Jerri DeVard

CEO and Founder, Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA)

Jerri is the Founder of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA), an alliance designed to champion corporate diversity and help build the next generation of C-suite marketing executives. As a former Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of Office Depot, Inc., Jerri was responsible for the P&L for eCommerce, Customer Service, all Marketing functions, Data & Analytics, Communications and Events, having previously served as its Chief Marketing Officer.

Advertising Age awarded Jerri with the 2021 Vanguard Award, which honors a woman in marketing, media and advertising on overall career achievements. Chosen by the editors of AdAge, honorees are selected based upon a number of factors, including their role in inspiring and mentoring others in the industry, and how the impact of their work and their involvement in associations, boards and businesses has blazed trails for other women.

She has more than 30 years of extensive marketing and leadership experience at large global brands. Prior to Office Depot, she served as Chief Marketing Officer of The ADT Corporation, a leading provider of home and business security services. Prior to that, Jerri served as Executive Vice President, CMO for Nokia based in Helsinki and London. Additionally, she held senior marketing roles as SVP-Verizon Communications, CMO-Citibank, VP-Revlon, VP-Harrah’s Entertainment, the NFL and General Mills, formerly the Pillsbury Company. Jerri is an Economics graduate of Spelman College, where she served as a member of the Board of Trustees and received her MBA from Clark Atlanta University Graduate School of Business. She currently serves as a director on the boards of Under Armour Inc., Cars.com, and Root Insurance. Previously, she served on the boards of ServiceMaster, Belk, Gurwitch Products, Tommy Hilfiger and the advisory board of PepsiCo.

Jerri has been selected by Black Enterprise as one of the 75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America and 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, named by AdAge as a Rockstar CMO and Power Player and 50 Women to Watch by the Wall Street Journal.