Empower Media Names Ashlee Clarke CEO, Majority Shareholder

Empower Media is getting into a brand new period of possession and management, as Ashlee Clarke turns into the bulk shareholder and CEO of the impartial company, primarily based in Cincinnati. Clarke is the founder, CEO and CCO of artistic and media company NitroC, and the 2 businesses at the moment are tied collectively by the acquisition.

With the brand new management construction, Empower Media will proceed to service its media purchasers, together with Bush Brothers, Zaxby’s, Brooks Operating, American Customary, Wendy’s and Rust-Oleum, whereas NitroC will service artistic purchasers, together with Sprouts Farmers Market, Academy Sports activities + Outside, Jockey and FreshPet.

Clarke has had success within the leisure, artistic and enterprise worlds and is bringing that collective expertise to Empower. Other than main NitroC, she has additionally obtained accolades as a Broadway producer and winner of a number of Tony Awards for American Buffalo and the difference of Tootsie for Broadway.

A legacy of empowerment

Empower, based in 1985 by Mary Beth Value, was bought in 2018 by her son Jim Value, who has run the corporate as CEO since 2009. Empower doubled in measurement over the past 4 years and achieved 30% income progress since 2020. Jim Value will stay with Empower for one yr as non-executive chairman.

“It was time for Empower to enter a brand new period. We discovered the right companions who will preserve our values and powerful impartial place that can assist Empower thrive for many years to come back,” Value stated in a press release.

Although it has touted its progress, Empower just lately laid off 15% of its workers, which Value attributed to hiring “too many individuals” after predicting continued progress of not less than 30% year-over-year.

“With the entire indicators pointing to a potential financial downturn, we merely don’t see the identical 30%+ progress and as such we would have liked to right-size our group,” Value stated.

It was essential to Value to construct upon Empower’s woman-owned legacy, and including Clarke on the high solidifies Empower as the biggest woman-owned media company within the U.S., in response to Empower.

“What’s actually thrilling is we’re inheriting fairly the legacy that the Value household has constructed. The strides they’ve made for ladies in management and their give attention to range, fairness and inclusion has been a key driver of their progress,” Clarke stated in a press release.

Clarke added that she plans to proceed to construct on Empower’s range momentum—17% of the workers is various, and 64% of senior stage positions at the moment are held by ladies, with ladies making up 70% of the general group primarily based out of its workplaces in Cincinnati, Chicago and Atlanta.

Chris Clarke joins Empower Media as govt chairman to supervise the strategic progress of each Empower’s purchasers and the Empower company. An achieved promoting trade veteran identified for his thought management, Chris Clarke co-founded SapientNitro and guided it as govt chairman and CCO earlier than promoting to Publicis.

With the addition of the Clarkes and the NitroC group, Empower will add New York, Palm Seaside and Houston workplaces in addition to extra artistic capabilities to develop the company.