Dive Brief:
- 4A’s President and CEO Nancy Hill plans to step down next year after nine years at the helm of the industry organization for ad agencies.
- The group’s board of directors is already working with MediaLink to find a successor, according to Ad Age.
- Hill’s background includes stints at a number of agencies including Doner, TBWAChiatDay, Goldberg Moser O'Neill (which later became Hill Holliday) and BBDO.
Dive Insight:
Hill's departure comes at a time when the ad agency world remains in turmoil over ad blocking, allegations of pervasive sexism, and reports of rampant media rebates.
Hill, the first woman to serve as CEO of the 4A's, recently had to navigate a heated debate over sexism in the agency world. After sexual and racial discrimination charges were levied at Gustavo Martinez, the then-CEO of WPP’s J. Walter Thompson agency, Hill diplomatically disagreed with Publicis’ CEO Maurice Levy’s assertion that the issue was limited to an isolated incident. That particular controversy ended with Martinez’s resignation and a public apology from WPP’s CEO Martin Sorrell, but the larger issue remains.
"If you're the CEO, you are the chief diversity officer," she said at an industry conference.
More recently, the 4A’s and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) have been at odds over the ANA’s report that uncovered rampant media rebates agencies are benefiting from without passing those savings on to the brands purchasing ads.
