Gail Heimann

Gail Heimann is Chief Executive Officer of Weber Shandwick and oversees The Weber Shandwick
Collective (TWSC), the leading earned-first network – a strategic communications and consulting
powerhouse built for “the era of earned.” She is retiring this year.
 
TWSC is fueled by a breadth and depth of sector and service expertise across 11 brands with offices in 6
continents. Its wide range of proficiency spans from organizational transformation to public affairs to
digital transformation. Gail is dedicated to continuing to build a global organization differentiated by the power of its specialist expertise, its commitment and willingness to innovate and its culture of
collaboration.
 
As CEO, Gail elevates and accelerates the kind of big picture, convention-breaking thinking that drives
action – love, loyalty, awe, advocacy – and earns enduring change. At her core, she’s an idea maker and
future shaper with a relentless drive to discover the new and the next. Throughout her storied career,
Gail has helped to build brands and burnish reputations for a significant percentage of the Fortune 500
and has worked on iconic brands and campaigns across every sector. 
 
Gail was a catalyst in Weber Shandwick being named as the only PR agency to the prestigious Ad Age
Agency A-List in 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2024, and featured as an A-List “Standout” Agency in 2017 and
2018. Ad Age also named Weber Shandwick to its Best Places to Work list in 2019. Weber Shandwick
was also honored as PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2024 and for four years in a row (2015 to
2018). Additional accolades include being named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list
(2024), PRWeek’s Purpose Agency of the Year in 2020 and 2021, PRovoke‘s Global Agency of the Year in
2015, 2017 and 2019 – and PRovoke Global Agency of the Decade in 2020.
 
Under Gail’s leadership, Weber Shandwick has won 225+ Cannes Lions and has been credited on 50+
D&AD pencils in partnership with leading brands around the world. Gail has served on five juries at the
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: President of the Public Relations jury in 2012 and 2021;
a member of the inaugural jury for the Glass Lions, which celebrate work that breaks through gender
bias and stereotypes, in 2014; a member of the Cannes Lions Titanium jury in 2018 and a member of the
Young Lions jury in 2022.
 
In 2020, Gail was named the PR Agency Head winner in Campaign’s inaugural U.S. Agency of the Year
awards. In 2019, she was honored twice by PRWeek as U.S. Agency Professional of the Year and Global
Agency Professional of the Year. In 2016, she was inducted into PRWeek’s inaugural Hall of Femme (now
Women of Distinction), recognizing female trailblazers in communications. And in 2015, Gail was named
to PRovoke’s North America Innovator 25 list, which celebrates individuals who accelerate innovation
and push boundaries within the public relations industry. Earlier in her career, Gail was named an Ad
Age Woman to Watch.
 
Gail sits on the Board of Directors for the Susan G. Komen organization, The LAGRANT Foundation and
Ad Council.
 
Gail and her husband have two daughters and live in New York City.