakota, Chris Carlson went from Capitol Hill, where he worked as a speechwriter focused on agricultural policy, to writing and producing TV shows. Now, as senior VP at Viacom Velocity, the company's dedicated branded-content arm, Mr. Carlson is charged with creating content that's both appealing to Viacom's audiences and delivers marketers' messages. Just over a year old, Velocity played a role in 90% of Viacom's 2014 upfront deals.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.If I wasn't accepted into Columbia I'd probably still be in Washington, D.C., where I worked as a speechwriter focusing on agricultural policy.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Songza, which curates music based on mood, time of day, setting and environment.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I obsessively studied his administration and family in college and have a lot of questions about how he kept his good sense of humor.
By Jeanine Poggi
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Lavall Chichester
Director-search and content marketing, Lowe Profero
Lavall Chichester is charged with redefining search as one of the most vital elements of content marketing. Last year, he grew Profero's small search group into a million-dollar business and he has spent the past eight years developing search strategies for brands like Apple, Western Union and Smirnoff. That's on top of a background that includes running a video-production studio, earning a Second Degree Black Belt in Hapkido, break dancing and building a personal passion project called Spreadlove.org.
Q.If I had to do it all over again, I'd…
A.Even though I love advertising, if I had to do it all again I'd probably try to make a living as a B-Boy (break-dancer). I love to dance and was pretty good at one point. It's the closest thing to flying I've ever done. Here is a clip I put together to win entry for Red Bull Beat Riders. I was a graduate from their first dance academy.
Q.Do you have an advanced degree?
A.Yeah, I have a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Hapkido and a Brown Belt in Kyokushin Karate. I am a bare-knuckle karate champion. Here is one of my fights.
I do full-contact search and content marketing at Lowe Profero. There is no second place on Google or a bare-knuckle fight. Karate has taught me to persevere and push forward no matter how difficult things get. That is the only way I was able to survive the difficulty of almost tripling the search group and business at Lowe Profero.
I do full-contact search and content marketing at Lowe Profero. There is no second place on Google or a bare-knuckle fight. Karate has taught me to persevere and push forward no matter how difficult things get. That is the only way I was able to survive the difficulty of almost tripling the search group and business at Lowe Profero.
By Alexandra Bruell
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Tricia Clarke-Stone
Co-founder, CEO, Narrative
Tricia Clarke-Stone is not one to make a capricious career move. When Russell Simmons asked her to run a digital agency blending tech and culture, she did her due diligence. "I didn't want to work on something that was more of a hobby for him," said Ms. Clarke-Stone, who wasn't convinced until Mr. Simmons backed Narrative with his own cash.
It's no surprise the hip-hop mogul wanted her on board. She'd already turned his pop-culture site Global Grind profitable in two years after her promotion from marketing exec to president.
It's no surprise the hip-hop mogul wanted her on board. She'd already turned his pop-culture site Global Grind profitable in two years after her promotion from marketing exec to president.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.It's a tie between Evernote, iTunes and Instagram
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.When I was growing up in Brooklyn with my twin sister and mom, Rolex watches symbolized success, great taste, luxury and a result of hard work paying off. So, when I was able to buy my first one a couple of years after graduating from college, it provided a sense of accomplishment. And from that point on, I vowed to always be in a position to make my dreams and desires a reality. Wearing it is a constant reminder.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.One piece of advice that stands out is from Russell Simmons. He told me to always try to identify the white space and figure out how you can own it. He's built his career doing this and I have found that taking this approach has served me well. In fact, Narrative was born out of applying his advice and putting it into action.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Take it all in … be more connected to the journey. I'm so focused on the results and what's next, I haven't always taken the time to enjoy the moment at hand.
By Kate Kaye
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Audrey Cooper
Editor-in-chief, San Francisco Chronicle
Audrey Cooper became the San Francisco Chronicle's first-ever female editor-in-chief this year. At 37, she's also the youngest woman to hold the job at any large U.S. newspaper. "I find it really funny that people think I'm so young," she said. "In San Francisco, 37 is positively ancient." But her (relative) youth also means she likes screens more than paper. "I prefer to read journalism on my phone and on the computer," she said. What does that mean for a company whose very soul is paper? "To be able to continue for another 150 years, we'll have to get new digital products that reach new audiences that can support the newsroom," she said, before throwing a jab at the digital competition. "I'd rather be at a profitable company trying to negotiate change than at an unprofitable company with no journalistic tradition."
Q.Do you speak another language?
A.Kansan, which is a subtle variation of English.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Google maps. I'm the worst at directions. I lived less than a mile from our newsroom for several years and still couldn't tell you the order of the streets with confidence.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My late grandmother's recipe box. The recipes themselves aren't especially good (lots of "salads" made with gelatin), but they're all in her handwriting.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.When I first became an editor at 25, I got access to personnel files, so I immediately pulled out mine. There was a note that said I had a tendency to ignore people who disagreed with me, and that this was a sign of immaturity. It was.
