Gemma Craven
SVP, Director Social & Mobile
McCann

Gemma is SVP and Director of Social & Mobile at McCann Erickson New York. She runs the agency’s 40 strong social media department, working with McCann’s global clients to integrate social media into the heart of their strategy and creative work. 

Gemma has 17 years experience in building engaged brands, running global teams working at the intersection of community, influence and technology. Prior to McCann, she was VP Strategic Accounts at social media marketing and analytics platform, Spredfast. There she collaborated with many of the world’s largest media companies and brands to help them create customer-focused technology solutions at the core of their business. She also set up Spredfast’s New York office, supporting business development efforts on the East Coast.

Previously she held senior positions at Ogilvy New York. As Executive Director Social Customer Engagement for OgilvyOne she worked with enterprise digital clients - including Weight Watchers IBM, E-Trade and Aetna - integrating social and digital layers into their existing customer engagement programs, working across CRM, e-commerce, customer care and loyalty programs. 

Gemma was also New York Group Director for Ogilvy's Social@Ogilvy practice, a role she held for four years. She led a team focused on developing and executing across paid, owned and earned programs for brands including IKEA, British Airways, Caterpillar, The Gap, Nestle and American Express. While in the role, she grew the practice from a group of two to a multi-million dollar division, part of the group that was awarded social agency of the year by the Holmes Group in 2013.

As a writer and speaker, Gemma regularly shares her experience in developing digital and social strategy and solutions for the world’s leading brands at conferences and company events.  She is a graduate of University of Sussex (UK) and Université d’Aix Marseille (France) where she studied both French and European Studies and French for Business. 

In her spare time, she loves to run and spend time with her Boston Terrier, Stella.