Leeann Leahy

Leeann Leahy started in advertising at the tender age of 6 months — as an Ivory Snow baby — and has never left. Today she’s the CEO of VIA, an independent agency out of Portland, Maine that has been helping brands find their way to value creation for over 30 years. VIA has been honored as an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year multiple times, named an A-List Agency to Watch, and frequently awarded prizes for Best Culture. These days, the business is less about selling soap for Leeann, and more about crafting magic.  Leeann knows that a little magic can go a long way for both her agency and its clients … and a lot can change the world. From piloting a four-day workweek aimed at concentrating creativity, to replacing the traditional CCO model with something far more integrated, to introducing an employee-ownership model that puts every VIAn in the driver’s seat, Leeann leads VIA through the ever-evolving industry landscape using magic as her North Star — all while instilling in her associates the idea that believing is everything.