By Michael Sebastian
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Jason Damata
Founder-CEO, Fabric Media
Jason Damata has earned a reputation for being a biz-dev savant since founding Santa Monica, Calif.-based Fabric as a media-strategy shop in 2007. An early deal with social-analytics firm Trendrr (which Twitter acquired in 2013) paved the way for a string of strategic relationships with high-profile social-meets-data startups, including iSpot.tv. And his agency brokered the funding for "The Internet's Own Boy," the Oscar-shortlisted Aaron Swartz documentary.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I would like to think something adventurous and exotic like owning a travel-healing company that imports goods for the benefit of poor villagers in between meditations—but could also be pouring beers for townies while taking bets on the game.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.I make a point not to be owned like that, but I remind myself email works for me, not the other way around.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Moses or Tesla or Lincoln or Mary would be super cool, but truth is, I would love to cook a huge dinner for all my ancestors back through the cave dwellers (am I cheating there?).
By Simon Dumenco
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Rana el Kaliouby
Chief Science Officer, Affectiva
Rana el Kaliouby is revolutionizing marketing. Her facial-recognition technology helps computers analyze how people feel about ads and political speeches. The former MIT researcher, who originally developed the concept to help autistic children better communicate, has collected more than 7 billion emotional reactions from more than 2.5 million faces in 75 countries. "Emotionally engaged customers are good for business: Emotions are memory markers, and it is these emotions that influence consumer behavior such as sharing behavior, brand loyalty and purchase decisions," said the Cairo native.
Q.Do you speak another language?
A.Arabic
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Evernote! I am an obsessive-compulsive note taker.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Malcolm Gladwell. I am a huge fan of all his books. "Blink" has inspired many ideas in my research around mind-reading and how we infer emotions and mental states from nonverbal cues—in a blink! Outlier is another favorite of mine as I am a big believer of the 10,000 hours of practice rule (and use that with my two kids ALL THE TIME!). Would be fun to meet him in person.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A."People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." This is a Chinese proverb that I came across a while ago and it really resonated with me. Entrepreneurs often run into a lot of naysayers—"oh that won't work", "you'll never get funding", "oh someone's already done this!"—and it's key not to be deterred.
By Ayako Mie
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Chris Esposito
Chief Financial Officer,
Grey North America
Grey North America
Not so long ago—2007 to be exact—Chris Esposito was in public accounting at Ernst & Young, working with Publicis and Omnicom clients he really liked. Now chief financial officer at WPP's Grey North America, he's at an agency that posted a healthy 8% revenue growth in 2014, following a stellar 2013 that yielded big account wins like Gillette. His involvement in contract negotiations and advice on smart investments are no small part of why the creative shop has come into 2015 looking strong.
Q.What apps can't you live without?
A.Amazon, HSBC, Netflix, One Note.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.Our backyard. It's quiet and peaceful and a place I can go to relax.
Q."If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…"
A.Blake Lively.
By Malika Toure
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Perry Fair
President-chief creative officer,
J. Walter Thompson Atlanta
J. Walter Thompson Atlanta
Though based at J. Walter Thompson Atlanta, Perry Fair also oversees all accounts and operations for the network's Dallas and Houston offices. Since he took that role in 2012, the agency has brought in clients like Pennzoil, Quaker State, Shell Rotella, Build-A-Bear Workshop and, most recently, successfully retained the Marine Corps account. Creatively, he and his team last year executed one of the most talked about activations at SXSW: a life-size Mario Kart experience for Pennzoil.
Q.Do you speak another language?
A.No, but that doesn't stop me from trying to speak Mandarin.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I would be a tailor. I've always wanted to learn how to create a great bespoke suit.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Ozwald Boateng. He's the youngest and first black tailor and designer to be on Savile Row. He would have to sit across from Ai Weiwei and the guy who invented the wheel.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.My fiancé Joy and I went to Costa Rica for vacation. We didn't speak Spanish and the roads didn't have names. We drove up the wrong mountain. In the middle of the night. In the jungle. And we came home with a painting we made together that makes me smile every time I see it and laugh every time I have to explain it.
By Maureen Morrison
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Adrian Franks
Design director and creative strategist, IBM Interactive Experience
Adrian Franks is design director and creative strategist at IBM Interactive Experience, a division of the tech giant that helps clients create interactive experiences using data and IBM products. Since being hired last year, one of his projects was working with a global bank to help it "redefine what it means to be a bank in the digital era," said Mr. Franks, who comes from the agency world.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.My dad who passed away when I was 16. I'd love to have dinner with him, to have him see me now as a 38-year-old man living out a career that he always knew I'd have. Heroes are sometimes the people standing right in front of you.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.The artist easel and apron in my studio. My mom gave these to me 20 years ago and they are pretty precious to me and what I do personally.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I've learned from not being vocal enough. It's very important for designers to speak up and be vocal in a business setting.
Q.What was the best advice you ever received?
A.The best advice I've ever received was that being African-American, I would have to work twice as hard to achieve success in the design industry. Because of this, I've made sure to always work twice as hard as anybody in my career.
