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Shauna Griffiths and husband John were married in Montana.
Photo by: TORI PINTAR
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s an executive at an agency with an increasingly wide-ranging set of clients, it’s not rare for Shauna Griffiths to bounce from a phone call about “Sesame Street” to one about the Drone Racing League.
Shauna Griffiths
LeadDog Marketing Group // Senior vice president, strategic marketing, partnerships and communications
Colorado-based Griffiths, whose previous stops include Nike and the Brooklyn Nets, is senior vice president of strategic marketing, partnerships and communications for New York-based LeadDog Marketing Group. The agency, whose clients include Audi, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Cirque du Soleil, was acquired late last year by CSM Sport & Entertainment.
On top of helping oversee the integration of LeadDog into CSM and opening LeadDog’s Colorado office, Griffiths has been charged with driving revenue and closing new business, tripling the headcount of one of the departments she oversees and mentoring numerous colleagues.
“It is as many things as it seems like,” Griffiths said with a laugh. “It is an incredibly busy time. In the last year and a half, our communications business has grown 1,000 percent … so it’s interesting because in that growth period, so much is going on with the business and projects themselves, but then when you have all those new people, it’s about developing them, which is so important.”
Accounts brought in by LeadDog in recent years that Griffiths helps oversee, in addition to the drone league, include Virgin Sport San Francisco and Silver Chalice/Stadium.
“We are excited to work with new brands that are launching, and we can lean on one of our strengths in being nimble, scrappy and being able to work at a fast pace, which a lot of those new brands are doing,” Griffiths said. “These emerging brands have been really important for us. That overlap of tech and sport has been a great space for us.”
- Where born: Ann Arbor, Mich.
- Education: University of Michigan, B.A. in psychology; Eastern Michigan University, MBA.
- Attributes I look for when hiring: Realness and a true understanding of “team.”
- Networking tip I’ve learned: Be real and genuine, look to provide value.
- Best advice I’ve received for career development: Dare to dream and go catch your dreams.
- Sports business industry can foster a healthier work-life balance by: Create options for flexible schedules; limit the number of hours staff are allowed to work each week.
- If I had it to do over again, I would: Find my voice earlier in my career.
- Woman in sports business I’d most like to meet: Danielle Maged, executive vice president of global partnerships, Fox Networks Group, formerly of StubHub, RedBird Capital, NBA, MSG and ESPN International. I’ve followed her career and admired her from afar for years. From what I know, she has done remarkable things throughout her career and is an incredible dealmaker. I have heard such wonderful things about her personally and professionally. I would love to learn about her journey, talk deal-making and hear her perspective on career and life balance.
- Is discussion about challenges women face working in sports necessary or played out? Absolutely necessary. While we have made progress over the years, challenges still exist. Open, honest dialogue and support is needed to continue to evolve.
- Causes supported: International Mountain Biking Association, Colorado Mountain Biking Association, Planned Parenthood.
