Kirk McDonald, in the view of those in the IT and business communities, had checked all the boxes of what success meant in a fast-changing field. He had risen to the position of CEO of GroupM, one of the world’s leading media investment firms. As CEO of GroupM North America, he was in charge of a team of 6,500 people, with the objective of shaping media content for worldwide audiences. His ability to champion GroupM’s business initiatives to offer satisfaction to investors and customers through the use of data and technology-driven services is one of his outstanding abilities.
But, in his mother’s opinion, there was one more item her son needed to complete his outstanding feat. It didn’t matter to her that McDonald was the owner of a $17.6 billion investment in the United States and Canada. It also didn’t matter if he was on Ebony magazine’s Power 100 list or the black executive.com’s “The 46 Most Important African-Americans in Technology” list.McDonald’s mother believed that her son had unfinished business. He needed to return to City College and finish his education.
When he told his mother that he had made Ebony’s Power 100 List the same year as Michelle Obama, she took the opportunity to remind him of what else he needed to accomplish. McDonald dropped out of college in 1989, with only a few credits remaining. Financial constraints had forced him to postpone his schooling.
When his family moved from Jamaica to New York City, the intention was to provide the best education for McDonald and his siblings. Higher education was the greatest way for him to make his parents proud. City College appeared to be the most cheap of the colleges that offered him the option to begin his academic path. This decision was made to relieve his parents’ financial stress. According to Harlem View, McDonald got a summer job at Rockefeller University to help pay for his college tuition.
However, paying his sister’s college degree put enormous strain on the family’s economy, forcing him to discontinue his studies. He was 11 credits short of a college degree, but he was able to land a position at publishing behemoth Condé Nast, where he quickly discovered a passion for media marketing and advertising. His skills in coding and computers would enable him to work for companies such as Time Inc, Fortune Money Group, and CNET Networks. Before being chosen CEO of GroupM, N.A. in 2020, he was President of a marketing automation software company and Chief Business Officer at Xandr.
McDonald’s hiring at GroupM startled many in the media agency sector because he lacked experience on the agency side of the business, according to Digiday. Indeed, as a Black guy without a college degree, he experienced imposter syndrome as he rose through the ranks of business. As he struggled to overcome it, he dreamed of returning to City College to finish his degree.
When the university approached him about joining the school’s Branded + Integrated Communication board, he agreed to grant his mother’s biggest wish. He was granted the opportunity to pursue his course work, and with the encouragement of his children, he began the process of ultimately receiving his college diploma in March 2022. The 56-year-old now feels happy as he drives change in the business for which he is well admired.