By Kate Maddox
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

David Hayes
Head of creative strategy, Tumblr
David Hayes influenced what brands can do on Tumblr before he joined the Yahoo-owned social network. While VP-marketing for Lionsgate, he created a Tumblr blog for "The Hunger Games" that Yahoo execs have since used as a paragon of what's possible using Tumblr's creative canvas. "I spent all day in Tumblr looking for inspiration on how to design banner campaigns, never knowing the irony that I would go over to Tumblr," said the USC film major and MBA grad. Now he's helping other brands get their creative juices flowing through Tumblr's Creatrs Network.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My Daruma, a Japanese talisman. You color one eye black and set a goal; you color the other eye black once you've achieved it.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Perfect isn't just the enemy of done—it can kill it entirely too. As a creative working at a tech company, I'm constantly battling between the beauty of perfection and the logic of iterative improvement.
Q.What was the best advice you ever received?
A."Be helpful."
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Not. Once is enough—the next time around, I'd try the other path. I like variety. :)
By Tim Peterson
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Eric Hirschhorn
Chief marketing officer,
Burger King North America
Burger King North America
Eric Hirschhorn's path to Burger King's North American CMO post isn't typical. Mr. Hirschhorn has a law degree and started his career at a big Washington, D.C., law firm focused on technology and mergers and acquisitions. He later went to Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital in New York, where as general counsel he was part of the team that brought in the Burger King acquisition. He later wound up at the chain, working in VP roles in consumer insights and global innovation. His favorite effort as CMO so far has been the reintroduction of Chicken Fries, a wildly popular item brought back to market in August.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Athletic director at major collegiate powerhouse. As a college swimmer, I saw firsthand the very raw love of the game of student athletes. And now as a marketer, I love building teams of talented leaders and am captured by the complexities of marketing big brands, negotiating apparel deals and finding the right TV partners.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.FaceTime. Moving from New York to Miami with 3G was bittersweet—as we left a very solid network of family and friends—but remaining virtually connected has allowed for a pretty seamless transition. I can also be 3,000 miles away updating our West Coast franchisee association and still read my son a book before bed … technology is amazing. I'd never short Apple.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Do I have to pick just one? Speaking too quickly, protesting too loudly. It's not the first mistake that matters; it's avoiding making that same mistake twice. I think J.K. Rowling called it the "fringe benefits of failure": Mistakes are inevitable, never failing means never trying, but figuring out the go-forward lesson has become an incredible asset.
By Maureen Morrison
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Shafqat Islam
CEO, NewsCred
Shafqat Islam forgot his age during a telephone conversation. "I'll be 33 in two weeks," he said. Then, after a long pause, "Actually, I'm going to be 34." He's just too busy to stop and count. Fueled by a $25 million investment last year, NewsCred, the company he co-founded that helps brands with content marketing, more than doubled its staff to 230 people in the last year. They've now spilled onto a second floor of NewsCred's New York headquarters. Clients include Pepsi, Diageo, SAP, Bank of America and GE. "It's been fast and furious," he said.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.DJ, it's what I did in college to pay my way through.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I can't even count all the mistakes we made when starting NewsCred. The hundreds of mistakes made me more resilient and allowed us to eventually learn and succeed.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.If you're not being told no enough, you are not pushing yourself hard enough.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Start a business earlier in life. But other than that, not change a thing.
By Michael Sebastian
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Dmitry "Dima" Ivanov
Chief marketing officer, Bacardi, president, Bacardi Global Brands
Dmitry Ivanov took the marketing reins of the world's largest privately held spirits company in January. He was promoted after serving as VP-global category director of rums. In that role he launched a campaign called "Untameable Since 1862," which plays up the heritage of the company and the Bacardi family. Going forward he will be charged with overseeing all of the marketer's brands, including Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin and Dewar's scotch.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Spotify and SkySports.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.Possessions are not really important to me. I love experiences that create unforgettable moments and memories. Your life gets fuller, your world gets bigger, you and your beloved one might just get happier.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.When I was 15 or 16, my mother said to me one day: "It's all in your hands." This has been my motto since then.
By E.J. Schultz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Rebekah Jefferis
Director-business development, 72andSunny
72andSunny is on an explosive growth kick thanks in large part to Rebekah Jefferis, who earlier in her career worked in interactive production. Ms. Jefferis said she shifted into the new-business track because she'd found an agency she loved and wanted to be invested in its growth. She's doing something right, leading new-business coups including the Legacy Foundation's Truth anti-smoking effort, and, more recently, Unilever's global Axe work.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Google Express. I'm addicted. I can get diapers, mascara, and M&M's delivered on demand? Yes, please.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.A manual 35mm Minolta camera that used to be my dad's. He gave it to me in high school, to use for my B&W photography class. It has light leaks and I have to cover the seams with black electrical tape. It's imperfect and real. It helped me realize how much I learned from him about design, consideration, simplicity and beauty.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I haven't worked at too many different places in my career, but having gone to a bigger agency at one point, I learned that bigger wasn't necessarily better. It taught me to really value the culture of an organization not just the name or a certain output. Sharing values with the people I spend the majority of my time with is what can truly drive happiness and success over time.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.Be a learner, not an expert.
