Michelle Thomas

Michelle Thomas is the senior vice president of the Burning Ambition Academy at Spark Foundry, a global media agency brand within Publicis Media. Spark Foundry’s bold vision harnesses a startup spirit with a powerhouse soul that melds an entrepreneurial, innovative business approach with the full resources, capabilities and marketplace clout of a larger network.

In her role, Thomas leads leadership, group, and team coaching for the agency through Burning Ambition Academy (BAA) - Spark Foundry’s holistic approach to personal development. BAA empowers employees to find their heat via strengths-based development and purpose-driven leadership. During her tenure, Thomas has developed and executed workshops that have directly impacted over 300 employees across the agency. She has also worked closely with over 70 leaders at Spark Foundry to strengthen leadership effectiveness via personal coaching.

Thomas joined Spark Communications, which later evolved into Spark Foundry, in 2012. She has held a variety of ascending roles across Publicis Groupe for nearly 30 years. Thomas started her career at Leo Burnett in 1991 – typing scripts for TV commercials – before pivoting to Starcom Worldwide as a media buyer and planner and working on clients such as Kellogg’s, General Motors, and Hallmark Greeting Cards. In 2011, Thomas co-launched Starcom’s first-ever leadership coaching program.

Thomas is a certified co-active professional coach (CPCC), and holds a graduate certificate in organizational psychology as well as leadership training certifications from Gallup, CRR Global, The Coaches Training Institute, and The Leadership Circle. Outside of work, Thomas is also a certified yoga instructor.

Thomas received a bachelor of arts in communications from Valparaiso University.