Linda Yaccarino, chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal, has been named chair of the Ad Council’s Board of Directors. She succeeds David Fischer, chief revenue officer of Facebook, and will serve in the role until June 30, 2022.
Since the organization’s founding, the Ad Council has been at the forefront of leading the communications industry’s social impact efforts. Its Board of Directors is comprised of a prestigious group of senior marketing and media executives who provide expertise, insights and financial support to ensure the Ad Council’s social good communication campaigns are effective and impactful. Most recently, the Ad Council and its Board of Directors led the media, marketing, advertising and entertainment industry’s response to the COVID-19 crisis with unprecedented communications efforts.
As chair, Yaccarino will work in collaboration with Ad Council leadership and the Executive Committee (the governing body of the Ad Council’s Board) to further the organization’s mission to use the power of communications to address the country’s critical social issues. She will play a pivotal role in galvanizing the industry’s support for the Ad Council’s national COVID-19 Vaccine Education effort. Additionally, Yaccarino will manage and advise on business affairs and chair the Ad Council’s 2021 Annual Public Service Award Dinner, the organization’s largest annual fundraising event.
“Linda is a visionary leader in our industry, and in her many years on our Board, she has been a true champion of the Ad Council and our work on the most important social issues facing our country,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Under Linda’s leadership, NBCUniversal was an invaluable partner on our COVID-19 response efforts earlier this year—acting with incredible speed to develop and place exceptional creative within days of the pandemic being declared in March. I look forward to working closely together on our COVID-19 Vaccine Education effort, as we convene the communications industry for the most significant campaign in the Ad Council’s history.”
Yaccarino joined the Ad Council Board of Directors in 2014 and became a member of the Executive Committee in 2015. Prior to her appointment as Board chair, Yaccarino served as vice chair.
Under Yaccarino’s leadership, NBCUniversal has donated significant media to support Ad Council campaigns and, through their Content Innovation Agency, has created custom public service advertisements for many campaigns including Buzzed Driving Prevention, LGBT Acceptance and COVID-19 Response.
Yaccarino currently co-chairs the Ad Council’s Crisis Response and Recovery Effort with Fischer, which raises funds for the Ad Council’s ongoing response to the pandemic. She has also served on the Annual Dinner Entertainment Committee, where she helped secure talent for the Ad Council’s annual fundraiser.
“There are almost no words to express how proud I am to serve as chair, working alongside the extraordinary Lisa Sherman. I’m so grateful to my predecessor and friend David Fischer, who has taken great care to prepare me for this role and to see his visionary leadership firsthand,” said Yaccarino. “The Ad Council shows us what’s possible when we combine the power of responsibility, creativity, credibility, and care for people. It’s an honor to join them in this new capacity.”
As chairman of Advertising and Partnerships at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino is responsible for managing over $10 billion in revenue annually and stewarding the company’s industry-leading portfolio of linear networks, digital platforms, distribution partnerships and client relationships. Since joining NBCUniversal in 2011, Yaccarino has rebuilt its advertising and partnership business by bringing together individual network teams to create a united monetization strategy, becoming the strategic and operational bridge across all of NBCUniversal’s networks, properties and business units.
In addition to her role at NBCUniversal, Yaccarino is the chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Taskforce on Future of Work, sits on Ascena Retail Group’s Board of Directors and is a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
With the election of Yaccarino, the Ad Council will continue its ongoing tradition of rotating Board Chairs between the organizations’ four sectors: media companies, technology platforms, agencies and advertisers.