By Maureen Morrison
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Jason Klein
Co-CEO, co-founder, ListenFirst Media
Jason Klein's passion for biology led him to the White House for an AIDS policy internship in 1997 and eventually to medical school a few years later.But he left in 2001, starting an ad agency just a year later.
"It was a lot easier to brag about your son being a doctor than brag about your son being someone who does something with the internet that they can't really understand," Mr. Klein said. But his parents came around after seeing the agency's early success.
Using what he learned at the agency, he co-founded ListenFirst with longtime business partner Christian Anthony in 2012. The company offers a data-management platform that matches client data against contextual data from third-party sources. His clients include NBC Universal, Sam Adams and Columbia Medical School, where he was once a student.
"It was a lot easier to brag about your son being a doctor than brag about your son being someone who does something with the internet that they can't really understand," Mr. Klein said. But his parents came around after seeing the agency's early success.
Using what he learned at the agency, he co-founded ListenFirst with longtime business partner Christian Anthony in 2012. The company offers a data-management platform that matches client data against contextual data from third-party sources. His clients include NBC Universal, Sam Adams and Columbia Medical School, where he was once a student.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Health-care policy by day, restaurant critic by night.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Immanuel Kant.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.Our six-pound rescue Chihuahua, Cholula, who taught me what it means to have someone literally rely on me for survival (is it crazy to say also train me for what it's like to be a dad?) and, more importantly, instilling in me the self-confidence that only a grown man who walks a six-pound female Chihuahua in New York City can possibly have.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Not making sure everyone I work with understands just how much I appreciate their hard work, expertise and devotion to our company and what they do professionally. This was a lesson I learned very early on in my career.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.From my lifelong business partner (and one of my best friends), Christian Anthony, 13 years ago: "Roll the dice and let's give this a shot. If you hate it, you can always go back to med school."
By Alex Kantrowitz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Dave Knox
Chief marketing officer, Rockfish
Dave Knox has led the charge for digital marketing since spearheading the all-digital launch of Procter & Gamble Co.'s Secret Sparkle body spray a decade ago. He left P&G in 2010 to become CMO of digital shop Rockfish as he also helped launch the Brandery in Cincinnati for marketing-oriented startups. The Brandery was named one of the top 10 seed accelerators in the U.S. last year at SxSW; it has spawned Pinterest-focused marketing firm Ahalogy and car-sharing service FlightCar, among others.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Elon Musk. He is the Thomas Edison/Henry Ford of our generation. From SpaceX to Tesla to Hyperloop, people are going to look back on him as a man that truly transformed society.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.From my mother and grandmother, I have both a Miraculous Medal and St. Christopher Medal that I wear every day and are some of my oldest possessions.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Back in high school, shortly after I received my driver's license, I hit a slick spot and ended up running into a wooden fence. Being a stupid teenager who was late for soccer practice, I ended up driving away. My father noticed the damage to the front grill of my Jeep and I told him the truth of what happened. Needless to say, we were immediately in the car driving back to that spot where I could apologize to the fence owner and offer to repair it. Dad taught me a valuable lesson that day around always standing up for what's right, even if it's embarrassing or seemingly a small thing.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Not change a thing. Even the tough spots of life have shaped who I am today and led me to the great life that I have with my wife, my twins, and everyone in my life. Now I might change the Bengals losing in four straight playoffs, but that's another thing altogether.
By Jack Neff
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Alex Lubar
Global chief marketing officer,
McCann Worldgroup
McCann Worldgroup
Alex Lubar joined McCann as North American CMO in June 2012 and played a key role in many account wins. His more recent focus has been on bringing the network's specialty groups together to book more integrated projects. "I encourage a flat structure that allows for versatile, ambidextrous thinking," he said. The result was the addition of a number of accounts that went far beyond creative scope to include CRM, social or other disciplines. Among those wins were Microsoft, Cigna, Reckitt Benckiser and Office Depot.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Acting. Badly. They'd say, "What he lacks in talent, he certainly makes up for with enthusiasm."
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Vivino. It's a wine app where you snap a picture of any label and it gives you a standardized rating and price. Keeps me from getting ripped off, and allows me to pretend I know about more than boxed Cabernet.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My U.S. Passport. It's a figurative (and literal) symbol of all of the good things that have happened to me in this country. And Global Entry is the icing on the cake!
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.People do business with people they like, trust and can make money with it. In that order. Every time.
