Talent Champion – Tara Agen

Talent Champion Spotlight

AEF Talent Champion - Tara Agen

Tara J. Agen
VP and Global Head, Marketing Planning, Agency Operations and Office of the CMO 
HP Inc.

Tara J. Agen has been at HP for 27 years and is vice president and global head of HP marketing planning, agency operations, and Office of the CMO. In this role, she leads marketing planning with agencies, procurement, budget and finance teams; HP agency strategy, management and governance operations; Marketing Lab–HP’s marketing learning and development program to grow marketers, including digital marketing transformation; and employee experience, CMO executive engagement and communications, and staff operations for the CMO, including HP’s new Task Force on Racial Equality that the CMO is leading for HP’s CEO and Board of Directors.

What prompted you to get involved with the AEF and why are you passionate about the future of the industry?

My passion to help other Marketers at HP learn/grow; my focus and elevation of early career Marketers/employees.

What is the best career advice you've ever received?

Be yourself.

Who was your favorite professor and why?

Dr. Leo Chang. Professor of Political Science. He was a scholar in the Ming Dynasty and he offered me an opportunity to be in Beijing with him in the late 1980’s (before Tiananmen Square) as his TA/researcher. I always think my life would be incredibly different career wise if I chose him versus wanting to get into Law School.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The people and working in a values driven corporate culture that values and embraces diversity and inclusion.

"Our future marketing and advertising leaders are not just looking for a job, they are looking for a meaningful career that will make a positive impact on society."
— Gord McLean, President and CEO at ANA Educational Foundation