Kirk McDonald

Summary

Kirk McDonald is a visionary, purpose-driven leader with a track record of inspiring teams, transforming businesses, and driving growth at scale. As CEO of Sundial Media Group (SMG), Kirk leads a dynamic portfolio of culturally iconic brands and experiences, including ESSENCE Ventures (ESSENCE, Girls United, Naturally Curly), AFROPUNK, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, and Refinery29 including Beautycon, Somos, and Unbothered. SMG is a vertically integrated human connections company powered by technology and sitting at the intersection of content, community, commerce, and culture. Kirk currently serves on the boards of Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) and Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD), and lends his voice and leadership to several industry and community organizations—including the Ad Council (as Co-Chair), Paley Center for Media, the Executive Leadership Council, and as a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance. Previously, Kirk was CEO of GroupM North America (2020–2023), overseeing 6,500+ employees and ~$20B in media investment. During his tenure, he drove three years of consecutive growth while launching important industry and employee programs like the Media Inclusion Initiative in support of diverse media companies and creators, and built GroupM University and Launch Pad to expand access for emerging talent from nontraditional paths. Before that, Kirk was Chief Business Officer at WarnerMedia, and Chief Marketing Officer at Xandr, where he launched the award-winning Xandr brand and helped shape AT&T’s future-facing media strategy. He's held other leadership and executive roles at: PubMatic; Time Inc/Time Warner; Aquantive; CNET; Conde Nast. Kirk has been recognized as one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 100, Empower’s Top 100 Executives (2022 & 2023), an honoree of the Black Men Xcel Summit, and one of Adweek’s 50 Vital Leaders in Tech, Media & Marketing. His thought leadership has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Adweek, The Drum, AdExchanger, and more.