# Bant Breen

> Bant Breen is a New York-based marketing executive, academic, and founder of Qnary, the executive reputation company he launched after a career building digital, mobile, search, and social-media businesses inside major advertising groups. A 2010 Advertising Hall of Achievement inductee, he combines operating experience with research on artificial intelligence and executive reputation, and currently serves as Qnary's founder, chairman, and global CEO, an adjunct professor at Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull, and a director of Super League Enterprise.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman and Global CEO at Qnary
- **Organizations:** Qnary, Super League Enterprise, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull, IV.AI, Harte Hanks, Reprise Media, Initiative, Interpublic Group, Dentsu, Leo Burnett Worldwide, WPP
- **Education:** B.A. with honors in History and Art History, Duke University, M.A. and B.A., Trinity College, University of Cambridge, Ph.D. in Communication; dissertation on AI marketing practitioner perceptions and practices, Blanquerna - Universitat Ramon Llull
- **Known for:** Inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement in 2010., Built or led early digital, mobile, search, social-media, and emerging-technology operations across WPP, Dentsu, Publicis, and Interpublic Group., Founded Qnary, which appeared on the Inc. 5000 in five consecutive years from 2018 through 2022, according to his public biography.

## Career timeline

- **c. 1986** — At 16, Breen and friends started an advertising agency in Evanston, Illinois.
- **1990s** — Began his professional career as a WPP Fellow, then worked for five years at Leo Burnett Worldwide.
- **2003-2007** — Founded and led a strategic marketing consultancy affiliated with Dentsu.
- **2006-2011** — Held a series of Interpublic Group leadership roles spanning Universal McCann, the IPG Emerging Media Lab, Ansible, Initiative, and Reprise Media.
- **2010** — Inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement while serving as President, Worldwide Digital Communications at Initiative.
- **2011-2012** — Founded Qnary in New York; the company and Breen's own biography use 2012 as its public launch year, while corporate filings date its formation to November 2011.
- **2018-2019** — Served on the board of Harte Hanks and briefly as its chief executive from January to May 2019 before returning his focus to Qnary.
- **2020** — Defended his Ph.D. dissertation on advertising practitioners' perceptions and use of artificial intelligence.
- **2021** — Named to PRWeek's Dashboard 25 list of communications technology leaders.
- **2025** — Appointed an independent director of Super League Enterprise.

## Achievements

- Inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement in 2010.
- Built or led early digital, mobile, search, social-media, and emerging-technology operations across WPP, Dentsu, Publicis, and Interpublic Group.
- Founded Qnary, which appeared on the Inc. 5000 in five consecutive years from 2018 through 2022, according to his public biography.
- Co-authored the International Public Relations Association Gold Paper on executive reputation, based on a six-country survey of 6,200 employees.
- Completed a Ph.D. on artificial intelligence perceptions and practices in the marketing industry in 2020.
- Named to PRWeek's Dashboard 25 in 2021.
- Appointed to the board of Nasdaq-listed Super League Enterprise in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Joined the board of Super League Enterprise as an independent director and member of its strategic and nominating and governance committees.
- **2025-01** — Qnary launched an online reputation management service designed to add crisis and search-result remediation to its executive visibility work.
- **2025-01** — Repeated his 2020 study of AI attitudes with 520 marketing and advertising professionals; the results are now presented on his personal site as a new edition of 'I Think Therefore I Am.'

## Links

- Website: https://www.bantbreen.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bantbreen/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/BantBreen

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