Lynn Branigan is President & CEO of She Runs It (formerly AWNY), a 501c3 not for profit organization that exists to elevate women of all ethnicities, backgrounds, and identities across marketing, media, and tech. In that pursuit, Lynn works closely with corporate executives, influencers, and members across the industry to develop programs that empower women to achieve their professional goals at every stage of their careers.
Lynn joined AWNY in 2012, and immediately embarked with her Board of Directors on a journey to reimagine the organization. Recognizing the industry had become more than just advertising, and more than just New York, they looked to rebrand the organization, expand into new geography, and reinvigorate the mission. AWNY rebranded to She Runs It in 2016, and on Lynn’s watch the organization has grown to nearly 8,00 members spanning 14 countries.
Lifting women is her life’s work, and in her role she launched an industry-wide initiative called #Inclusive100, the first DEI effort to use data and measurement to generate progress against representation, culture, and transparency across the marketing landscape.
Lynn’s perspective is informed by her interactions, which include the dozens of mentees she counsels as part of the She Runs It mentoring program, the industry’s most robust program with 700 mentoring pairs participating at any given time. She also recently championed the launch of START, a program developed with digitalundivided to give women of color entrepreneurs in marketing, media, and tech access to resources and mentoring that can help transform ideas into new businesses. This in response to the same #Inclusive100 study that also indicated women of color are grossly underrepresented in the marketing industry, and these populations were disproportionately impacted by Covid.
Prior to She Runs It, Lynn’s career spanned digital media roles in entrepreneurial and corporate environments such as Online Publishers Association, Washington Post, and Mastercard. A digital pioneer, Lynn ran and sold the industry’s first digital marketing company, led organizations for others, and now sits in the epicenter of women in marketing, media, and tech.
Lynn is a proud graduate of Boston College and received her MBA from NYU. She has two grown children, loves racquet sports and anything on the water. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband George.