Zihla Salinas Becomes COO of Yes&

Full-service agency Yes& has named noted advertising executive Zihla Salinas as chief operating officer. In this role, she will deliver operational leadership and contribute to growth across the agency in such areas as new business development, mergers and acquisitions, and talent development.

Yes& has been named one of Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agencies of 2023 and four times to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing privately held companies. The Yes& group includes Yes& Lipman Hearne, Yes& Federal, Spero Studio Federal, and Yes& CommCore. The agency delivers “positivity + possibility” through an expanding suite of capabilities including branding, digital, analytics, media, advertising, customer experience (CX), market research, content development, studio services, event production, crisis communications, media training, and public relations. Serving clients nationwide, the company maintains hubs in the Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Philadelphia areas. Some Yes& clients include FEMA, Dell Technologies, the Smithsonian Institution, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, Pfizer, Google, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, the U.S. Mint, and Sentara Healthcare.

Zihla is an industry veteran with expertise in building agencies through organic growth, strategic partnerships, and corporate development. She is the co-founder of Conspiracy Theory, a powerful advertising and marketing network that caters to Fortune 500 clients by acquiring top-tier specialist agencies. 

Before that, she was the U.S. CEO and global CMO of ENGINE, for which she oversaw global brand identity and integrated media capabilities. She was also CEO of Trailer Park Group, a leading entertainment marketing, and content creation company, and managing director of Doner LA, a full-service agency within the MDC Partners network. She also served as SVP of strategy & development at MDC Partners and as CMO of RAPP.

Zihla is an active board member and consultant for agencies and private equity firms that utilise her industry expertise within their portfolio companies and prospective investments. She was recently added to the advisory board of Evalla Advisors, a boutique investment banking firm focused on the marketing, digital media and e-commerce sectors and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Marcus Graham Project, which is dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion within the industry.

“I am thrilled to be joining such an exciting and dynamic group! The ethos of positivity and possibility lives in every part of the organisation and has been a secret to the company’s success to date,” said Zihla. “As we move forward, I am so excited to be able to continue this trajectory as we build new partnerships, capabilities, and client relationships.”

“We could not be happier that someone of Zihla’s calibre has chosen to join Yes&,” commented chairman Jeb Brown. “She will round out our senior leadership team and add valuable experience and connections that will raise our profile and help us bring our approach to an even broader array of clients nationwide.”