Daphne Leroy

Named one of the most influential multi-ethnic executives in the media industry, Daphne Leroy is a marketing and communications strategist with over 20 years of leadership experience at iconic global media companies and notable social impact organizations.

Daphne is Senior Vice President of Strategy & Culture for Paramount Advertising (formerly ViacomCBS). In this role, Daphne oversees high-impact initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, learning and development, and workplace culture transformation across the entire Paramount Advertising ecosystem. Additionally, Daphne works with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders with the mission of delivering value to clients and partners, enhancing the company’s industry presence, and achieving business outcomes. The Paramount Advertising portfolio includes CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+ and Pluto TV, among others.

Spanning all marketing and communications disciplines, she previously held management positions at top media and entertainment companies, including MTV, Viacom, Time Inc., National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and The Paley Center for Media. Daphne started her career at FOX Broadcasting in network sales and distribution.

In 2020, Daphne launched the platform “Descendants of Hope” to create an inclusive community of belonging that exists as a meaningful source of multi-cultural pride and amplifies how diverse ancestry contributes to the colorful fabric of society.

A proud first-generation Haitian-American, Daphne’s professional background is rooted in social responsibility and philanthropic endeavors. Whether mentoring students and young women through her volunteer work or serving on the Board of Directors of the Fiver Children’s Foundation, Daphne is devoted to giving back. She is also Co-Founder and Vice Chair of Programs of The Haitian Roundtable.

A native New Yorker, Daphne sits on the Marketing Advisory Board of the Department of Marketing and International Business of her alma mater Baruch College, City University of New York. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing Management at Baruch College. 

Daphne is a member of Chief, a private group for C-suite women, which is committed to supporting female leaders, 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 the Executive Management Program sponsored by the Cable Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) at Harvard Business School.

For a fourth consecutive year in 2022, Cablefax Magazine named Daphne among the most influential multi-ethnic executives in the industry. In 2021, Cynopsis Media honored Daphne with a Top Women In Media Award. She was honored in 2020 with a Black Women in Media Award. In acknowledgement of her achievements, business acumen and commitment to the development of her community, Daphne has also been recognized by the American Marketing Association of New York, Multichannel News and The Network Journal.