Behind every successful brand—and its CEO—stands the person who keeps the organization running smoothly and efficiently.
That’s why we dedicate our Adweek 50 award every year to those working behind the scenes to drive growth in big ways at their respective companies, bringing recognition to those who may be overlooked today but will be running the show tomorrow.
This year, we went beyond the CMOs, CEOs, chairmen and founders of the industry to showcase a host of C-suite and vp-level positions in creative divisions such as culture and capabilities, data privacy, supply and demand, and the electric vehicle ecosystem. In another year of profound change across marketing, media and tech, marketers have turned their creative instincts toward new roles, responsibilities and organization structures, with almost no two honorees sharing a title—and in a major shift from previous lineups, no repeat winners from the prior year.
Our sprawling list includes Richard Sim, Roblox’s senior director of product and monetization, who has pushed new ad formats and safety measures on one of the biggest platforms of the internet’s next frontier; Andy Pearson, vp of creative at Liquid Death, a brand whose “improbable” and seemingly overnight success comes from its slew of celebrity partnerships and out-there creative; Kai Deveraux Lawson, svp of diversity, equity and inclusion at Dentsu Creative, who is making a tangible impact on representation within agencies and creative content, and has been described by company leadership as someone they’d trust with their lives; and Bharat Krish, president of digital and chief technology officer at Time, whose startup mentality guided the nearly 100-year-old publisher’s approach to a new digital infrastructure and NFT offerings.
Check out the full list for more on what these unsung heroes have accomplished in 2022 and how they got it done. —Will Russo
Michael Aimette and Gabriel Schmitt
Co-chief creative officers, FCB NY
Gazmend Alushi
President, measurement and analytics, Whalar
Gary Aurand
Director of brand and creative, Geico
Ashley Becker
Vp and head of ecommerce and Omni customer growth, Kraft Heinz
Scott Bell
Chief creative officer, Droga5
Avi Ben-Zvi
Vp, paid social, Tinuiti
Prerna Bhushan
Svp, growth marketing, Cart.com
A.P. Chaney
Director of creative strategy, The Coca-Cola Company
Vivian Chang
Head of direct to consumer practice, Clorox
Kudzi Chikumbu
Global head of creator marketing, TikTok
Katie Daire
Senior director, consumer marketing, DoorDash
Jed Dederick
Chief client officer, The Trade Desk
Kodi Foster
Vp, commercial and head of Zeus Technology, The Washington Post
Rhonda George-Denniston
Global chief learning and development officer, TBWA
Kenny Gold
Managing director, head of social, content and influencer, Deloitte Digital
Hoss Hassani
Vp, EV ecosystem, General Motors
Jennifer ‘JJ’ Healan
Vp, U.S. marketing, brand content and engagement, McDonald’s
Tone Hoeft and Nikki Lewis
Director, global brand marketing, research and development; global head of marketing, action category, Riot Games
Jane Hwang
Global portfolio vp M&Ms, Mars Wrigley
Hana Kajimura
Head of sustainability, Allbirds
Jonathan Knight
Head of games, The New York Times
Linda Knight
Chief creative officer, Observatory
Bharat Krish
President, digital and chief technology officer, Time
Dilip Kumar
Vp, AWS Applications, Amazon Web Services
Amy Lanzi
Chief operating officer, Publicis Commerce
Kai Deveraux Lawson
Svp, diversity, equity and inclusion, Dentsu Creative
Lauryn Livengood
Senior director of brand marketing, Pax
Patricia Marangé
Head of affiliate marketing and performance partnerships, GroupM and Mindshare
Neal Mohan
Chief product officer, YouTube, svp, Google
Hector Muelas
Svp, global marketing and creative, Expedia Group
Francesca Orsi
Evp, HBO programming, head of HBO drama series and films, HBO
Megan Pagliuca
Chief activation officer, Omnicom Media Group North America
Michael Paull
Direct to consumer, Disney media and entertainment distribution, The Walt Disney Company
Andy Pearson
Vp, creative, Liquid Death
Cheryl Pegus
Evp, health and wellness, Walmart
Timo Pelz
Vp, business marketing, Reddit
Femaris Peña
Svp, director of diversity demand and supply, Mediahub
Taj Reid
Global chief experience officer, Edelman
Kathleen Reidenbach
Chief commercial officer, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants
Fernando Ribeiro
Global chief strategy officer and partner, GUT
Angela Rodriguez
Svp, head of strategy, Alma
Brian Rolapp
Chief media and business officer, NFL
Claudia San Pedro
President, Sonic Drive-In
Donna Sharp
Managing director, MediaLink
Richard Sim
Senior director of product, monetization, Roblox
Shyra Smart
Chief development and strategy officer, Vox Media
David Temkin
Senior director of product management, ads privacy and trust, Google
Ryan Verschoor
Global vp, marketing culture and capabilities, Anheuser-Busch InBev
Kristina Willis
Chief of staff, We Are Rosie
Scott Zanghellini
Svp and co-head of revenue strategy and development, WWE