Alan Brown

Alan Brown is the Founder of DNA&STONE, a branding and advertising agency he has led for over 26 years. With more than four decades of industry experience, Alan is widely recognized for his strategic thinking and deep expertise in brand development across sectors including financial services, healthcare, travel and hospitality, non-profits, and consumer packaged goods.

A forward-thinking leader and passionate advocate for inclusion, Alan founded Project Violet—the first and only mentorship program in the advertising industry—committed to opening doors and nurturing diverse talent. In 2017, he was recognized as one of the top LGBTQ+ voices in the Pacific Northwest business community, a reflection of his leadership both in and beyond the boardroom.

Alan has been honored with CampaignUS Magazine’s 40 Over 40 Award and is a Silver Medal recipient from the American Advertising Federation in the Pacific Northwest. He also serves as North America Regional Director on the ICOM Network Board, is part of the Executive Committee at StolenYouth, and is the Founder of Black Black Friday, a nonprofit focused on economic empowerment.

He is based in the U.S., splitting his time between Seattle, Chicago and Southern California, and is the proud father of two young adults.

Alan's role and responsibilities on the ICOM board:

As Regional Director North American at ICOM, Alan's role is to facilitate open communication and dialogue throughout the region, and increase the value ICOM provides to North American agencies. This is demonstrated  through ICOM's annual Regional Meeting, monthly group “conversations”, specialty groups to focus on topics like AI, creative, finance and HR, and a variety of surveys and tools to augment information and resources. His goal is to facilitate meaningful connections that enable growth throughout North America and beyond.