After running her own consulting firm for a decade, Meagan Jackman took a significant risk by selling it and joining The Harkey Group full-time, despite taking a pay cut. “I pitched a role to the owners that wasn’t currently in the organization because I was deeply inspired by their vision and the opportunity to work with larger brands,” said Jackman. Starting in 2016 with a one-month PR project, Jackman now oversees all four companies within The Harkey Group.
“It’s been a journey, but working with top creative talent and some of the world’s most notable brands has validated the risk I took,” she said.
The Harkey Group is a collection of consumer-centric, performance-focused and creatively inspired specialized agencies dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of ambitious marketers. With a relentless focus on growth, brand enhancement, and exceeding benchmarks, the firm has grabbed national attention for its work in research, strategy, creative, branding, media planning and buying, digital work, public relations, social media and more.
During her tenure, Jackman has brought the firm through several years of record-breaking revenues, and in her new role, she oversees the holding company’s portfolio of five agencies while identifying acquisitions and other expansion opportunities. She recently has been instrumental in launching MONOGRAM which specializes in luxury hospitality marketing. Jackman has built a team that is nationally recognized for their talent and has produced award-winning work with local and national clients, including Virgin, Arizona Lottery, National Geographic and coco5.
“As a younger, female executive, Meagan has been able to champion initiatives that are inclusive to a larger demographic – specifically in career path development, salary equality, maternity and paternity leave, life-work integration policies, and more,” said her colleagues. “This is important to ensure we are attracting a diverse talent pool representative of the consumers we are trying to reach.”
Because of these initiatives, The Harkey Group has a diverse talent pool including 70% female and 40% of employees identifying their ethnicity other than white.
If Jackman had to name her superpower as a leader, she said it would be perspective. “I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have a job where I collaborate with some of the most talented creatives in the industry, supporting them in crafting messages that drive commerce,” she said. “We’re using the power of art to influence consumer behavior; we take calculated risks, but also stay grounded in understanding our audience, crafting the right message and delivering it through the most effective channels.”
