Renetta McCann leaving CEO post: influential executive announces sabbatical from Starcom MediaVest.

RENETTA MCCANN, ONE OF THE most powerful and influential black women in business and advertising, is stepping down as global CEO of Chicago-based Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), one of the world's top five media agencies. McCann, 52, will take a yearlong sabbatical starting January 2009, citing personal reasons for her departure.

McCann was named BLACK ENTERPRISE'S Corporate Executive of the Year in 2002 as well as one of BE'S 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America in 2005, and 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2006. As global CEO, she was a driving force behind the company's broad scope of strategic media planning. During her tenure, she managed a network of more than 10 top media and marketing agencies, with client billings around $28 billion globally and a global workforce of nearly 5,800.

A native of Chicago, McCann studied speech communications at Northwestern University. The industry veteran began her career at SMG in 1978 as a client service trainee. McCann has contributed to the company's success with clients such as Procter & Gamble, Disney, Coca-Cola, and General Motors.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY HAYLEY MURPHY