Why No Experience is Ever Wasted: Lessons from ADPR Alum and Global CMO, Jacq Steele
ADPR welcomes Jacq Steele, Global CMO of Weiden+Kennedy, as the newest member of its Professional Advisory Board
By: Ava Walker
When Jacquline “Jacq” Steele graduated from Michigan State University in 2008, she was faced with a career-defining decision. One offer was promised stability: a secure, full-time position. The other offered opportunity: a temporary summer internship at Team Detroit, an advertising agency with a specialty in retail marketing, with no clear ending or promise of a future.
“I really did want a full-time job,” she said. “But I thought I could learn more about everything with the internship. With the full-time job, I would’ve been really stuck in one little part of the industry.”
Steele’s choice to pursue this uncertainty single-handedly sparked her career at Wieden+Kennedy New York. That internship introduced her to mentors who believed in her potential and connected her with interview opportunities in New York. She has been with the agency for over 14 years and now serves as global chief marketing officer.
But her story isn’t about luck or odds. It’s about confidence. Steele was direct about what she was looking for, which turned into a lifetime career. Her internship opened up many doors for her to eventually move to New York City, where she first joined JWT, then found what she says is her “forever home” at Wieden+Kennedy.
Steele began in account management before moving into new business, where she was responsible for leading many major wins for clients like Ford Motor Company, McDonald’s and Kraft-Heinz. Now, as global CMO, she works closely with all Wieden+Kennedy offices to build relationships with new clients, identify creative opportunities and strengthen the agency’s overall brand globally.
She credits some of her early jobs at MSU for teaching her skills she still carries and exercises every day at work. From managing at the local tanning salon to working as a restaurant hostess, she could pick out specific traits and skills she built there that still remain relevant to her career.
“Whether you had the best internship or were working at Potbelly, that’s your story,” she said. “That’s valuable.”
Today, Steele gives back as a member of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations’ Professional Advisory Board, where she mentors students and gives faculty insight on the industry today.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about,” she said. “If I can help make the program even more meaningful to others, then hell yeah, I’d love to do that.”
Steele’s advice for students entering the AD+PR world is simple; embrace every experience and opportunity.
“There’s no need to feel like you don’t have enough experience,” she said. “Your experience as a college student at Michigan State is enough to have a company hire you.”
Check out MSU’s ADPR Professional Advisory Board website to learn more about how students can connect with alumni and how alumni can get involved.