By Alexandra Bruell
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Dan Lucey
Exec VP-exec creative director,
BBDO, New York
BBDO, New York
Dan Lucey has come a long way since his days as a persistent unpaid creative intern at agency Mad Dogs & Englishmen to lead BBDO's Footlocker, Red Stripe and Guinness accounts with creative partner Chris Beresford-Hill. Among their more notable work is the Footlocker campaign that ties in star athletes (quirky NBA players especially) in playful and creative ways. Look no further than the "Week of Greatness" or spots with the very bearded James Harden or All-Star Russell Westbrook promoting the latest Jordan sneakers.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I'd probably be an unemployed director or screenwriter. I'd be sitting in a coffee shop somewhere, working on a new movie I thought would be amazing and trying to sell it.
Q.Apps I can't live without:
A.Night Sky, NYTimes, Bleacher Report, Instagram and Podcasts.
Q.Has anyone ever given you a really great piece of advice?
A.A neighbor of mine early on in my career said, "in advertising you're underpaid for the first half of your career and overpaid for the second half." I took that to mean that the jobs you should take when starting out should be based on opportunities to create good work, not how much they will pay you. The bad jobs are always willing to offer you more money.
By Malika Toure
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Luke Mansfield
VP-innovation, global beverages group, PepsiCo
If Luke Mansfield's track record as an electronics innovator is any indication, good things could be in store for PepsiCo. As former head of innovation for Samsung in Europe, he is credited with leading the team that created the highly regarded Galaxy S5. He joined PepsiCo in late 2014 and will be charged with pushing what one top exec called a "more holistic" agenda, as the company searches for beverage breakthroughs, or as Samsung might say, the next big thing.
Q.Do you have an advanced degree?
A.Master's degree in Chemistry.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.My late father's watch is the only object in my life which is irreplaceable. My mother won it on "Sale of the Century" in the 1980's with the question "What language do they speak in Austria?"
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I used to run a TV shopping channel in the U.K. The more I liked a product the less we'd sell. If I hated it, we'd sell out in 10 minutes. It taught me, "You are probably not your customer." I've embraced that and preached it to my teams ever since.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.The actual truth means less than how others perceive the truth.
By E.J. Schultz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Kyle Nel
Executive director,
Lowe's Innovation Lab
Lowe's Innovation Lab
At Lowe's Innovation Lab, neuroscience and behavioral-economics enthusiast turned marketer Kyle Nel churns out inventive customer solutions like the Holoroom, a home-improvement simulator, and OSHbot, a customer-service robot. It starts with a science-fiction story that his team and external partners bring to life through what he calls science-fiction prototyping. He is most proud of how the Lowe's Innovation Labs has broadened the company's outlook. "When you see the group mind of an organization start to evolve, it's pretty exciting," he said.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Playing mandolin in a bluegrass band.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Nikola Tesla.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I was running the American Marketing Association chapter at my college and ran a national case competition for a regional convenience store chain. After lots of research, I learned no one liked the food at the convenience store, and I presented a very strong case. Unfortunately, the message was not well received. I learned that you can be right but still be wrong.
Q.What was the best advice you ever received?
A.From my dad: Always read the room.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.I'm not sure, but I know some science-fiction writers who have come up with several possible futures.
By Ashley Rodriguez
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Khartoon Ohan
Managing director-chief growth officer, Mediacom USA
Following a tough few years, MediaCom began winning business in 2013 and is still going strong. So is Khartoon Ohan, who played a huge role in the turnaround. She joined in 2013 from Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, where she developed cross-platform programs and led client relationships with A-B InBev, American Express, Pepsi and many others. She has since helped MediaCom win new business from ADT, Tempur Sealy, A-B InBev and Direct General. "Relationships are everything," she said. "I'm honored to have earned my clients' trust."
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Practicing medicine or psychology. I've always had a passion for caring for others.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Instagram. A picture is worth a thousand words and I live for my "Instafamily's" perspective on life.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Barack Obama. He has to be the coolest, most well-rounded human being ever.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.My mentor once imparted a Maya Angelou quote that changed my perspective on business: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
By Alexandra Bruell
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Kendall Ostrow
Agent, UTA
Ellen DeGeneres's Oscar selfie may never have happened without Kendall Ostrow. While working for the comedian's daytime show, Ms. Ostrow advocated for Ms. DeGeneres to join Twitter. "It became my side project, running her social-media accounts while working my way up to try to be a producer on the show," Ms. Ostrow said. Now a member of United Talent Agency's digital team, Ms. Ostrow guides digital and social strategies for celebrities and brands like AT&T, which developed with Ms. Ostrow the first scripted series to premiere on Snapchat.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I hope I never have to answer that question. I guess I would be doing everything I could to get this job.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Instagram and Pocket. I do all of my reading on planes and subways.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Early in my career, I missed my best friend's wedding because I was too afraid to ask for the time off. I've regretted it ever since. Over the years, I've learned that in order to be successful you must have an excellent work/life balance. For me, family and friends come before everything else.
Q.What's the the best advice you've ever received?
A."Half of what you make is yours to keep." Great advice from my grandfather. It's difficult to save this aggressively, especially early in your career, but it's important.
