Sheila F. Kirby is President, Strategic Sales Development for Interep. In this position, she oversees all of Interep's sales efforts, including the company's focused initiative to penetrate agency planning groups and upper-level decision-makers. In addition, Kirby also leads Interep Innovations, Interep's industry-leading new business development initiative.

Innovations is the rubric for Interep's company-wide commitment to growing its clients' share of transactional dollars, while simultaneously creating new revenue through group deals, regional packages and non-traditional revenue development. In 2005, Interep Innovations generated $84 million dollars in brand new radio revenue.

As part of her Innovations responsibilities, Kirby oversees the Interep Marketing Group and Promotion Marketing, as well as the company's training program in non-traditional revenue development company-wide. This training gives every transactional seller the tools necessary to tap into the $416 billion spent each year on sales promotions and marketing programs outside of traditional media budgets. She is responsible for coaching more than 500 Interep employees on facets of new business development, including reaching senior level decision-makers at agencies and clients. This represents a major, groundbreaking shift in the way that national reps are doing business. "It all goes back to the notion of proactive change," Sheila says. "Advertisers and agencies do not want the same old sales approach. They are looking for independent integration. We deliver multiple touch-points to advertisers and agencies; multiple ways of addressing their marketing challenges in today's landscape."

For more senior level professionals, Sheila says her best advice is "never be afraid to hire someone smarter than yourself." She said this is the best way to ensure your company's success. She cites the sale of Morrison and Abraham to Interep as an example of both "hiring smarter" and her belief in always seeking knowledge: "I hired Sue Novicki at Morrison and Abraham because I knew she was smarter than me. When I felt she was ready to run the company and take it to new heights, I accepted Ralph Guild's offer to run Interep Innovations because it was clear to me how much I could learn from him."

Novicki says of Sheila: "She is the most unbelievable motivator I have ever worked with. She can sell anything to anyone. She is passionate, and her ability to retain names and numbers is amazing. Sheila hired me into the business nine years ago and has been a great mentor to me."

Before joining Interep, as CEO of Morrison and Abraham – a position she still holds at the Interep subsidiary – Sheila guided the company to generate more than $500 million in new revenue for their media clients, including Infinity/Viacom, ABC/Disney, Jefferson-Pilot, Entercom, Knight-Ridder, Hearst Television and Newspaper, Cox Television and Belo Television and Newspaper, among others.

Sheila began her career as the director of listener loyalty at Westinghouse's WIND Radio in Chicago , and was also Director of Business Development for WFYR Radio. In 1987, she became a consultant for Morrison and Abraham, and took over as President in 1990. She became co-owner of the company in 1996.  During her 13-year tenure as President and owner, Sheila oversaw the firm's expansion from a three-person training company to a full-service sales consulting firm serving radio, television, newspaper and direct mail with more than 65 clients nationwide.

Sheila has received various accolades, including her selection as one of the "Top 20 Women in Sales and Marketing" by American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) in 2004 and 2005, and selection as one of the "Most Influential Women in Radio" by Radio Ink . She also serves on the board of AWRT's New York City Chapter.