Amid the social justice reckonings of 2020, brands and agencies made sweeping declarations about their commitments to supporting media and companies owned by members of historically underrepresented groups. Many of these commitments have famously gone unfulfilled, in part because the publishers and companies they were intended to support could not handle the logistical load or complicated ad tech required to handle large campaigns. Meanwhile, programmatic advertising platforms’ attempts to cater to diverse-owned media have come up short, with publishers failing to see substantial return on these complex tech integrations.
How does the ad industry really fulfill the promises they made in 2020 – in a way that’s actually meaningful to diverse-owned publishers, brands, and their audiences, and translates to real revenue? You’ll hear from a panel of leaders committed to bringing equity to creativity, media and purpose-driven investment to the ecosystem.
Cavel Khan is the Chief Growth Officer of Group Black and is responsible for developing growth and revenue strategies for the company. Khan has nearly 20 years of experience managing growth in advertising and client partnerships for many high-profile organizations and is widely recognized as a business leader, startup advisor, and board member in tech and media.
Before Group Black, he served as the CRO of Tumblr, the SVP of Client Partnerships-North America at VICE, a Senior Manager on the CPG vertical at Twitter, and in multiple roles at Microsoft over eight years.
Cavel is a 2020 Inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement, a 2020 Advertising Club of New York ICON Award recipient and a 2019 recipient of the America on Tech Innovator and Disruptor Award for Sales. He was a member of the advisory board for TechBeach and America on Tech, and co-chair of the advisory board of AdColor and on AdCouncil’s Diversity Leadership Group. He is an alum of Zicklin School of Business in New York where he earned his MBA in Marketing and he gives back as a member of the board for Community Roots Charter schools in Brooklyn where he resides with his family.
Sheila Marmon has a passion for launching new businesses in the digital media industry and has created and led innovative platforms for over 20 years. With a focus on growth markets, her expertise delivers meaningful ROI for publishers, creators, investors, and multinational clients.
As Founder + CEO of Mirror Digital, a digital media and publishing company, she helps leading global brands tap into the fastest growing U.S. consumer base - the multicultural and LGBTQ+ markets. A pioneer in this space for over 12 years, Sheila and her team have executed over 1,000 digital media programs for leading clients including Amazon, American Express, AT&T, Clinique, Comcast, Disney, General Motors, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, SheaMoisture, Universal Pictures, and Walmart among others.
Mark Walker is the Co-Founder, CEO and Chairman of Digital Direct Holdings. Founded with his partner, Keith Smith, in 2018, the company is a digital advertising solutions holding group with three subsidiaries, Colossus SSP, Orange 142, and Huddled Masses.
On the forefront of a dynamic and inclusive approach to advertising, Direct Digital Holdings provides programmatic, digital advertising solutions to companies of all sizes, with a specialization in reaching highly sought-after multicultural audiences and underserved middle market companies across the U.S. In February 2022, DDH became the ninth-ever black-owned U.S. company to go public. Direct Digital Holdings has experienced significant growth since then, currently raising its full-year 2023 revenue guidance.
Kimberly is President and CEO of Butler/Till and brings decades of experience in both B2B and B2C marketing across many industries, including Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services, BevAlc, Automotive, Franchise, Insurance, Consumer Products, Automative, Energy, and Retail. She previously worked at McCann Erickson, Bausch + Lomb, and the Wolf Group. Kimberly has contributed to work that has won industry accolades, including multiple Effie, American Advertising Awards, Adweek, Ad Age, INC., and Pinnacle Awards. Kimberly is an esteemed thought leader in the marketing and advertising space having been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, MM+M, and Ad Age to name a few. Her expertise has landed her numerous speaking opportunities at events like SXSW, Cannes, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, and Adweek NY. Kimberly has served on the Board of Directors at Bivona Child Advocacy Center and the Young Presidents’ Organization. She is also a winner of Rochester’s “Forty Under 40 Award,” and “Women of Excellence” both of which honor those who exhibit a unique combination of business and community leadership.
Lori Goode is the Chief Marketing Officer at Index Exchange, leading its global marketing strategy and enhancing its brand visibility. She also oversees learning and development and serves as executive lead for the company’s sustainability and DE&I efforts.
With nearly two decades of experience in digital advertising, Lori has held notable leadership roles throughout her career. Most recently, she served as the global head of marketing and training at Amazon Ads. Prior to that, she held leadership positions at Meta and Microsoft.
Currently, Lori actively collaborates with various external sustainability groups including Ad Net Zero, serves on the executive achievements committee of She Runs It, is a proud board member of BRIDGE—a pioneering DEI trade group for the global marketing industry – and is an active member of Chief, a network dedicated to connecting and supporting women executive leaders. Lori received the Working Mother of the Year honor in 2024, awarded by She Runs It, and was also named a CMO to Watch in 2024 by the CMO Alliance.