By Tim Peterson
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Nicolle Pangis
Global Chief Revenue Officer, Xaxis
The summer after sophomore year at Boston University, Nicolle Pangis went to work as an intern at ABC, watching shows like "Good Morning America" and "The View" from behind the scenes. Today, she's making news as Global CRO of Xaxis, WPP's programmatic advertising technology arm, where she is responsible for a $750 million P&L. Earlier this year, she led the Xaxis side of the sale of the Open AdStream ad server to AppNexus.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I would flip houses. I love fixer-uppers.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Peapod for grocery deliveries. Who has time to shop?
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.If you get upset about a situation, do not react immediately. Take a breath, go home, think about it overnight. Come back the next day with a clearer head and a perspective on how you will (calmly) address it.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Try to enjoy the journey more. For most of my career, I've been so heads down on "getting things done" that I haven't taken the time to appreciate the places, the people and the situations I've been fortunate enough to experience. The good news is that it's not too late to start now.
By Alex Kantrowitz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Brian Perkins
VP-Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch
South African native Brian Perkins oversees the third-largest brew in the U.S. And he's already making waves. Bud, which has been in a long-term sales slump, stirred debate in the beer industry with a Super Bowl ad that proudly declared the brand a "macro" beer. While it rubbed some craft brewers the wrong way, the ad has scored well with consumers, according to Ace Metrix. Mr. Perkins joined global parent Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2010. Before taking on Bud he was director-global innovations.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Shakespeare. I studied him for five years of high school and three years of college. I have a lot of questions.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.My surfboard. It uncomplicates things.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.It takes the same amount of energy to dream big as to dream small. So dream big, but stay humble.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Learn Mandarin, not French.
By E.J. Schultz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Kelli Ramey
VP-advertising and creative services, H&R Block
Kelli Ramey says she has the most fun job at tax-prep firm H&R Block. As VP-advertising and creative services, she experiments with presenting the brand in different lights. Her first project after joining the company in 2008 was "Dollars & Sense," which aimed to improve financial literacy among teens. Last year, she helped launch one of H&R Block's most memorable pushes—"Get Your Billion Back," featuring a green bow-tie-clad tax pro.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Editing books. Or anything for HGTV. I frequent flea markets and estate sales in search of treasures.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I made the mistake of not trusting my instincts when I took a job that uprooted my family. I wanted to move and the company was fantastic, but I left the interview knowing something wasn't right. I didn't heed the warning signs and walked into a mess. It was the most difficult time of my life, but I grew professionally, learned a lot about myself, fell in love with a new part of the country and made great friends along the way. Mistakes happen. Own it, learn from it and move on to the next hurdle or adventure.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.Early in my career I was encouraged to care about more than the bottom line. It's one of the many reasons I gravitated toward cause-related work and I think it applies not only to how companies behave, but how we treat the people we work with.
By Ashley Rodriguez
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Reshma Saujani
Founder and CEO, Girls Who Code
Reshma Saujani calls herself a "political and social entrepreneur." A lawyer and former New York City Deputy Public Advocate who was the first South Asian American woman to run for Congress, she now aims to empower girls. Ms. Saujani has been working to provide computer-science education to 1 million young women by 2020, in an effort to increase the ranks of women in tech, where today they hold only 25% of the jobs. "Years from now we will see 'code alumni' holding executive seats in tech companies," said Ms. Saujani.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Kindle; I'm a voracious reader.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Hillary Clinton, hands down!
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Allowing other people to define my narrative. Authenticity is everything.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.The same advice I give all the time: Fail fast, fail hard, fail often.
By Ayako Mie
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Eric Segal
Executive creative director,
Anomaly New York
Anomaly New York
Last year was a record year for Anomaly, and a lot of it owes to Eric Segal, who leads much of the creative output of the agency's New York flagship office. Mr. Segal oversaw creative on Budweiser's beloved Super Bowl puppy ads and for Dick's Sporting Goods, among other work. Prior to joining the MDC shop, Mr. Segal was exec creative director at Grey New York, overseeing creative for the NFL, Mike's Hard Lemonade, and the TNT and TBS networks.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Fried calamari.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My fixer-upper cabin. It means time with my family. And the work I do there is the exact opposite of what I do for a living. It's nice to go from building a deck to building a deck.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A."Try it. If you don't like it, spit it out."
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Be pretty annoyed. Because I already did it.
By Maureen Morrison
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Saskia Sorrosa
VP-Marketing,
National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
Saskia Sorrosa's responsibilities include brand strategy, advertising and events targeted at Hispanic, African-American, youth and international fans. Among her accomplishments was the NBA's first integrated marketing campaign targeted to bicultural, bilingual Latino fans. That 2009 effort led to a 34% increase in Hispanic viewership. She also helped launch the league's youth platform, called NBA Hoop Troop. Before joining the NBA, Ms. Sorrosa, a native of Ecuador, launched and managed Burson-Marsteller's Medellin, Colombia, office.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Nonprofit work and owning a bakery. I've been volunteering ever since I can remember, in every place that I've lived. There is something so special that comes from impacting lives and connecting with communities in a meaningful way. The stories you hear and the relationships you build, even if brief, stay with you forever. Helping the world on a larger scale is a dream of mine. That, and baking. Baking makes me happy because it makes others happy.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My home photos and videos. There is nothing more incredible than spending hours flipping through files and files of family photos and videos. To be able to relive every moment one, two and even 20 years from now is priceless.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Rushing through life. Not exactly a mistake but definitely an experience I learned from. When I was younger I wanted to do everything quickly so I could move on to the next big thing. In college, for example, I wanted to graduate early so I could start making money! I now realize I will never get that time back.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Do it again.
