SPOTLIGHT: RO KALONAROS
Global Director, Content & Culture, Omnicom Group
As Global Director, Growth & Experience, Ro Kalonaros connects Omnicom’s 75,000+ employee network and culture through marketing and shared intelligence in service of driving better outcomes for Omnicom’s clients. Beyond activations at industry events and Omnicom’s thought leadership strategy, Ro also launched OMC Hive, Omnicom’s internal knowledge-sharing platform. With a past in magazine publishing, she continues to write for major publications about leadership, culture, marketing, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Her expertise in these topics has brought her to stages like CES and Advertising Week, and has earned her podcasts with Adweek and Omnicom. Recognized as Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Advertising Week’s Future is Female, Campaign’s Female Frontier, and more, she aims to use her platform to drive impact by telling diverse stories in fresh and imaginative ways. She is happiest when she is helping others and does so through mentorship and professional development for young talent in the industry as a NYWICI and Do the WeRQ board member. When Ro is offline, you’ll likely find her fine-tuning her first fiction novel or paddling out for a surf.
NYWICI WANTS TO KNOW:
If you could have one superpower, which would you choose?
I’d hands down choose teleportation. I’d be able to travel and experience all sorts of cultures, spend more time with the people I love, and get more done.
Tell me about the first job you’ve ever held.
The first job I ever had was with my dad when I was a kid. I’d go to his office every Saturday morning during the week and a few days a week over the summer and do all the filing and some of the billing. It wasn’t the most exciting work, but it helped pay for the simple things 10-year-old me wanted.
What energizes and drains you when you’re at work?
I’m energized by working with smart, creative people who are specialists in areas totally outside of my expertise, and where I can bring my own knowledge to support their efforts. More tedious work drains me – but AI is helping with that.
What’s your process for turning a bad day into a good one?
Music. You’ll catch me at my desk queuing up a playlist to help shift my energy and mindset to the task at hand.
Why NYWICI?
The women brought me to NYWICI and the women keep me. It’s such a wonderful community of diverse women – and it gives me an opportunity to both grow and give back. These women come from all facets of the communications, marketing, and media industry – across sectors, disciplines, career stages, and lived experiences. As a born and raise New Yorker, I appreciate the grace and grit it takes for women to live and work here, even if it’s just for a short time, and these women embody that spirit.