Congratulations to our Co-founder and CEO, Ryan Stern, on being honored by The Drum with a Gold Marketing Trailblazer Award! 

Thirteen years ago, Ryan Stern made a bet marketers hadn’t considered, and staked her career on the belief that real people with real influence on the internet would reshape how brands show up in culture long before “creator” was even a category. There was no precedent to follow; it was just conviction that influential online voices would outweigh traditional advertising and media buying.

Since co-founding Collectively and serving as its CEO since 2013, Ryan has built the agency that would go on to define the category and has grown it into a trusted social-first partner for global brands.

Ryan’s leadership is defined by rare balance: She pushes what’s next and protects what makes the work matter. Ryan is charting a clear path forward. It’s one that embraces technology that sharpens decision-making, creators who drive authentic connection, and measurable business outcomes that prove this discipline belongs at the center of modern marketing.