# Ashley Cooksley

> Ashley Cooksley is the CEO of Social Element, the global social media agency she joined in 2008 after earlier online-community work that included AOL. She built the agency's North American operation, became its regional CEO in 2022 and global co-CEO in 2024, and moved into the sole CEO role when MarketFully acquired Social Element in December 2025. Her public work joins commercial growth with a consistent argument: brands should create safer, more useful and more human online communities.

- **Role:** CEO at Social Element
- **Organizations:** Social Element, MarketFully Group, AOL, Cape Fear Center for Inquiry
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** North Carolina State University
- **Known for:** Built and diversified Social Element's U.S. operation after joining in 2008., Led Social Element's North American business through a reported 25% revenue increase by 2022., Won a 2020 Silver Stevie for Woman of the Year in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Launched an early online community for teenagers, beginning her work in online community and safety.
- **2005** — Worked at AOL during the period when colleagues from the company participated in UK government work on child safety online.
- **2006-2008** — Served in new-media proposition development at AOL UK.
- **2008** — Joined the agency then known as eModeration, now Social Element, to support and grow its U.S. business.
- **2015** — Helped run a live social-media crisis simulation at SXSW with Polpeo colleagues.
- **2019** — Became Managing Director for North America at Social Element.
- **2020** — Won a Silver Stevie for Woman of the Year in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations; Social Element also received a Silver Stevie for Women-Run Workplace of the Year.
- **2022** — Promoted to CEO, North America after the regional business reported 25% revenue growth; named to Campaign's 40 Over 40.
- **2024** — Appointed global co-CEO alongside Linn Frost and helped lead the Make Social Better campaign.
- **2025** — Became CEO of Social Element after MarketFully acquired the agency in December.
- **2026** — Continued to lead Social Element inside MarketFully, promoting trust and safety hiring and the agency's Brand Currency Index.

## Achievements

- Built and diversified Social Element's U.S. operation after joining in 2008.
- Led Social Element's North American business through a reported 25% revenue increase by 2022.
- Won a 2020 Silver Stevie for Woman of the Year in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.
- Was named one of Campaign's 40 Over 40 in 2022.
- Helped lead Social Element's all-female executive team, which received The Drum's Leadership Team of the Year recognition in 2021.
- Advanced from North American managing director to regional CEO, global co-CEO and then CEO of Social Element.
- Co-led the Make Social Better initiative calling on brands, agencies and platforms to build safer and more constructive online spaces.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Highlighted Social Element's recruitment of a Trust & Safety Lead and connected it to her online-safety work dating to 1997.
- **2026-07** — Promoted Social Element's Brand Currency Index, based on more than 12,500 data points across 477 brands.
- **2026-05** — Welcomed Mathieu Champigny as CEO of MarketFully and said she looked forward to shaping the group's next phase with him.
- **2025-12** — Became CEO of Social Element when MarketFully acquired the agency; the deal's terms were not disclosed.

## Links

- Website: https://thesocialelement.agency
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleycooksley
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/eModAshley

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ashley-cooksley
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-22