AMA’s 2017 4 Under 40 Emerging Leaders

AMA serves organizations and individuals who practice, teach and study marketing across the globe. It serves as a forum for connecting like-minded individuals to foster knowledge sharing and relationship building; to be a trusted resource for marketing information, tools, education and training; and to advance marketing practice and thought leadership.

The AMA’s Annual 4 under 40 Emerging Leaders Award honors young leaders working in marketing and its sub-fields who are making significant contributions to the future success of the industry. A committee selected from the advisory councils of the American Marketing Association reviewed the nominations and collaborated on selecting the winning individuals.

On this page are snippets from interviews by Hal Conick, which were shared by the AMA, where the award winners share what win means to them. Nominations for 2018 Award are now being taken at the AMA website: www.ama.org

Gareth Davies, co-founder and CEO of Adbrain, which helps companies understand their cross-device users and build smarter business through data

“I am thrilled and honored to be recognized for the prestigious AMA 4 under 40 Award. Having devoted my career to helping marketers better understand and connect with their customers through data and technology, it’s an honor to receive this award. While the pace of technological change in marketing is staggering, it is but a mere reflection of the pace of consumer change. This change, while at times daunting, represents a huge opportunity for marketers to hone the craft and bring art and science to their quest to understand and engage with their customers in new, authentic ways.”

Andrew Modlin, chief operating officer and co-founder of MedMen, a cannabis management and investment firm

“It is an incredible personal honor to be recognized by the American Marketing Association, but more importantly this award is validation of the work that MedMen does to change people’s perception about marijuana. Our marketing team works hard every day to be at the forefront of marijuana’s move to the mainstream, so this award will empower us to continue creating that next generation of businesses and consumers in this industry.”

Dionisios “Dio” Favatas, managing director of digital marketing for truth, the youth tobacco prevention campaign

“I was born to immigrant parents with limited education and being one of the only members of my family to have received a bachelor’s and master’s degree. To have excelled in a critical business field like marketing makes this the single greatest professional accomplishment in my life. It proves that I have the data, tech and creative skills to be one of the top four marketers in this discipline.”

Mona Dessouki, an executive director with J.P. Morgan Asset Management, an asset management company

“I am honored to receive AMA’s 4 Under 40 Emerging Leader Award. Having spent the last decade focused on leveraging data and technology to create compelling, personalized marketing experiences, it is amazing to see one-to-one marketing becoming pervasive and for me to be recognized for being at the forefront of
that trend.”