The Women of Excellence (WEX) Awards celebrates the achievements of commerce marketers who’ve made a difference in both the shopping journey and the lives of those around them.

We’re proud to have no shortage of such incredible leaders, with three of our very own having been named Path To Purchase Institute Women of Excellence in 2024.

RULYNN HANSEN, BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

SVP, Account Director Rulynn Hansen brings over 25 years of experience—and a flurry of globally recognized logos—to the table. Yet, it’s not her well-decorated past that best defines her, but rather her ability to constantly identify new opportunities and rapidly expand businesses.

Case in point: Colgate-Palmolive. In less than three years, Rulynn helmed the transformation from potential client into a powerhouse of a team—empowering each member to help drive this groundbreaking work.

Under her leadership, omni-commerce platforms were created with shopper insights at the core. Spanning categories, the platforms created for 2024 inspire basket-building and drive retailer engagement by providing a consistent approach for Colgate in the market.

As Diana Haussling, Colgate CMO NA, puts it, “Rulynn is my go-to for business challenges, and she always brings the big solutions. She's more than just a strategic partner; she’s an extension of my team.”

Yep, she excels in Business Excellence. But we like to think of her more as Arc’s alchemist, turning everything she touches to gold.

BETH DEBONA, MENTORSHIP

Seasoned VP and Strategy Director Beth DeBona is the person we all needed when we were early in our careers. In the same way she approaches clients like Unilever, Beth takes the time to empower individuals and honor their unique working styles.

As mentee, E. Byers, shares, “From the start, she created a safe and collaborative foundation for our partnership to not only make the work great but in a way that would also fuel my growth.”

And when the going gets tough, Beth gets going. Creative partner, Katie McElliott shared, “I admire the way Beth handles tough situations. In the moment, she is honest and remains positive; making sure frustration and negativity doesn’t trickle down to the team. Any concerns she has, she elevates it in a professional and diplomatic way ensuring they are heard and addressed.”

From helping younger colleagues overcome their imposter syndrome to building Arc’s strategy intern program with Northwestern University, Beth is the kind of leader who never stands in front of people but stands with them—regardless of their age or rank.

She's the mentor we all wish we had, and the one we should all strive to be.

ERIN MITTEN, INNOVATION

With her background in neuroscience, statistics and data science, it’s no wonder why our analytics leader, Erin Mitten, is lovingly called the “Michael Phelps of data lakes.” Decomplicating the complicated is what she does best—as shown by the retail media measurement and optimization tool she concepted, championed, and built from the ground up.

Rather than face a deluge of disparate data, the tool presents shopper marketers with streamlined analyses and actionable insights. This user-friendly, one-stop-shop personalizes data output around each client—not the other way around.

Now used across Arc, Publicis and our clients, Erin’s powerful tool has analyzed 10 million rows of data on a weekly basis. Onboarding an entire agency on a new platform is often an uphill battle. However, it didn’t take long for our teams to learn just how indispensable the tool is.

And this trailblazer does more than drive business for clients like Unilever and Colgate. She also serves as an Ambassador for Google’s Women Techmakers and is an active member of Chicago’s Google Developer Group.

To Rulynn, Beth and Erin, congratulations! Arc is so lucky to have your insights and excellence. You’ve moved our business—and you’ve moved us.

Read about all the Path to Purchase Institute 2024 Women of Excellence here.