Megan Lally, who co-founded independent Chicago agency Highdive more than seven years ago, was named its first CEO in August 2023. So far, so good. Lally led the agency to its seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth, helping earn Highdive the No. 2 spot on Ad Age’s A-List earlier this year.
Highdive also had its best new business year ever with 11 new clients in the first 11 months of 2023, including BetMGM and State Farm. The agency's work for State Farm led to it winning its fourth USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter. One of Lally’s biggest priorities was preserving Highdive’s culture as it moved from small agency to “powerhouse” midsize shop, she said.
“We’ve been very thoughtful about maintaining what has made us special,” said Lally, noting the agency hired 33 staffers last year to push its headcount to more than 100 employees.
Highdive formalized its company values in 2023 and created a peer-nominated award named after managing partner Louis Slotkin, who died last March after a battle with colon cancer. The Louis Award gives employees the opportunity to celebrate staffers who live up to the agency’s values, Lally said. The winner receives a trip to Paris, where Slotkin started his career.
Building healthy relationships with both colleagues and clients is essential to Highdive's success, Lally said. “We’re all human, and it feels good to work together like that.”