Diane Primo

Diane Primo is the CEO of the Purpose Brand agency, an award-winning, Chicago-based public relations, branding and digital marketing firm.

Diane Primo is the only African American female CEO of a purpose-driven communications agency. Diane’s focus on impact marketing stems from the belief that brands must be relevant, purpose-driven and committed to consumers to be successful today. Consumers’ demand for meaning, transparency and authenticity has changed the nature and raised the stakes in all communication.

As founder of Purpose Brand, Diane builds on a groundbreaking, 30-year career leading some of the top marketing organizations in the country. She served as general manager at Quaker Oats, president of product management at Ameritech and SBC (AT&T), chief marketing officer of CDW and CEO of a Kleiner Perkins-backed e-commerce startup in the home services sector. A communications innovator, Diane was recognized as such with Ragan Communications’ Top Women in Communications Trailblazer Award. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Smith College.

Diane is a board member for P33, the private sector initiative to promote Chicago’s standing as a technology center. She is also a committee member of World Business Chicago’s ChicagoNEXT, the Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Network and the Business Leadership Council. A best-selling author and speaker, Diane is a national influencer on purpose-focused issues, a member of the Forbes Agency Council and previously a contributing columnist for Huffington Post.

Diane’s personal public service record reflects her personal commitments to eradicating homelessness, helping underserved populations and furthering gender equality. She was proud to consult with the George Floyd family’s civil legal team. Diane received the Hassenfeld Family Initiatives Humanitarian Award and was a presenter at the G8 UK Deauville Partnership Summit. She is currently co-chairman of the nationally recognized Primo Center, Chicago’s largest center for homeless families, which she co-founded. Diane also co-founded SOAR, an organization that focuses on empowering, connecting and growing the number of women of color in media.