AGENCY NEWS

Golin Strengthens Leadership in Its Global Headquarters with the Appointment of Two New Roles

April 6, 2023

Molly Starmann promoted to associate managing director of Golin Chicago, and Jodi Durkin joins as executive vice president

CHICAGO (April 6, 2023) Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) agency Golin announced today two new positions to its global headquarter office in Chicago. The leadership additions include the promotion of Molly Starmann to associate managing director of Golin Chicago and the hire of Jodi Durkin as executive vice president.

Effective immediately, Starmann will partner with Ginger Porter, president of the Central Region, and the office’s senior leadership team to steer its aggressive growth ambition for its people and clients. In this newly created role, Starmann will focus on nurturing talent, driving business development, and fostering client innovation.

“Since joining Golin, Molly has made a measurable impact on our work and our culture,” said Porter. “Her decade-plus, client-side experience makes her a sought-after counselor, and her empowering leadership style helps develop world class teams and ground-breaking work for our largest accounts.”

Starmann joined Golin four years ago to lead the agency’s Allstate business and has since taken over as the global client leader for Golin’s longest-standing legacy partner, McDonald’s. As a top leader in the firm’s consumer practice, her growth mindset contributed to her phenomenal 100% win-rate, including Chicago Blackhawks, McDonald’s Brand Trust and McDonald’s Global FIFA sponsorship.

Prior to Golin, Starmann spent almost 13 years at McDonald’s in PR, marketing and strategic innovation roles, most recently serving as brand reputation leader for corporate communications.

“I’m thrilled to be continuing my journey at Golin in this new role,” said Starmann. “Elevating our clients – and my fellow colleagues – has always been a priority for me, and I’m proud to be able to continue doing that work and collaborating with a leadership team that is truly invested in the future.”

Continuing the expanded leadership bench, Golin also welcomes Jodi Durkin as executive vice president and client leader for the agency’s work with Verizon Value Brands. In this post, Durkin will lead a matrixed team of earned media, influencer, social media, creative and data & analytics specialists. She joins Golin from Ford Motor Company where she served as global head of digital engagement, and she previously spent 10 years with Walmart overseeing social media marketing, customer engagement and corporate reputation. Durkin started at Golin on April 5.

“As part of IPG’s work across Verizon, Golin has expanded its work to Value Brands, which is a testament to our core team leadership,” said Porter. “To attract talent at the caliber of Jodi is remarkable. Not only will she make a tremendous impact on this business, but the agency at large will benefit from her deep experience working client-side at two of the largest companies in the world.”