# Kristen Cavallo

> Kristen Cavallo is the Richmond-based CEO of MARTIN* and artistic director of the Branch Museum of Design. A strategist by training, she became Martin’s first female CEO in 2017, later led MullenLowe Global, left advertising in 2024 and returned to MARTIN* in April 2026. Her leadership has linked creative work with pay equity, broader representation and the development of other leaders.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at MARTIN*; Artistic Director at The Branch Museum of Design
- **Organizations:** MARTIN*, The Branch Museum of Design, MullenLowe Global, Mullen, Arnold Worldwide, The Richmond Forum
- **Education:** Degree in marketing, James Madison University, MBA, decision sciences and statistics, George Mason University
- **Known for:** Ad Age Executive of the Year, 2019., Virginia Business Person of the Year, 2023., George Mason School of Business Distinguished Alumna of the Year, 2019.

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Joined Mullen as a strategic planner.
- **1995** — Joined Arnold Worldwide as a senior strategic planner.
- **1998** — Joined The Martin Agency as senior vice president and group planning director.
- **2005** — Became director of business development at Martin.
- **2011** — Returned to Mullen as chief strategy officer.
- **2014** — Named president of Mullen’s Boston office.
- **2017** — Became The Martin Agency’s first female CEO in December.
- **2022** — Named global CEO of MullenLowe in November while continuing to lead Martin.
- **2024** — Danny Robinson succeeded her at Martin in January; announced retirement from MullenLowe in March.
- **2025** — Appointed executive director of The Branch Museum of Design in January.
- **2026** — Returned as MARTIN* CEO in April and transitioned to artistic director at The Branch.

## Achievements

- Ad Age Executive of the Year, 2019.
- Virginia Business Person of the Year, 2023.
- George Mason School of Business Distinguished Alumna of the Year, 2019.
- Led Martin during its Adweek Agency of the Year wins in 2020 and 2021 and Ad Age Agency of the Year win in 2023.
- MARTIN* reports 50 percent growth over five years during her earlier CEO tenure.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Virginia Business lists Cavallo as MARTIN* CEO and confirms her continuing artistic director role at The Branch.
- **2026-03** — MARTIN* announced her return as CEO effective April 2026, succeeding Danny Robinson.
- **2026-02** — Delivered the CreativeMornings/RVA talk “You Can Go Your Own Way.”
- **2025-01** — Named executive director of the newly renamed Branch Museum of Design.

## Links

- Website: https://www.martinagency.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-cavallo-1044633/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Cavallokristen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kristen-cavallo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-06