#26 Jo Gilley

Overture Promotions (asi/288473)
CEO

2023 Rank: #29

Industry Experience: 7 Years

Previous Appearances on Power 50: 5

Jo Gilley made a major move in September when Overture acquired Swedish agency Brandon, giving the Counselor Top 40 distributor a presence in EMEA as well as an office in Shanghai. While Brandon retains its name and leadership, the companies are joined together under the newly formed Overture Marketing Group, which will do business internationally (Gilley says the company onboarded several new global customers this year) and is projected to have about $150 million in total global revenue in 2024.

Sustainability and diversity have been priorities under Gilley’s watch. Overture achieved a Silver EcoVadis rating last November, hired an ESG compliance specialist and announced in February that it planted 100,000 trees in a 16-month span through its partnership with Ecologi. Gilley notes that Overture – which this year was named a Counselor Best Place to Work – “widened our hiring aperture to increase diversity,” with 68% of applicants and 80% of new hires being diverse. The Waukegan, IL-based distributor also expanded its training team and added new programs, including the launch last year of Overture Women Leaders (OWL), which equips the company’s women employees with career planning and progression. “OWL has been a dream of mine for several years,” said Gilley last October when the initiative was announced, “and I’m thrilled that our training team has launched it.”