By E.J. Schultz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Beatrice Springborn
Head of originals, Hulu
James Franco will star in a J.J. Abrams-produced adaption of the Stephen King novel "11/23/63." But the star-studded miniseries won't air on traditional TV. It'll premiere on Hulu as the streaming service's biggest original series to date. "With that show, people will come [to Hulu] who are traditional TV fans and discover other shows," said Beatrice Springborn. As head of Hulu's original programming, she straddles the line between traditional and digital entertainment; she's also the one blurring that line.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I'd be a journalist. I tend to know (and like to know) a little about a lot of things instead of a lot about a little, which probably explains why I don't speak a language.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Spotify/Soundcloud.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.The numerous times I didn't go with my gut/intuition or my heart.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.In work, don't make excuses. I had a great boss who let me make a lot of mistakes as part of learning and just asked that when I did, I would own it and find a way to fix it. In life, this too shall pass.
By Tim Peterson
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Jon Steinberg
CEO, DailyMail.com North America
Jon Steinberg spent four years as president of BuzzFeed, where he helped grow the site into a $100 million business. For his next act, Mr. Steinberg is looking to grow the DailyMail's U.S. online advertising business. The U.K. paper's American website has an enormous audience, but ad revenue has lagged. "It's a Madison Avenue challenge, not a user challenge," Mr. Steinberg said. He hasn't wasted any time since taking on the new role. In less than a year, he's ramped up Daily Mail's native-ad business, introduced a buy-one-get-one advertising deal and steered its purchase of viral publisher Elite Daily.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.The Daily Mail app, of course. And Snapchat—I use it to communicate with my kids.
Q.If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Walt Disney. A picture of him is in my office. Anything is possible and I always think of Walt's quote: "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it all started with a mouse."
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.My dad told me when you suffer a disappointment you give yourself a finite amount of time to moan and groan and wallow in it. You afford yourself that time. After that, you move on.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Have gone to Stanford for college and jumped right into tech in 1995. Or skipped college. But I hate looking in the rearview mirror in general. So even saying that bums me out.
By Michael Sebastian
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Joshua Topolsky
Editor, Bloomberg Digital and chief digital content officer, Bloomberg Media
Joshua Topolsky was at the cutting edge of digital publishing. He was editor-in-chief of two immensely popular tech sites—Engadget and The Verge—as well as helped establish Vox Media. Then he went to Bloomberg Media, the well-financed if byzantine media arm of Bloomberg L.P., to drag it into the digital era.
"There are weird things about Bloomberg," he said. "But on the media side there's a huge amount of experimentation. A moment is happening here."
Since Mr. Topolsky's arrival, the company has rolled out a politics site and a soup-to-nuts redesign of its main home page. It's also wooing the advertising community, which is taking notice of Bloomberg's new digital chops. "We're doing big, bold, even polarizing projects," he said.
"There are weird things about Bloomberg," he said. "But on the media side there's a huge amount of experimentation. A moment is happening here."
Since Mr. Topolsky's arrival, the company has rolled out a politics site and a soup-to-nuts redesign of its main home page. It's also wooing the advertising community, which is taking notice of Bloomberg's new digital chops. "We're doing big, bold, even polarizing projects," he said.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Sonos. How else would my daughter and not me be able to hear Katy Perry in any room in the house?
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.I form an unnatural bond with inanimate objects all the time so this is impossible to answer.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.Making a decision out of fear when I knew in my head and heart it was the wrong choice. You have to trust your instincts and avoid acting on phantoms—it's almost never the right answer.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A....have gotten a really good lawyer a lot sooner.
By Michael Sebastian
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Mike Treon
VP-platform strategy, AOL Platforms
In 2006, Mike Treon moved to Baltimore looking for a job. He soon found a home at Advertising.com, a young, AOL-owned startup, which was beginning to dabble in programmatic advertising. Mr. Treon, a computer information systems major, built an expertise in programmatic technology and watched as it developed into the fastest growing discipline in the ad industry. Today, he serves as VP-platform strategy at AOL Platforms, helping drive the company's booming ad-tech business.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I would be the general manager at Roy Pitz Brewing Company in Chambersburg, Pa. A couple of my high school friends started it in 2008, and I help them with their website and social media when I can.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Uber or OpenTable; I can't pick between which is more important: getting there or eating there.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Bill Murray.
Q.From what mistake did you learn the most?
