Markstein, an integrated communications agency, today announced that Keelie Segars has been named chief executive officer. Segars will lead Markstein’s team in its Birmingham, Alabama, and Washington D.C. offices.
“Markstein is inspired by the belief that helping solve complex problems – related to business, legislative or societal challenges – can change the world for the better,” said founder and chairman Danny Markstein. “I have the utmost confidence that, under Keelie’s leadership, we will continue to inspire each other to serve our most important constituents – our clients and our team.”
Throughout her tenure at Markstein, Keelie has served as a key leader on a variety of successful initiatives, growing the agency’s paid media strategic offering, improving profitability and launching strategic industry alliances that have elevated Markstein’s stature beyond its local markets.
Prior to joining Markstein, Segars spent nearly 20 years in advertising, most recently as vice president, group account director for a regional advertising agency, overseeing client activities. Specializing in the development and implementation of fully integrated advertising and marketing campaigns, Segars’ work has been recognized internationally and applauded by prestigious organizations such as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. She has worked with clients including Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations across a variety of industries, including healthcare, food and beverage, tourism, manufacturing and home.
“I am honored by the opportunity to take on this role, especially at such a pivotal point in our agency’s growth,” said Segars. “We are significantly outpacing industry benchmarks with a seven-year streak of double-digit growth, which is a driving force behind the opening of our D.C. office earlier this year. Markstein’s approach – deep diagnosis, measurable creative strategies and vigilant performance monitoring – has allowed us to develop new areas of specialization that we will announce in the coming months.”
Segars is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) Women’s CEO Forum and actively is engaged in the Birmingham arts community, serving in a variety of roles, including more than seven years on the board of directors for Red Mountain Theatre Company.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Birmingham Southern College with a double major in history and economics and completed a course of study at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Keble College, Oxford University. In addition, she holds a certificate in human resources from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and was certified as a senior human resources professional by the Society for Human Resources Management.