15 to Watch (Agency): Francisca Llamas

Senior Account Executive, Weber Shandwick Age: 26

Francisca Llamas can do it all: writing, media relations, project management, creative strategy, new business pitching—you name it she’s done it, and very well. As senior account executive at Weber Shandwick’s Silicon Valley outpost, Llamas set herself apart from the get-go, churning out award-winning work for clients such as Hitachi GST and Tibco. Llamas also gives back to the community, doing pro bono work with La Cocina, a nonprofit community kitchen in San Francisco. She recently hosted a PR workshop that taught women how to promote and showcase their businesses.

Balancing Act

“Keeping up with industry trends and the latest technologies requires a lot of time, research and commitment,” she says. “Therefore, maintaining a healthy work-life balance can sometimes be challenging.”

Campaign Dream

“My favorite campaign has to be Hitachi GST’s multi-year campaign, ‘Living the Tera Era Dream.’ It was an innovative, creative and a flawlessly executed product media relations campaign, and media relations is my favorite part my job. This campaign also achieved what communications pros often consider the holy grail—playing a part in Hitachi GST’s move from five years of operating losses to four quarters of successive profitability.”

Team Effort

“Working in a team-based environment and learning from and sharing best practices with my peers are something I look forward to each day.” ■

December 7, 2009