The Revenue Room™ with Will Lee, CEO, Adweek

Welcome to another episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast! This week, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Will Lee, CEO of Adweek, to discuss his journey from traditional media to leading one of the most influential brands in marketing and advertising. Will shares his vision for transforming Adweek from a trade publication into a cutting-edge business intelligence platform, and the role AI, data, and innovative thinking play in that journey.

Key Takeaways:

• Will Lee's impressive career trajectory, from NPR to Adweek, and how his experiences shaped his leadership approach.
• The major industry news of the week, including the OmniCom-IPG acquisition, and its implications for the advertising ecosystem.
• Adweek’s transformation under Will’s leadership which focuses on four core pillars: editorial excellence, curated events, community, and actionable intelligence.
• How AI and data are helping Adweek better serve its readers and advertisers.
• Will’s vision of making Adweek indispensable to C-suite leaders beyond marketing and advertising.

Memorable Quotes:

• "Adweek is like a 45-year-old startup—still the disruptor, still the insurgent."
• "I want Adweek to be the first seven minutes of your morning—every day."
• "Our mission is to provide investment-grade journalism, inspiration through community, and intelligence that drives better decision-making."

About Heather Holst-Knudsen

Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. She is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in digital transformation, data, and revenue growth. She is a recognized leader and operator in media, marketplaces, events, and adjacent technologies. Heather has a proven track record of leading organizations to achieve customer-centric innovation, revenue growth, and enterprise value creation. As a thought leader, Heather shares her insights on multisided business models under The Revenue Room™. Connect with Heather on LinkedIn.

About Revenue Room™ CXO

Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders who are shaping the future of growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions, benchmarking sessions, and strategy sprints, members tackle real-time challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation. This is not another networking group — it’s a confidential forum for leaders ready to accelerate enterprise value in 2025 and beyond.

Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo