• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 26, 2025

PALM SPRINGS, CA -- The auto industry takes the wheel at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) with the appointment of Shenan Reed, global chief media officer of General Motors, to chair of the trade organization's Board of Directors.

The announcement was made as the IAB ALM conference kicked off in Palm Desert, California on Sunday. She is the first IAB board chair to come from a brand, and spent 20 years on the agency side. 

"I'm honored to take this role," Reed said. 

As the new IAB Board Chair, she looks forward to working closely with the entire board of directors to drive innovation, and is eager to embrace bold ideas and tackle the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, she said. 

Reed previously served as vice chair and has been a member of the board since December 2020. She is currently responsible for building a global media team that accelerates General Motors’ media approach for the future.

She succeeds John Halley, president of Paramount Advertising, who will continue to serve on the IAB board and executive committee. Alison Levin, president of advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal has been on the board since November 2022 and will take over as vice chair.

Executives from Walmart Connect, The Weather Company, and Meta have also joined the IAB Board of Directors, elected to a three-year term.

The members include Rich Lehrfeld, senior vice president and general manager at Walmart Connect; DJ Reali, chief revenue officer of consumer and enterprise data at The Weather Company; and Simon Whitcombe, vice president of global business group, North America at Meta.