A.I botched a pretty large campaign set-up early on in my career, operating under the best intentions. I was grilled on it in front of everyone in the company war room and had to own up to why it happened. I was expecting the worst, but everyone was more focused on learning from it, moving forward and finding a positive spin rather than berating me. I learned a lot about the company culture from that experience: that it's OK to take chances, to sometimes make mistakes and just move on from them.
By Alex Kantrowitz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Ari Weiss
Chief creative officer, BBH, New York
"Greatness Awaits" is a tagline that forms the basis of the remarkable work that Ari Weiss has steered for Sony PlayStation at BBH, New York. But it could also easily describe what he has in store for his entire agency since he stepped into the role of chief creative officer in January. Under Mr. Weiss' leadership, the shop has produced award-winning multiplatform work for Sony PS, celebrated ads for Unilever's Axe such as "Susan Glenn" and more. His basic remit: to make the work "better and better" for all the agency's clients, which also include Newell Rubbermaid, Vaseline, The Guardian and Westin Hotels.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.Probably living in my parents' basement.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Uber and Seamless. Does that make me lazy?
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.George Washington or George Clooney.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My wedding ring. Reminds me of the best decision I ever made.
By Ann-Christine Diaz
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Xanthe Wells
Chief creative officer and partner, Pitch
Xanthe Wells leads creative direction at Culver City, Calif.-based Pitch, which was acquired by Project Worldwide in August. Since she joined Pitch in January 2013, the agency—which counts among its clients Burger King's U.S. advertising, Pepsi, Maaco, Meineke and Bonefish Grill—has seen double-digit growth. Prior to Pitch, Ms. Wells spent seven years at TBWA in Los Angeles, where as creative director she led creative on Pepsi's Refresh Project, Diet Pepsi's Sofia Vergara effort and Kraft's "Let's get zesty" campaign.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.I always joke that I'd want to be a bartender if I wasn't doing this job. I got into advertising because I love art and I love people. The idea of chatting with new people every night seems really fun. No conference calls and lots of wine sounds like heaven.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.I've been given so many great pieces of advice over the years, but the one that comes to mind that relates to my career was something Rob Schwartz gave me when it comes to prioritizing one's actions as a creative leader: "1. Brand 2. Agency. 3. You." If you find yourself complaining about what you're not getting out of a particular assignment, then your motivations aren't in check. You should be focusing on the brand and what's best for the brand. After that the agency. And if you do those two things with a whole heart, chances are the "You" piece of the equation will fall into place. I go back to that all the time if I find myself struggling.
Oh, and "there are only 12 typefaces you ever need to use," from my teacher Roland Young.
Oh, and "there are only 12 typefaces you ever need to use," from my teacher Roland Young.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.Do all of this all over again. From the all-nighters to shooting while seven months pregnant in Argentina's sweatiest months to meeting my husband in an edit bay to all the incredible people I'm so happy to call true friends. I love it all and wouldn't do anything else.
By Maureen Morrison
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Emily White
Snapchat chief operating officer
Emily White has been called the next Sheryl Sandberg. Both women have held important positions at Google and Facebook. And like Ms. Sandberg, Ms. White has been tapped to mold an ascendant social network into a business—twice. Facebook-owned Instagram hired her in April 2013 to build its ad business and later that year Snapchat snagged her to do the same. Since then, Ms. White has overseen the rollout of Snapchat's first two ad units, its Discover publishing portal and a payments partnership with Square.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.Snapchat, of course.
Q.What one possession means the most to you and why?
A.My children's art. It's such a window into how they are feeling, what they are seeing, and how their imaginations are growing.
Q.What's the best advice you've ever received?
A.Life is not a dress rehearsal.
Q.If I had it to do all over again, I'd…
A.I have a family and career that I love, and I feel very fortunate. I think things are highly connected and I wouldn't want to mess with anything. When you really boil it down, life is simply what you choose to do or not do, and the resulting consequences of those decisions. Had I changed something small it might have had an unintended effect on something much bigger.
By Tim Peterson
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu

Will Wiseman
President of strategy and planning,
PHD U.S.
PHD U.S.
Will Wiseman's strategy and business development savvy might be traced back to an early career at accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Since then he's been advising brands, but in an agency setting, first at Ogilvy and later at UM. He recently joined Omnicom's PHD as head of U.S. strategy, and he's already proven a key player in the shop's massive SC Johnson global planning win.
Q.If you were not doing this job, what would you be doing?
A.A travel writer. I've always loved reading the likes of Bill Bryson, Bruce Chatwin, and Paul Theroux … so I'd probably be trying to follow in their footsteps.
Q.What app could you not live without?
A.The WatchESPN app during college football season.
Q.If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be…
A.Bob Marley.
Q.What one possession (not a person) means the most to you and why?
A.I love a good road trip. And I have a habit of buying random T-shirts and hats to remember the little places along the way. My current favorite is a hat from Gustafson's Smoked Fish on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It's a simple thing but wearing it makes me happy. It's packed full of memories that make me smile.
By Alexandra Bruell
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Illustration by Marco Ventura for Ad Age
Interactive Design by Chen Wu
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