Karla Ballard Joins Ogilvy & Mather West as Senior Partner, Director of The Impact Studio

LOS ANGELES, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating its ongoing commitment to creative and cross-cultural expertise, Ogilvy & Mather West announced today that Karla Ballard has joined the agency as Senior Partner and Director of The Impact Studio.

The Impact Studio is a newly formed cross-discipline initiative with a clear mission –to extract emerging trends in entertainment, fashion, pop-culture and technology from one of the world's largest creative economies, Los Angeles. The Studio also offers clients cross-cultural strategies, opportunities to collaborate and creative ways for brands to engage consumers in the marketplace.

"Karla is a whirlwind of entrepreneurial energy and optimism – a perfect match for our business. Her determination to connect our brand to new communities and new partners is inspiring and an important part of our growth strategy on the West Coast," said John Seifert, Chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather North America.

Ms. Ballard is an appointee to the Federal Communications Commission's Committee on Diversity in a Digital Age. She also has managed the national broadband adoption campaign aimed at diverse communities and implemented by a coalition of groups including the NAACP, National Council of La Raza, National Urban League, Asian American Justice Center and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"Karla brings significant experience working at the intersection of corporate social responsibility and cross-cultural communities which is a growing area of importance for our clients," noted Nathan Friedman, Regional Managing Director of Ogilvy PR West. "We are thrilled to have someone with her background and knowledge as part of our growing leadership team."

In addition to her role on the Committee at the FCC, Ms. Ballard also worked for the One Economy Corporation, a global non-profit organization that leverages the power of technology and connects underserved communities with information that will improve their lives. She has been a visiting speaker at Harvard and is a current board member of the nation's second largest Community College, Northern Virginia Community College and has had years of experience organizing grassroots coalitions, particularly focused on multicultural communities.

"Creative and effective programming comes in all shapes, sizes and colors," noted Ms. Ballard.  "I'm excited to join Ogilvy in breaking through our industry sector silos to provide impactful solutions that challenge norms and paves a road for unrestricted success."

About Ogilvy & Mather  

Ogilvy & Mather is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. In 2012, O&M was named Cannes Lions Network of the Year and Most Effective Agency Network by the Effies Global Effectiveness Index. Guided by founder David Ogilvy's credo "We Sell, Or Else," the company is comprised of industry leading units in all of the following disciplines: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing; consulting, research and analytics capabilities; branded content and entertainment; and specialist communications. With 22,000+ employees working in over 50 languages, O&M services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 500 offices in 126 countries.  Our clients include: American Express, BP, Coca-Cola, DuPont, IBM, IHG, IKEA, Kimberly-Clark, NASCAR, Nestle, Philips, Time Warner Cable, SAP, Unilever, and UPS. Headquartered in New York, Ogilvy has offices in North America in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto and Miami. For more information, visit www.ogilvy.com, or follow us on Twitter at @OgilvyWW and on Facebook.com/Ogilvy.

SOURCE Ogilvy & Mather