Karen Costello has always considered herself a dreamer and an optimist. She believes in the power of creativity, loves the question: “What if?” and rarely says no to a challenge.

In her 25+ year career, Karen has launched brands, created iconic, long-running campaigns, won long lists of creative awards and touched just about every category in marketing—from cars to fashion to music and everything in between.

Now, as the first female CCO in Martin’s history, Karen’s embracing yet another challenge. She believes in using creativity to make brands, the industry and the world better. She’s an advocate who acts with fire—championing gender equity, diversity and helping foster more equitable and humane work environments. Throughout her career she has been a passionate advocate for social change outside the industry as well, working on political campaigns, local community needs and volunteer workforces.