• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, July 6, 2016

American Association of Advertising Agencies President and CEO Nancy Hill will be stepping down next year, the trade group said today. The association's Board of Directors has initiated a search to identify a successor for a transition scheduled to be in place by June 2017.

Hill will have served in the role for nine years. The Board, led by Bill Koenigsberg, CEO and founder of Horizon Media, is in discussions with MediaLink to head  the formal search.  

Koenigsberg stated, "Nancy has incredible passion for the advertising industry; during the past eight years, she has advocated tirelessly for issues—such as gender and diversity—that continue to make the industry better. Nancy joined with five years of service in mind, but this last March the board again asked her to stay on, extending her contract through June 2017."

Hill is a veteran of advertising agencies including Doner, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Goldberg Moser O'Neill (which became Hill Holliday in 2001) and BBDO. Hill joined the 4A's as president and chief executive officer in 2008.

"The past eight years have been the experience of a lifetime," stated Hill. "It has been a pleasure to help guide the industry through changing times and to bring issues that I am so passionate about to the forefront. The advertising agency business is continually evolving to meet the needs of clients and identify the best new ways to reach consumers. It has been an honor to play a part in shaping the future of an industry I love."