In March 2026, International Women’s Month arrives at a pivotal moment for digital marketing. As the industry shifts toward AI-driven strategies and human-centric data, leadership is no longer about holding a title, it’s about impact, psychological safety, and radical adaptability.
At Ignite Visibility, our growth isn’t just fueled by algorithms; it’s driven by the women who architect our culture and our clients’ success.
In this blog, we’re stepping behind the scenes to look at some key insights from the women at Ignite Visibility who continue to redefine what it means to be a true leader and foster growth in marketing.
Pillar 1: People-First Leadership
Great leadership begins with people, not authority. It’s about expressing empathy, imbuing a sense of psychological safety, and creating real opportunity for every member of your team.
When it comes to marketing, great performance ultimately starts with great environments. Strong leaders know that a healthy culture that helps everyone shine is the key to real, sustained success.
Pillar 2: Non-Linear Career Paths
One thing we’ve found here at Ignite Visibility is that there isn’t a single path to leadership; diverse journeys create stronger leaders who thrive.
Just consider the myriad journeys the women at Ignite Visibility have taken to grow as leaders.
Shierleen Cross, Chief People & Culture Officer
For Shierleen Cross, Ignite Visibility’s Chief People & Culture Officer, the path to leadership was not so conventional. “My journey into marketing didn’t follow a traditional path; it followed a purpose,” says Shierleen. “Starting in Administration, moving through Talent Acquisition, and into People Relations and Operations, every step brought me closer to what I know to be true: a company is only as good as how it treats its people.”
Here’s what leadership means to Shierleen:
As to what motivates her to continue to grow? “My daughter. Every ceiling I push through, every challenge I face with grace, every standard I refuse to lower, it’s all a living lesson for her. That hard work matters. That showing up fully matters. That becoming better, always, is worth it.”
Katie Knapp, VP of Account Management, Franchise
As our Vice President of Account Management, Katie Knapp has over 25 years of experience, with over 15 years in marketing, taking a more direct path to leadership in this space. “I started my career in traditional media—radio, TV, billboards—and moved into sales,” Katie states. “As much as I loved finding gaps in customers’ marketing, I enjoyed solving those problems and that is when I started my journey on the account management side at my first digital agency.”
Motherhood and family were also big motivators for Katie: “After I had my first child I worked part-time in a marketing role that was under my qualifications. I did that for 10 years to be around for my three children in a lower career capacity.” This path propelled her forward, as she “went back to work full time with three children and within two years of going back into full time workforce, I was promoted from an account manager to a Director and had a team I was responsible for, and it happened organically because I was a strong mentor to younger account managers.”
Regarding what makes Katie feel fulfilled as a leader, “I am most proud of watching people I have helped nurture and grow succeed in their careers like so many have done for me.”
Rachael Wachstein, Sr. Director of Account Management
Ignite Visibility’s Sr. Director of Franchise Account Management, Rachael Wachstein, got her start in filmmaking before drifting into marketing. “My first ‘real job’ out of film school was in broadcast production in Chicago, IL, in 2004 at Leo Burnett, the ad agency that created Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger and other icons of advertising,” Rachael says. “When I started, women were mostly producers or in account services. I was an editor in post production, one of two women on the team.”
Eventually, the franchise industry became her focus. “I was a franchise social media strategist at an agency based outside of Chicago and I was sent to Washington, DC, to introduce social media—Facebook and Vine—to the franchise industry,” she stated. “This has been a theme in my career … applying best-in-class marketing and advertising tactics to franchising.”
This, in turn, led to her development as an industry leader. Rachael mentions, “Next, I started applying SEO strategy to franchising and the story of how I fixed a franchisor’s online reputation was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine under our agency’s name. I was also one of the first to start promoting Inbound Marketing for franchising.”
Morgan Thorp, VP of Digital PR and Social Media
Morgan Thorp, our Vice President of Digital PR and Social Media, talked about her experience: “I’ve worked in marketing for over 12 years. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside the industry and help build teams and strategies that drive real impact.”
In her experience, being a leader is “about setting a clear direction while also supporting your team along the way…”
Stephanie Oweka, VP of Talent Acquisition
“I’ve spent 16 years across industries, with the last six in digital marketing,” says Stephanie Oweka, Ignite’s Vice President of Talent Acquisition. “Building Ignite’s Talent Acquisition function from the ground up remains one of my proudest achievements.”
To her, leadership is “about empathy, psychological safety, mentorship, and removing barriers so diverse voices don’t just get heard but shape our future. My doctoral journey in I-O psychology reinforces this: the best organizations are both effective and genuinely human-centered. Here’s to the women redefining what’s possible.”
Karen Devlin, VP of AI SEO
With 22 years of experience, Ignite’s Vice President of AI SEO, Karen Devlin, defines a leader as:
One of her career-defining moments? “Wrapping up a presentation and hearing a client explain ‘nailed it’ for the first time! Never gets old.”
