Helen Katz

Helen Katz

GM Planworks Inc.

Helen is the Senior Vice President/Director of Research at Starcom Mediavest Group, where she has worked since 2001. Prior to that, Helen had her own consulting company, HK Consulting. She has also worked at Zenith Media in New York, as SVP/Director of Strategic Resources, and at DDB Chicago, as VP/Media Research Manager.

Prior to working at DDB, Helen taught advertising and media for a year at Michigan State University. Before that, she earned a Master’s in Advertising and Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Helen has been involved in industry activities for many years. She was president of the Media Research Club of Chicago (1997-1998), President of the American Academy of Advertising (1994). Helen serves on various committees of the Advertising Research Foundation and the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

A published author, Helen has written three textbooks on advertising and media planning: Advertising Principles (1999), The Media Handbook (1995), and Strategic Media Planning (1998). A fourth edition of The Media Handbook is due in 2010.

When not working, Helen enjoys spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.