#50
Jennifer Risi
Founder and President at The Sway Effect
The former chief communications officer of Ogilvy, Jennifer Risi didn’t completely leave behind that gig when she launched The Sway Effect last year. Instead, she tapped A-list contacts—many, like her, Ogilvy alums—to form a kind of virtual firm with a deep talent bench. In 18 months, she’s managed to lure clients like The World Travel & Tourism Council, the 4As, PwC, Signet Jewelers and Fortune 200 medtech player Becton Dickinson, whose voice Risi managed to elevate above the nonstop COVID-19 media-attention scrum. “A lot of people have been going independent,” she said. “But not all of them have my network.” Though it’s not a long timeline, revenue’s up 250% this year, and the firm’s on track for an even better 2021.