Michelle Baumann is the Chief Strategy Officer, Commerce VML. In her role, Michelle has led the transformation of the business with the creation of a next-generation Commerce Strategy team, uniting the agency's Strategy & Insights, Marketing Sciences, and Experience Strategy teams under a single capability. Her distinct hybrid role brings research and data-inspired rigor across the category, brand, shopper, and retail insights, to optimize our strategic process and media activation delivery across touchpoints for clients. Michelle led VML to be the most highly awarded Commerce Agency for the 2023 Effies.

Before her 6+ years at VMLY&R Commerce, Michelle worked at IRI focusing on Principal Strategic Analytics for Conagra Brands. She also served as Kantar Retail’s Vice President of Consulting, supporting diverse businesses including KCC, Whitewave, Conagra, McCormick, Smithfield Foods, Kraft, and more. Michelle was named a “Women Innovator 2022” by the P2Pi, and served as a Final Round Effie Judge in 2023. She was selected to the shortlist of Campaign Magazine’s U.S. Agency of the Year Awards for Strategist of the Year in 2024. Michelle speaks on behalf of VML at events across the Path to Purchase Institute, IAB, and Shoptalk.

In her free time, Michelle serves on the Partner’s Board for Urban Initiatives in Chicago and partners with her husband’s board for Sharp Literacy in Milwaukee. Michelle holds a BA in English and Economics from Middlebury College.