ButcherBox, Macmillan Publishers and Hopper are among the 2025 Future Leader Awards winners

For instance, Reba Hatcher, chief commercial officer at ButcherBox, is recognized in the Modern Retail Future Leader – Established Retailer category. Since joining the company in 2017, Hatcher has risen through the ranks, bringing a unique blend of strategic insight, operational excellence and people-first leadership to every role she’s held. Now responsible for driving revenue, partnerships and retention, she plays a central role in ButcherBox’s sustained growth. Her leadership style is rooted in curiosity, accountability and customer obsession, and she’s known for diving into new challenges headfirst — mastering unfamiliar topics, mentoring her team and modeling the continuous learning mindset that defines successful direct-to-consumer businesses.

Macmillan Publishers’ Darlene Fernandes is the winner in the WorkLife Future Leader – DE&I category. As the publisher’s senior manager of diversity, equity and inclusion, she is a driving force behind its efforts to build a workplace where equity and belonging are not just goals but embedded realities. With a collaborative, systems-level approach, Fernandes has designed and implemented initiatives that empower employees across departments to engage in DEI work. She co-created Macmillan’s Changemaker Award to spotlight employees who go above and beyond to shape an inclusive workplace and developed a digital platform to amplify their stories, underscoring her understanding that equity requires removing structural barriers hindering progress.

In the Omnichannel Strategy Leader category, Makoto Rheault-Kihara, vp of growth at Hopper, is recognized for shaping the future of travel tech. Over his six-year tenure, he has helped grow the company’s revenue thirtyfold and has transformed Hopper into the most downloaded travel app in North America. Rheault-Kihara leads a 30-person cross-functional team spanning marketing, product and engineering, driving both Hopper’s direct-to-consumer business and its fast-growing advertising division. In 2024, Rheault-Kihara expanded his role to include product, empowering his team to build features aligned with marketing strategies. His ability to scale nine-figure marketing budgets while maintaining profitability has made him one of the most influential young executives in travel.

Explore all the 2025 Future Leader Awards winners below — including a quick rundown of the campaigns and insights into why they won and what marketing teams can learn from them. Download the complete guide here.

Digiday Future Leader – Agency
Olivia Clarke – Nebo Agency

Digiday Future Leader – Brand
Gregory Constantine – AIRCO

Digiday Future Leader – Publisher
Alice Severs – T Brand Studio of New York Times Advertising

Digiday Future Leader – Technology Provider
Anastasia Georgievskaya – Co-Founder and CEO of Haut.AI
Harry Rein – ShopMy

Glossy Future Leader – Beauty
Marguerite Rivara – Maesa

Glossy Future Leader – Fashion
Tiffany Lopinsky – ShopMy

Glossy Future Leader – Wellness
N.B. Patil – Ozlo Sleep

Modern Retail Future Leader – Established Retailer
Reba Hatcher – ButcherBox

Modern Retail Future Leader – Legacy Brand
Mina Haque – Tony Roma’s CEO

Omnichannel Strategy Leader
Makoto Rheault-Kihara – Hopper

WorkLife Future Leader- DE&I
Darlene Fernandes – DEI, Macmillan Publishers

WorkLife Future Leader- HR
Vanessa Bohorquez – Dagne Dover

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