New York, NY, August 16, 2021 – Adweek, the leading resource for brand marketers, today announced the recipients of its 32nd annual Brand Genius Awards, the marketing and branding world’s consummate honor. The Trevor Project—recipient of Brand Save, Adweek’s recognition of excellence in the nonprofit sector—will also be celebrated, along with its fellow honorees, at the virtual Brandweek summit, Sept. 20–24.
In its second year as a virtual event, Brandweek will feature main stage presentations, invite-only Masterclasses, breakout social activities and opportunities for one-on-one networking. Many of the Brand Genius honorees will be leading these presentations and Masterclasses, and all will be celebrated throughout the weeklong event. CEO and Executive Director Amit Paley will be accepting the Brand Save Award on behalf of The Trevor Project.
Adweek’s Brand Genius Awards recognize outstanding brands, and the executives who lead their marketing teams, for bold thinking, imaginative marketing and a willingness to break with convention.
Each of this year’s honorees will be profiled in Adweek’s Brand Genius issue (Sept. 13) and on Adweek.com.
“With the development and disbursement of a vaccine in record-breaking time, the massive move into IPOs, an ongoing tussle with Big Tech, for marketers, 2021 has been yet another transformative, uncertain year,” said Lisa Granatstein, Chief Content Officer. “This class of Brand Genius honorees represent the sort of visionary leaders the industry needs as it prepares for a new world.”
The 2021 Brand Genius Award winners, as chosen by Adweek’s senior editors and industry experts, are:
- Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and President, Healthcare Business, Mastercard
- Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer at Petco
- Alan Bethke, SVP of Marketing, Subaru of America
- Nick Tran, Global Head of Marketing, TikTok
- Mary Beth Laughton, President and CEO, Athleta
- Barbara Messing, Chief Marketing and People Experience Officer, Roblox
- Lish Kennedy, VP of Global Brand, Vrbo
- Dara Treseder, SVP, Head of Global Marketing and Communications, Peloton
- Doug Palladini, Global Brand President at Vans
- Sweta Patel, Vice President Engagement Growth Marketing, Roku and The Roku Channel
2021 Brand Save: The Trevor Project – the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people
The Trevor Project is now considered the leading organization for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention in the United States. Statistics show that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. The organization grew out of the Academy Award-winning short film Trevor, released in 1994, about a 13-year-old boy who is bullied because of his sexual orientation and struggles with suicidal ideations, but ultimately finds acceptance.
The annual Brand Visionary Award, honoring the most influential people in the world who effect positive change, will be announced soon. Past honorees include Serena Williams, Dame Anna Wintour, Bono and Ryan Reynolds.
To attend Brandweek, go to event.adweek.com/brandweek-2021.
For all press inquiries, contact pr@adweek.com.
About Adweek LLC
Adweek is the leading source of news and insights serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweek’s award-winning coverage reaches an engaged audience of more than 6 million professionals across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their jobs better.
