The world has changed racially and ethnically, while our marketing talent pool has fallen short. We have to invest in promising Black talent today--empower them to claim their inclusive voice and power--and give them agency to create the marketing plans that really connect diverse audiences while yielding above average returns. BECA is committed to advancing future leaders as well as marketing.

Diane Primo

Member
CEO, Purpose Brand Agency

Diane Primo is the CEO of the Purpose Brand agency, an award-winning, Chicago-based public relations, branding and digital marketing firm. Her focus on impact marketing stems from the belief that brands must be relevant, purpose-driven and committed to consumers to be successful today. Consumers’ demand for meaning, transparency and authenticity has changed the nature and raised the stakes in all communications.

Diane is the only Black female CEO of a purpose-driven communications agency. As founder of Purpose Brand, Diane builds on a groundbreaking 30-year career leading some of the top marketing organizations in the country. She served as general manager at Quaker Oats, president of product management at Ameritech and SBC (currently AT&T), chief marketing officer of CDW and CEO of a Kleiner Perkins-backed e-commerce startup in the home services sector. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Smith College.

Diane is currently a board member for P33, the private sector initiative to promote Chicago’s standing as a technology center. She is also a committee member of World Business Chicago’s ChicagoNEXT, the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Network and the Business Leadership Council.

Diane’s personal public service record reflects her personal commitments to eradicating homelessness, helping underserved populations and furthering gender equality. She was proud to consult with the George Floyd family’s civil legal team. Diane is a recipient of the Hassenfeld Family Initiatives Humanitarian Award and was a presenter at the G8 UK Deauville Partnership Summit. She is currently co-chairman of the nationally recognized Primo Center, Chicago’s largest center for homeless families, an organization her family founded. Diane also co-founded SOAR, an organization that focuses on empowering, connecting and growing the number of women of color in media. She is  a #1 bestselling author and her recent award winning book, ADAPT, Scaling purpose in a divisive world, outlines the framework for operationalizing purpose in corporate America, and details how marketers can contribute to this effort.

Back to members list