As Global Brand President for Starcom Worldwide and member of the Publicis Media global leadership team, Lisa Donohue is driving a next-generation media agency focused on the convergence of media, technology and creativity. Starcom Worldwide is the leading global media agency brand within Publicis Media, part of Publicis Groupe, driving more than $26 billion in global media billings for client partners. In her role, Lisa is responsible for global brand vision, culture, partnerships, talent and product excellence, and is enabling the design of unique human experiences with impressive results.
Most recently serving as Starcom USA CEO, Lisa guided that office to exceed challenges on behalf of the world’s leading marketers and new establishment brands, including Airbnb, Samsung, Procter & Gamble, Bank of America, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Visa and more. In this role she led $10.3 billion in media billings and more than 1,100 employees spanning four U.S. office locations. She drove Starcom's industry-leading digital offering and built out the agency’s data and analytics practice.
During her six-year tenure as U.S. CEO, Lisa led Starcom to be the most awarded media agency in the country, winning a total of 571 industry awards. In 2014, this success led Starcom Mediavest Group to be named Most Effective Agency Network by the North American Effies, Media Network of the Year at Festival of Media and Media Network of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. For the last three years, the SMG Chicago office dominated the WARC 100, the annual list of top agency brands based upon performance in effectiveness and strategy industry competitions.
In addition to her Starcom U.S. CEO duties, Lisa oversaw business units including Halogen and Local Spectrum, comprising direct response media and directory marketing, and global practices including the SMG Global Product Committee, the Human Experience Strategist practice and Audience & Measurement Solutions. She was also a member of Starcom Mediavest Group’s global executive team for the past six years.
Prior to assuming the CEO role at Starcom, Lisa served as President, Truth & Design at sister agency Mediavest in NYC. In addition she also oversaw the agency’s digital practice, P&G-dedicated investment group and product development team, helping Mediavest garner 25 award winners and finalists in her last 12 months.
Prior to her time at Mediavest, she worked her way up to EVP, Managing Director at Starcom on accounts including Morgan Stanley / Discover Card, Nintendo and Altria. Since launching her career in 1987, she has exhibited strong strategic thinking on a variety of accounts including Kellogg’s, General Motors, Mars, Miller, NYSE, P&G, Samsonite and Sony.
Lisa was awarded the Chicago Advertising Federation’s Advertising Woman of the Year in 2011, as well as Adweek’s 2011 Executive Media All-Star. In 2006 Advertising Age recognized her as a Woman to Watch. In addition, Lisa is a frequent panelist and public speaker at key industry conferences including New York Advertising Week, mainstage at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Association of National Advertisers Masters of Marketing, the 4A’s Transformation Conference, Interactive Advertising Bureau Annual Leadership Meeting and Adobe Marketing Cloud Summit, to name a few.
Lisa is a member of the Synacor Board of Directors, is President of the Board of Trustees of Milton Academy in Massachusetts, serves on the She Runs It (formerly Advertising Women of New York) Board of Directors, the 4A’s Board of Directors and Media Leadership Council, and is a member of The Chicago Network and the Economic Club of Chicago. She is a graduate of Brown University and a loyal Brunonian.