Pillar 3: Building and Scaling High-Impact Teams
Leadership largely involves building systems, structure, and alignment that foster long-term growth. The women at Ignite Visibility have worked to do just that, aiming to maximize scalability and help their teams develop and succeed.
Some key steps to take here as a leader include:
Building trust among teams
Scaling teams to enable growth alongside the industry
Creating clarity to ensure everyone is on the same page
According to Morgan Thorp, “One career-defining moment for me was helping build and scale a department. Developing the strategies, processes, and team structure that allowed us to grow sustainably really showed me how powerful strong leadership and clear systems can be.”
Meanwhile, Stephanie Oweka found that “creating a scalable, people-first foundation during hyper-growth has been deeply rewarding. . . ”
Product scalability is also crucial to Victoria Cheshire, a Senior Director of Customer Experience. “Maintaining product integrity while integrating new capabilities, teams, and customer bases required focus, alignment, and long-term vision,” Victoria mentions. “Seeing it emerge stronger and more scalable reinforced the impact of disciplined strategy and cross-functional collaboration.”
Advocacy, Value, and Breaking Barriers
Value is another key consideration, with Rachael Wachstein mentioning, “I was absolutely shocked when a guy who was just hired to my team thought I knew his salary and he mentioned it one day.” The pay gap was considerable. Aware of her value and threatening to leave the team to the company president, she accepted a significant raise, but with the lingering disappointment in that company’s lack of reciprocated investment in her.
Rachael’s ultimate advice to women in the industry is:
Advocating for those within your team and challenging inequity is equally vital, ensuring everyone has the same opportunities.
For Kelly Brown, Director of HR/Operations at Rallio, “Supporting employees through new opportunities, challenges, and transitions, and knowing you helped create an environment where they feel valued and empowered, is incredibly meaningful to me.”
Meanwhile, Megan Thorp would “like to see stronger mentorship opportunities for young women in tech, especially early in their careers. Access to experienced leaders can build confidence, accelerate growth, and create a clearer path to greater equity in the industry.”
Victoria Cheshire also states, “I’m fortunate that our leadership team already has a strong female presence, which makes a meaningful difference in perspective and decision-making. Moving forward, I’d love to see us continue building that pipeline at every level, ensuring women have access to stretch opportunities, sponsorship, and visibility early in their careers.”
Generally, you want to work toward breaking barriers that enable miscommunication and disjointed functions, creating a cohesive team that allows everyone to develop, potentially into new leaders.
The Power of Behind-the-Scenes Leadership
Keep in mind that a lot of leaders’ actions are invisible to others, but that doesn’t make them any less impactful.
“Some of the most impactful leadership moments happen behind the scenes,” Kelly Brown had to say, “when you help someone build confidence, find their voice, or take the next step in their career.”
Mentorship is a big key here. Victoria Cheshire explains: “I foster collaboration and mentorship by creating visibility and structure in how we work. We utilize Jira boards to ensure priorities and ownership are clear, which encourages cross-functional transparency and shared accountability. In our L10 meetings, we use parking lot categories to capture ideas and remove roadblocks without derailing focus. I also emphasize strong documentation, so knowledge is accessible, repeatable, and not siloed, which naturally creates opportunities for mentorship and learning across the team.”
All of this behind-the-scenes work helps build a stronger foundation that teams can build off of, further nurturing sustained growth across organizations.
Leadership as Legacy
Always remember that leadership isn’t simply about getting results. You also need to focus on the people you grow. Growth, mentorship, and impact are essential components here, allowing for long-term influence instead of merely short-term wins.
For example, Katie Knapp served as “a strong mentor to younger account managers. I never thought I would want to manage a team, and it wasn’t something I ever aspired for; however, it is something I am so happy happened because I have learned so much from my team, and I have been able to watch so many young people start their careers and watch them grow and shine.”
For Morgan Thorp, “Leadership means creating an environment where people feel confident to grow, take risks, and bring their ideas forward . . . Collaboration happens naturally when people feel supported. For me, mentorship is about giving team members real opportunities to take ownership, think strategically, and build confidence in their abilities.”
If you can effectively encourage growth among those who work with and under you, you’ll establish a lasting legacy as a leader in your industry. Be somebody that your team can not only look up to but also aspire to be, turning followers into fully capable leaders who can carry your efforts forward into the future.
Looking Toward a Bright Future in Marketing Leadership
The future of marketing leadership looks increasingly human, inclusive, and growth-driven. As these veteran women marketers have shown, true leadership goes well beyond achieving success metrics and growing a company; it’s as much as about connecting with everyone within the organization, encouraging them to be the best they can be and achieve their full potential at every level.
A good leader is an advocate and value-driven person who strives for perfection across teams, creating an equal-opportunity environment for each individual and helping them realize their value.
This is how we lead here at Ignite Visibility. Our team consists of experts who understand what it means to be a real leader, helping us excel within our organization, with these efforts then reflected in our ability to achieve real success for our clients.
For more marketing industry insights, check out our marketing resources today. If you would like to join our team, you can also learn about our available positions.
