Renetta McCann

Biography

Renetta McCann is one of the leading innovators and most influential executives in the advertising industry, with a global reputation for not only building brands, but also the organizations and leadership to sustain them.

As Chief Talent Officer at Leo Burnett, she heads up the agency’s People & Culture department. She plays a key role in ensuring that the company retains, attracts and arms the best and brightest minds in business today, with oversight of the agency's U.S. recruitment, training, benefits and talent management.

Renetta is no stranger to the Publicis family. She began her career at Burnett, and, after a long tenure, became the CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group Worldwide. After two years as CEO, she assumed the role of Chief Talent Officer of VivaKi. Renetta then took a break from agency life and worked as an executive coach and organizational change consultant before rejoining Leo Burnett in 2012.

Since her return, Renetta has worked tirelessly on organizational transformations, including shifting the agency’s talent focus to leadership development. She builds innovative partnerships for the future, constantly on the hunt for opportunities that promote learning and development for employees. Renetta isn’t afraid to try out new models for employee engagement or test new programs to enhance success. She believes that these efforts broaden perspectives and promote creativity.

Renetta also works to elevate the impact and reach of the agency’s employee resource groups, including Women’s Leadership Network, MERG (our multicultural ERG) and ParentKind (a group for mothers and fathers). She believes that building community into the company and fostering employees’ diverse interests brings people together in new ways and helps them solve problems.

A champion for women and for the development of minorities in the advertising industry, Renetta dedicates her time outside the office to organizations like Viva Women, the Publicis Groupe internal women’s network, and No.2six6, an organization launched in 2013 to advance the hiring rate of minorities in advertising.

Over the course of her career, Renetta has been a frequent name in the press. She was named one of the “100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes and a woman to watch by both Fortune and The Wall Street Journal. She was awarded the title “Corporate Executive of the Year” by Black Enterprise magazine and was selected by Ebony as one of the “57 Most Intriguing Blacks.” Essence named her one of “50 Women Who are Changing the World,” and she has appeared on the pages of Advertising Age, BusinessWeek and Chicago magazine. The American Advertising Federation honored her with a Diversity Achievement Award for her contributions as an Industry Influential, and she’s the recipient of the 4A’s Pantheon award.

Renetta holds an M.S. in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University, where she will begin as an adjunct faculty member in 2016.

She lives in Chicago with her husband Kevin and is the proud mother of Ella and Alexander. She serves as an Honorary Trustee for The Ancona School and in her spare time enjoys golf, knitting, bridge, Legos, reading in all genres and yoga.