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AT&T's chief brand and advertising officer Fiona Carter is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities on June 26, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios. Her replacement has yet to be named.
Why it matters: Carter was responsible for AT&T's annual advertising budget of over $5 billion, one of the largest advertising budgets in the U.S.
- Carter has been with AT&T since 2015, joining before its acquisition of Time Warner and right after its acquisition of DirecTV.
- She joined AT&T from global ad agency Omnicom, where she served as chief operating officer of advertising, branding and research.
- Until recently, Carter was representing AT&T in interviews about advertising during COVID-19 and crises in general.
- Her legacy includes championing advertising campaigns that focused on gender disparities, including with women in sports.
What they're saying: In a statement included in the internal announcement, AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh said Carter "encouraged us to look at our brand positioning in powerful new ways and created initiatives that helped us connect with our audiences differently."