IPG Mediabrands

Eileen Kiernan entered 2023 with a single mission for IPG Mediabrands: to double down on technology and innovation that move its clients and the industry forward. This required the orchestration of a number of specialized entities to come together and rethink how a 15-year-old media holding company goes to market. Just one year into her post, she spent the end of 2022 laying a meticulous strategy that brought the tech prowess of Kinesso and Matterkind together with Reprise to form a supercharged performance unit: KINESSO. The approach was pressure tested in Q1 instantly proving its value by securing the business of GEICO, the largest U.S. media pitch of the year ($1.4B) and Bristol Myers-Squibb ($430M). Mediahub joined the IPG Mediabrands network (clients: NBA, Celebrity Cruises, Ulta). It's this approach of Kiernan’s – quietly securing proof of concept before talking about it – that sets her apart from her industry peers. Eileen brought to market new Commerce and AI capabilities, went all in on Sustainability and Brand Safety, and positioned the network as a first mover in major industry disruptions, all while driving an impressive 14% YoY growth. IPG Mediabrands is a strong contender for Best North America Network.