Chicago-based agency strengthens executive bench with key promotions, creating a partnership where women now hold five of seven leadership positions
VSA Partners, a leading strategy and creative agency, announced the promotion of three key executives to bolster its leadership team. YanYan Zhang and Kim Mickenberg have been named partners, while Susan Pfeifer, an existing partner, has been appointed head of operations.
With these promotions, VSA’s seven-member leadership team is now composed of five women, cementing the 40-year-old agency’s ability to build a strong bench from within.
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“These promotions reflect our commitment to recognizing exceptional talent and fostering leadership internally,” said Anne-Marie Rosser, CEO of VSA Partners. “YanYan, Susan and Kim have consistently demonstrated their ability to deliver innovative solutions for our clients while embodying our core values. As our industry continues to harness the power of AI, these three women bring strategic vision, breakthrough ideas and design craft—attributes that simply can’t be mimicked or replaced. And they deliver on these attributes daily with our clients, in a fast-paced and collaborative way that drives results.”
YanYan Zhang brings nearly two decades of experience at VSA, where she has delivered strategic brand-centered solutions across the financial, technology and commodities industries, as well as for local nonprofits. Her expertise lies in building brands from the ground up and evolving existing brands through smart, impactful solutions across both traditional and digital mediums. Throughout her tenure, Zhang has successfully led multidisciplinary teams for many of VSA’s longest-standing clients as well as Fortune 100 companies, including BNY, CME Group, IBM, PepsiCo and Sappi.
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Kim Mickenberg brings expertise as both a big-picture creative and hands-on business strategist to the leadership team. In her role as the leader of VSA’s campaigns practice, Mickenberg champions bold simplicity: strong, simple, memorable ideas that resonate emotionally, defy category norms, and set brands apart. Since joining VSA in 2017, she’s led both campaign and brand-building efforts for clients such as Chime, FactSet, Wayfair, Affirm, IBM, Google, YWCA, Spectrum Enterprise, CME Group, The Trade Desk and Cricket, among others.
Susan Pfeifer, who joined VSA in 2014, will continue her role as partner while taking on additional responsibilities as head of operations. A seasoned marketing leader based in Chicago, Pfeifer specializes in project management, client relations and strategic leadership. She has played a key role in streamlining processes and optimizing operating models, and her insights have been featured in Adweek.
Throughout her career, Pfeifer has managed Fortune 100 client relationships, including Google, BNY, IBM and Kraft Foods, among others. Pfeifer holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which gives her a unique blend of creativity and operational expertise critical to the success of creative projects.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such talented individuals at VSA,” said Chief Creative Officer Curt Schreiber. “These promotions strengthen our creative leadership and position us for continued growth and success in delivering exceptional work for our clients.”
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