KANSAS CITY, USA // Debbi Vandeven is global CCO at VML, her creative philosophy is to combine human imagination with technology for a human-first approach. It’s at the heart of VML’s mission to bring brand experience, commerce, and customer experience together to create connected brands that drive value for clients. Under her leadership, VML has experienced unprecedented growth and earned recognition from every top international award show, including Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — where the agency was named a top 10 Cannes Global Agency Network in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, and has received eight coveted Grand Prix and more than 500 Lions — plus ANDYs, ADC, Clios, Communication Arts, D&AD, Effies, Loeries, The London International Awards (LIA), and One Show.

In 2024 and 2025, Debbi was named one of the top CCOs by The Drum and No. 3 CCO by D&AD. She was awarded the 2021 Female Frontier Award from Campaign US, recognized as 2020’s Ad Age CCO of the Year, appeared on Adweek’s Creative 100, Ad Age’s “Women to Watch” list and Business Insider’s “30 Most Creative People in Advertising.