Sharon Napier

The ATHENA Award is given annually to a professional female leader who has demonstrated significant achievements in business, community service, and the professional advancement of women.

She Runs It, a not-for-profit organization that works to propel women into leadership roles in marketing and media, named Sharon as one of five women honored as Trailblazer Working Mothers of the Year for 2017. The women are nominated by their colleagues, and winners are selected by the She Runs It Executive Achievements Committee, a panel of judges composed of senior industry executives.

Trailblazer Moms are categorized as the pioneers of working motherhood. Like Napier, these women… Show more

She Runs It, a not-for-profit organization that works to propel women into leadership roles in marketing and media, named Sharon as one of five women honored as Trailblazer Working Mothers of the Year for 2017. The women are nominated by their colleagues, and winners are selected by the She Runs It Executive Achievements Committee, a panel of judges composed of senior industry executives.

Trailblazer Moms are categorized as the pioneers of working motherhood. Like Napier, these women began combining work and family at least 18 years ago and have run companies or held leadership positions while raising their children. The 2017 winners were selected from a total of 250 nominations.
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Sharon, a 2004 graduate with a Master’s in Service Leadership and Innovation, was named the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Outstanding Alumna of the Year for 2016. The award is the highest alumni honor the university can bestow.

Since attending RIT, Sharon has lent herself back to the university as a resource, notably working as a career mentor and speaker, supporting various RIT creative projects and helping RIT’s School of International Hospitality and Service Innovation with… Show more

Sharon, a 2004 graduate with a Master’s in Service Leadership and Innovation, was named the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Outstanding Alumna of the Year for 2016. The award is the highest alumni honor the university can bestow.

Since attending RIT, Sharon has lent herself back to the university as a resource, notably working as a career mentor and speaker, supporting various RIT creative projects and helping RIT’s School of International Hospitality and Service Innovation with internal branding initiatives.

Sharon has also donated to many RIT programs, including new media design, Saunders College of Business and the School of Design Alumni Scholarship. Some of the funding from her gifts has gone toward improvements in the new media design labs, incorporating state-of-the-art equipment that enables new media design students to be at the forefront of the field.
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Sharon was a featured speaker on Small Agencies and the M&A Landscape, a discussion moderated by Alex Bruell, lead agency reporter at Advertising Age. Panelists included Maurice Watkins, Partner at Results International; Peter Clark, CEO of The CHR Group; and Irene Whyte, Executive Director, M&A and Corporate Development and Interpublic Group of Cos.

Sharon was invited to share her experience building Partners + Napier and leading its acquisition by Project: WorldWide as a panelist on the Harvard Business Review CEO Panel: The Lessons from Selling an Agency. Other panelists included Jason DeLand, Founding Partner at Anomaly; Brad Brinegar, Partner, Chairman and CEO at McKinney; and moderator Adi Ignatius, Editor-In-Chief of the Harvard Business Review.

In 2014, the Art Director's Club, one of the most concentrated groups of creative talent in the world, launched the 50/50 Initiative, a movement that aims to highlight senior-level female executives in the male-dominated ad industry. Sharon was one of the first 50 leaders admitted to the 50/50 Initiative's directory, the definitive source of top female talent for conference and event organizers globally.

Sharon was honored by Ad Age as one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Advertising” in a special issue, coinciding with Advertising Women of New York’s centennial. Sharon was recognized as one of “The Rainmakers,” a list that included a select few industry trailblazers: Shelly Lazarus, chairman emeritus at Ogilvy & Mather; Laura Desmond, CEO at Starcom MediaVest Group; Kirsten Flanik, managing director at BBDO New York; Karen Kaplan, president at Hill Holliday; and others.

Sharon delivered the keynote speech at Ad Age's inaugural Small Agency Conference in New Orleans. The speech stressed the importance of knowing who you are, knowing the kind of work you want to do, and thinking big while acting small. Partners + Napier was also honored as a Small Agency of the Year, runner-up in the 76-150 employees category.

Bloomberg CEO Summit speaker (2011). Other panelists included Andrew Keller, CEO of Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Lee Garfinkel, CCO Global Brands of Euro RSCG; Greg Stern, CEO of Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners; Durk Barnhill, President of TAXI; and Aaron Reitkopf, CEO, The Americas of Profero.

Wall Street Journal Market Leaders speaker (2012). Other panelists included David Gwozdz, CEO of Mojiva; Diana Mogollon, GM of mun2 cable network; Scott Donaton, CEO of Ensemble; and Nigel Morris… Show more

Bloomberg CEO Summit speaker (2011). Other panelists included Andrew Keller, CEO of Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Lee Garfinkel, CCO Global Brands of Euro RSCG; Greg Stern, CEO of Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners; Durk Barnhill, President of TAXI; and Aaron Reitkopf, CEO, The Americas of Profero.

Wall Street Journal Market Leaders speaker (2012). Other panelists included David Gwozdz, CEO of Mojiva; Diana Mogollon, GM of mun2 cable network; Scott Donaton, CEO of Ensemble; and Nigel Morris, CEO of Aegis Media Americas.

TechCrunch Leadership Panel speaker (2013). Other panelists included Eric Bader, CMO of RadiumOne; Matt Sanchez, CEO and Co-Founder of Say Media; Coleen Kuehn, President of Strategy and Planning at Mediavest; Vicki Lins, CMO of Clear Channel Outdoor; and Jimmy Smith, Chairman and CEO/CCO of Amusement Park.

Sharon spoke at the Financial Times Global Leadership Forum (October 1, 2015). Other panelists included Scott Kauffman, Chairman and CEO of MDC; Tara Comonte, SVP, Chief Financial Officer of Getty Images; Joseph Ripp, Chairman and CEO of Time, Inc.; and Steve Williams, CEO Americas of Maxus. Session moderator will be Matt Garrahan, Global Media Editor of the Financial Times. Show less