The American Advertising Federation (AAF) revealed the 2024 class of inductees to its Advertising Hall of Achievement (AHOA), including Marques E. Zak '05, Head of Multicultural Marketing for American Express.
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The honorees are professionals under 40 who are leading the industry forward, according to the AAF. They were selected after a months-long, rigorous review of candidates by industry leaders including former inductees and marketers across media, agency, consumer goods companies and social platforms.
Zak is an award-winning strategist and brand builder that operates at the intersection of creativity, culture, and commerce. He currently serves as Head of Multicultural Marketing at American Express. In this role, he leads the development and execution of integrated multicultural marketing campaigns to drive brand consideration, demand, and loyalty amongst key customer segments including Gen Z and multicultural millennials through content and dedicated experiential programs. For his work, he has been awarded with the company’s highest recognitions, including the Edward P. Gilligan Award for Innovation. SurveyMonkey also recognized him as an inaugural Curiosity Award winner, an award that celebrates extraordinary marketing professionals who are driving innovation and shaping what’s next for their businesses, industries, and communities.
Prior to American Express, Marques was a director at PepsiCo where for 9 years he held roles of increasing responsibility across account management, innovation, partnerships, and business development helping grow the Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) business. In his last role at FLNA, he managed a $1.2B P&L with the remit to drive volume, profit, and share growth across key strategic retailers. Passionate about recruiting and developing talent, Marques served as an executive sponsor for diversity recruiting to attract top talent to roles across the company. Before joining PepsiCo, Marques was a strategy and operations consultant with Deloitte Consulting focused on M&A strategy and integration.
Marques is a member of The Recording Academy (2024 Class), serves on the Cornell University Council, Cornell University Library Advisory Council and the Steering Committee of the Alvin Ailey Young Patrons Circle. In 2024, he also became an inaugural member of the ADCOLOR Leaders Advisory Board (LAB).
He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate and received a BA in Business Administration from Morehouse and holds an MBA from Cornell University. In 2024 he was acknowledged for his commitment to service within the Cornell community with the Robert J. Swieringa Recent Alumni Service Award and in 2018 with the Wilbur Parker Distinguished Black Alumni Award. Marques is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and in his free time, enjoys international travel (40+ countries) and attending music festivals.
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Alumni Achievement