Bill Imada

Co-Founder, Chairman & Chief Connectivity Officer, IW Group

Bill Imada is Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Connectivity Officer of IW Group, an advertising and public relations agency specializing in the multicultural markets within the U.S.  For more than three decades, Bill and his team have played a critical role in engaging the growing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Today, his agency has expanded its reach to include other diverse consumers, including Hispanics/Latinos, Black and African Americans, LGBTQIA individuals, and more.  

IW Group’s client partners include Apple TV+, AARP, Bank of the West, BeamSuntory, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, City of Hope, CVS Health, Edison International/Southern California Edison, Jack Daniels, Janssen, Lexus, Love Bonito, MARVEL, McDonald’s, NBCUniversal, Nielsen, Northwestern Mutual, On Lok, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Walmart, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Pictures Entertainment, Wells Fargo, and many others.

Bill serves on the boards of the ANA Educational Foundation, Coalition for Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, Institute for Public Relations, LAGRANT Foundation, National ACE, PBS Southern California, and the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations.

Bill believes in supporting post-secondary education and serves on several marketing, public relations, and advertising advisory councils for universities such as California State University-Northridge, the University of Southern California, the University of Florida, the University of Oregon, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Western Connecticut State University.

At ADCOLOR 2016, Bill received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2022, Bill was inducted into the PR Week Hall of Fame. His agency has also received dozens of prestigious industry awards, which includes being named Multicultural Agency of the Year by AdAge in 2022.

In his spare time, Bill has co-authored You Got This!, a career skills book published by Wiley. He also serves on the Innovation Committee for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a global organization which accredits more than 1,000 business schools.  Additionally, he has founded or co-founded six national organizations, including the Asian/Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE), ACE NextGen, APIA Scholars, AAPI DEI Leaders, the National Millennial and GenZ Community, and VOICES for AAPIs in Communications.

IW Group has been a proud partner of Interpublic Group (IPG) for more than two decades. The agency also is a member of Worldcom Group, a global network of independent marketing and public relations agency.  

Bill credits his success to the Anheuser-Busch Companies, who awarded him his very first contract before 1990. He also wishes to thank and acknowledge the agency’s many clients, staff, media partners, civic leaders, and suppliers for their unwavering support. And finally, to the executives and senior leadership at Interpublic Group (IPG) and Worldcom.