Mark Avnet is Senior Director of Learning and Development at IAB, bringing over 25 years of senior leadership, learning and development, talent management, thought leadership, and innovation experience to IAB, its members and partners.
Before joining IAB, Mark was Senior Business Advisor for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, run through UMass Amherst in partnership with the US Small Business Administration. Simultaneously, Mark founded Converging Arts, a consultancy focused on professional development and education, working with clients in advertising and marketing, education, legal, technology, and publishing.
Prior to that, Mark was Head of Learning and Development at 360i, founding and leading L&D and Thought Leadership at this large Dentsu-owned digital-first advertising and marketing agency. He developed and facilitated programs to help the large employee base develop manager and leadership excellence, interpersonal and group communication skills, presentation and writing skills, ideation techniques, unconscious bias awareness and mitigation practices, dealing with digital disruption, and more. He also created video-based and online courses for both employees and clients. Mark worked directly with, and crafted and delivered L&D programs, for 360i clients including Coca-Cola, Nestle, Barilla, Kraft, Mondelez, Canon, Mattel, and Oscar Mayer, as well as colleges and universities on behalf of 360i.
Mark’s academic credentials include Professor and founding Head of the Creative Technology program at VCU Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter, widely recognized as the nation’s top graduate school in advertising and marketing. Mark was Chair of Communications at Russell Sage College/Sage Colleges of Albany, Visiting Professor at Marist College, and Adjunct professor in both NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Mark also developed a robust online program in Digital Branding and Strategy for SU’s master’s degree program.
Other industry roles include Senior Vice President and Director of Technology and Production at Ammirati Puris Lintas, Chief Technology Officer and Head of the Innovation Lab at Lot21 Interactive, Head of New Media at @radicalmedia, and Executive Producer and Head of Production at Hearst New Media.
Mark has been a professional musician, recording engineer/producer, and recording studio owner. He is a certified clinical hypnotherapist, and in an early career left-turn raised giant sea slugs for a living.
