Carly Avener

CEO

2023 was a big year for Leo Burnett. The agency put out some of the best and most famous ads of the year, including McDonald’s Raise Your Arches, won some of the biggest pitches of the year in Allwyn and Confused, and was named Campaign’s Creative Agency of the Year. Carly Avener has been central to the senior leadership team that has turned around Leo Burnett’s fortune since joining as the agency’s Managing Director in 2019. But the agency has never had a more successful year than 2023, which just so happens to be the year Carly became CEO. This year, Carly has helped Leo Burnett continue on its stellar upward trajectory: she has led the agency through multiple new business wins, instilled a relentlessly positive culture by putting the agency’s people first and continued to lead the charge on DE&I.