Daphne Leroy

Recognized as one of the most influential executives in the media industry and named among the top women in media, Daphne Leroy is a purpose-driven leader with extensive experience at some of the world’s most iconic global media companies and social impact organizations.

Daphne’s career has spanned marketing, strategy, communications, and corporate social responsibility at Paramount Global, Viacom, MTV, Time Inc., National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), and The Paley Center for Media.

At the Ad Council, Daphne currently shapes brand marketing, communications, and thought leadership initiatives. The Ad Council builds powerful, one-of-a-kind coalitions across the advertising, tech, media, marketing, and philanthropy sectors to create innovative, life-changing communications campaigns that drive impact at scale.

In 2020, leveraging her extensive experience across media sectors, Daphne launched the platform “Descendants Of Hope” — driven by a passion for authentic storytelling and the belief that multi-cultural ancestry is integral to the vibrant fabric of society.

Daphne’s professional background is rooted in social responsibility and philanthropic endeavors. Whether mentoring students and young women or serving on the Board of Directors of the Fiver Children’s Foundation and the Haitian Roundtable, Daphne is devoted to giving back.

A native New Yorker, Daphne serves on the Marketing Advisory Board for the Department of Marketing and International Business at the Zicklin School of Business at her alma mater, Baruch College. In 2023, she was honored with the prestigious Alumni Changemaker Award for her exceptional leadership, innovation, and excellence. Daphne holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Management from Baruch College.

Daphne is a member of Chief, a private network for senior executive women to maximize leadership impact, as well as an executive member of She Runs It, a non-profit that paves the way for more women to lead in media, marketing, and tech. She completed the NAMIC Executive Leadership Development Program at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management and Executive Management Program sponsored by the Cable Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) at Harvard Business School.

In 2025, Carib Biz Network named Daphne one of its “Ones to Watch” among Caribbean American entrepreneurs. For five consecutive years through 2023, Cablefax Magazine recognized her as one of the industry’s most influential multi-ethnic executives. Cynopsis Media celebrated Daphne with a 2021 Top Women in Media Award in the Innovators and Disruptors category. Daphne’s trailblazing impact has also earned accolades from the American Marketing Association of New York, Black Women in Media, Multichannel News, and The Network Journal.