“We can solve most anything,” Stacy DeRiso from Initiative

Meet Stacy DeRiso, US CEO at Initiative, where she plays an instrumental role in driving successful marketing strategies for major brands and contributing to the agency’s transformation. For Stacy, progress isn’t about embracing change. It’s about igniting it. And she puts this approach intto practice everyday.

Stacy was named Adweek’s 2023 Media All-Stars Executive of the Year, a prestigious honor for the industry’s top leaders. Her deep commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident in Initiative’s programs to attract diverse talent. She initiated new partnerships with She Runs It, The Mom Project, and the Boyd Initiative to open more pathways for women, mothers, and BIPOC talent to join the agency. Stacy has also reimagined the client relationship and introduced the Empathy Charter—a way to establish mutually beneficial client partnerships that will grow and succeed. 

Jocelyn Hudak, Senior Director, Content and Digital Marketing sat down with Stacy for a chat in our Pass the Mic booth at Cannes Lions where they talked about teamwork, gratitude, and leadership.

Ready to hear Stacy’s words of wisdom? Tune in to the full interview below. 

Bring smart people together. 

Highlight: ”We run into a lot of challenges, things we need to overcome. And I think that can be overwhelming to some. I believe that we can solve most anything when a few smart people come together. It may not be the same answer that a different group of people get to, but it's going to be a solution... And I think if you just kind of flip things, it changes mindset, it changes approach, and I think it unlocks a lot of optimism.” - Stacy DeRiso

Be kind to everyone. 

Highlight: ”Be kind to everyone. We will all work together again in some way… That's important. So we should all help each other. And there's good karma in that too.” - Stacy DeRiso

Trust your gut. 

Highlight: “I often say my biggest strength, and the only thing I've got going for me, is my gut. And I didn't have the confidence, probably up until fairly recently, to start just following it. And then once I started, probably about five-ish years ago, it was pretty game changing, actually. You know what to do, what not to do. You know when to call certain things. Just go with that.” - Stacy DeRiso

Think about gratitude and privilege. 

Highlight: “One of the things I try to think a lot about is both gratitude and privilege. Even something like being in Cannes, our luggage is lost. We're hustling all day into the night. It is a lot of work. It's hot. All the things. But really, we're doing it in this beautiful place. We’re being entertained, we're doing a lot of wonderful things, too, and we should be grateful for that and realize it's a privilege to be able to do those things.” - Stacy DeRiso

Practice transparent leadership. 

Highlight: ”I'm very transparent, and I like other people to feel like they can be as well, both in terms of transparency, in terms of supporting each other, in terms of being upfront about things—whether that's needs you might have in life and how that balances with work, whether that's about how someone is performing or not, whether that's about what's really happening in business or certain client relationships. I'd say very transparent and instinctual. That's how I would describe my leadership style.” - Stacy DeRiso

Help people find balance. 

Highlight: “I think helping women be successful and know that they can continue to work in this business and frankly continue to work, because what we saw during COVID was a lot of women opting out… But helping people find ways to balance what they need to and to be successful.”  - Stacy DeRiso

Stacy’s kindness and transparency are part of what make her such a great leader. If you’re ready for more advice, check out our Pass the Mic page.