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I guide client relationships and build the teams and systems that keep clients.

Twenty years leading enterprise accounts on the agency and consultancy side, running $6M to $90M portfolios for retail, restaurant, financial services and healthcare brands. I work two ways.

For agencies and consultancies: an interim senior account lead, a closer on a must-win pitch, or the client partnership system your team runs without the founder in every meeting.

For brands: more from your marketing partners, and the in-house capability to need them less.

Every engagement is fixed-scope, three to six weeks for most, with a one-page scope and a fixed price within 48 hours of a first call.

Let's Talk
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About Dina Light-McNeely

Dina spent twenty years on the agency and consultancy side of Fortune 500 relationships, most recently as a strategic client partner at a global commerce consultancy and, before that, running a $90M media and integrated portfolio for a holding-company network. She has owned P&Ls from $6M to $90M, hired and coached the account leads who ran them, and held the highest client and team satisfaction scores in her group for five consecutive years.

Her clients have included grocery, restaurant, financial services, retail, beauty, hospitality and healthcare brands. The American Advertising Federation named her one of its Top 20 Women in Advertising. She teaches digital marketing in the MBA and BBA programs at SMU's Cox School of Business, and in 2025 the ANA published her research on the audience-targeting gap in U.S. marketing.

She works from Dallas with agencies and brands anywhere.

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My Services

  • For CEOs, chief growth officers and heads of client service, at the moments that cost the most: a senior account lead has left, a must-win pitch is weeks out, a client churned without warning, or a big renewal is coming and planning is ad hoc.

    Interim account lead. I run one or two enterprise accounts, two to three days a week for three to six months: the client relationship, the team, the plan, the growth targets. No ramp, no headcount.

    Pitch and RFP sprint. I lead or co-lead a must-win pitch over four to six weeks: strategy, story, team casting, rehearsal, and a client-side read of what will land.

    Client partnership operating system. A three-to-four-week assessment of how your client team plans, runs QBRs and decides which RFPs to chase, then a four-week install of the system it runs on: planning calendar and templates, a QBR format clients show up for, an RFP go/no-go playbook, and an account health scorecard that flags risk early.

  • For CMOs and VPs of Marketing, Digital or Commerce, usually in their first year in the seat.

    Agency partner review. A four-week look at each partner on scope, fees, team and results against what the business needs next, with a keep, fix, consolidate or replace call. Priced per partner assessed. If a pitch follows, I write the brief, shortlist, and run it.

    In-housing plan. Three to four weeks to decide what work moves in-house and in what order, the roles and cost to do it, and what stays with partners, including the transition plan for the agencies affected. Interim leadership of the new team through its first quarter is available.

    Marketing and commerce roadmap. Four weeks to a 12-18 month roadmap for a new marketing or commerce leader: priorities, sequencing, partner and platform decisions, budget shape, and the operating cadence to run it.

Download My Research

In 2025, the ANA published my paper, "The $15 Trillion Advantage," on the audience-targeting gap in U.S. marketing. Enter your info for the PDF.

What people say about dina light-mcneely

  • Yareli Esteban, CEO Strategar Agency

    Dina brought strategic focus to two emerging service offerings at a pivotal moment for our team.

    Her competitive analysis and go-to-market insights helped us sharpen our positioning and clarify next steps. I appreciate her ability to synthesize complex inputs into actionable frameworks—making her a valuable partner during this phase of our growth.

    She’s quick, sharp, and collaborative, with a unique talent for turning complexity into clarity.

  • Gayla Guyse, General Manager; Omni Fort Lauderdale 

    “When launching our brand-new hotel featuring over 800 guestrooms, nine restaurants, a spa, rooftop pool, endless recreation activities, and an array of amenities, Dina was absolutely instrumental to our success.

    She provided in-depth market analysis and demographic insights while also crafting the complete positioning strategy for the property. Dina skillfully translated the visions of our architects, designers, brand representatives, and stakeholders into a cohesive and compelling narrative.

    Her ability to turn a complex situation into clear, actionable messaging was invaluable.

    We cannot recommend Dina highly enough for strategic brand consultation across any industry.”

  • Doug Bain, Chief Growth Officer at AdhereHealth, LLC

    “Dina is a forward-thinking innovator who truly gets digital, data, and the need to push forward with new ideas to make clients and agency relationships with them – thrive. I would work with her anywhere and recommend her to anyone.”

  • Frank Hamlin, Former CMO, EVP, and Chief Customer Officer

    “I’ve worked with Dina on two separate occasions — once many years ago with e-Rewards/Brierley and Partners and most recently as the account strategy lead at The Marketing Arm on our GameStop business.

    On both occasions she’s been a great partner – strategic, enthusiastic, rigorous in her detail, and hard working. She delivers results-driven marketing strategies grounded in a solid understanding of a breadth of marketing channels and partners in digital, social and traditional media.”

  • Carlos Lopez, SVP, S50 Agency

    Dina was a lifesaver. We had an enormously complex comms challenge that Dina fearlessly dove into.

    Dina was able to get up to speed in the category and brand quickly, understood the brand and business challenges, and delivered a thoughtful and comprehensive solution that clarified the approach.

    We would have been weeks behind if Dina hadn’t joined us. Her ability to see solutions quickly was invaluable!"

  • Andrea Campbell, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Front Door Fashion

    "When we decided to start our own fashion business, Dina was the first person I called to discuss our digital marketing strategy.

    We've successfully made it past our one-year mark and we are re-engaging with Dina to help us develop our overall marketing, digital and social media strategy that will take our company to the next level. Her expertise in not only this area, but also with start-ups has proved to be invaluable. I highly recommend Dina for any organization, large or small, looking to make a noticeable mark in customer acquisition and retention through digital and social marketing."

  • Terry Dry, CEO, Future Proof Advisors

    “Dina is a wildly smart and incredibly strategic individual. Her specific strategic skills are second to none. She is also hardworking and always gets the job done. I had the pleasure of working with her at The Marketing Arm. Dina is also extremely loyal and someone you can trust in the workplace.”

  • Mark McKinney, Professor, Author, Speaker, Consultant, PhD in Psychology

    “Dina is everything you want in a work partner: strategic, detailed, hard-working, and creative. Her very diverse background allows her to bring alternate forms of thinking and problem-solving to any problem, and she does this with enthusiasm and rigor.

    I could trust her to lead any project, no matter how complicated the issue or how unfamiliar the information was, and she would rapidly learn what she needed and apply it in unique ways to help clients truly solve business problems.

    I can recommend Dina with no reservations. She is a multi-talented strategy professional.”

  • Tom Edwards, Partner EY

    '“Dina is a rare blend of strategic and relational. She understands how to seamlessly map a client’s business objectives through to a measurable outcome all while ensuring the consumer stays engaged at every step of the way.

    Her strategic background and ability to translate the “big picture” into action is impressive. She understands how to integrate emerging technology into an existing infrastructure.

    Dina is a great strategic partner and I would recommend her without hesitation.”