2026 Women of Excellence Profiles: Mentorship
Caitlin Garrett
COO
Breaktime Media
For more than a decade, Caitlin Garrett has helped shape Breaktime Media's people-first culture by investing in the people around her. Her impact can be seen in the careers she's helped build, the leaders she's developed, and the culture she's helped create. Since joining the company in 2014 as an account manager, Garrett has steadily grown into the role of chief operating officer, the post she assumed in August 2025, bringing with her firsthand knowledge of what it takes to build a meaningful career through mentorship, opportunity and continuous development. She has championed and helped implement many of the initiatives that have strengthened employee development, transparency and workplace culture, helping cultivate an organization recognized as both an inspiring workplace for five consecutive years and one of Built In's Best Places to Work.
Today, Garrett leads a team of 10, 90% of whom are women, and has built a culture where professional growth is not only encouraged but expected. She invests in mentorship every day through regular one-on-ones, honest feedback, personalized development plans and stretch opportunities that help employees prepare for leadership. She is known for recognizing leadership potential early, advocating for women to take on new responsibilities, and ensuring they have the visibility, support and confidence needed to advance their careers. She empowers her team to think strategically, solve problems independently and develop the skills and perspective to lead, while remaining a trusted sounding board.
Under her leadership, eight women on her team have earned promotions, with several advancing multiple times. They've grown from entry-level and individual contributor roles into supervisors, senior leads, associate directors and leaders of their own teams. These accomplishments reflect Garrett's commitment to developing not only high performers, but future leaders who are empowered to mentor and develop others.
Laura Plaukovich
Senior Shopper Insights Team Leader
Kimberly-Clark
Laura Plaukovich is a leader who develops people not only to perform well, but to think more strategically, lead with greater confidence and create meaningful business impact. Over her 15 years shaping the company’s shopper insights function, she has built a reputation as an exceptional people leader, coach and advocate. Her mentorship is both highly intentional and deeply personal. She takes the time to understand everyone’s strengths, aspirations and development opportunities, and creates the right mix of guidance, stretch assignments, visibility and feedback to help them grow. She coaches people on how to challenge assumptions, evaluate methodologies, structure insights, connect data to a compelling story, and translate learning into decisions that matter for customers, retailers and brands.
Her technical expertise and willingness to guide others through research approaches helps them build confidence and capability. Plaukovich has created a team culture grounded in trust, openness, candor and collaboration. She balances support with challenge, encouraging autonomy while remaining available as a thoughtful sounding board, helping individuals build confidence, sharpen their executive presence and step into larger leadership opportunities.
Plaukovich creates visibility for her team, opens doors to meaningful cross-functional work and ensures contributions are recognized. Her impact extends beyond Kimberly-Clark as well, including serving as a guest speaker at the University of Central Arkansas in a marketing class on marketing research, shopper insights and strategic decision-making. She championed continuing education in early 2026 for her team through a University of Georgia/MRII course, “Evolving Methods, Evolving Roles: Thriving in the New Era of Insights and Research.” She researched the opportunity, encouraged participation, completed the course herself, prompted team discussion and celebrated completion through digital badging. She models the same growth mindset she encourages in others, and reinforced that great mentors remain learners, too.
Christine Shoaf
Chief Global Client Officer
Momentum
Part of the team behind Momentum's Make It Matter (MIM) purpose-driven platform, Christine Shoaf has helped transform what began as a sustainability initiative into a holistic framework focused on three pillars essential to the agency's future: sustainability, belonging and wellness. Each pillar is supported by dedicated committees, executive sponsorship and year-round programming designed to create meaningful, lasting impact across the business. As Executive Sponsor of the Make Wellness Matter committee, she champions initiatives that empower employees to bring their best selves to work, and invests in developing future leaders while embodying the agency's core values.
Her leadership has fostered an environment where well-being, personal development and business success go hand in hand. Shoaf’s commitment to people is most evident through her dedication to mentorship. She is an impactful role model to female employees and has played an active role in Momentum's Global Mentorship Program, which was created to provide greater development opportunities for diverse talent and female employees. The program has supported more than 100 participants globally and, as part of that, Shoaf has guided more than 20 senior-level employees and helped them navigate career progression, build confidence and unlock new opportunities.
Beyond Momentum, Shoaf is an influential advocate for advancing women in the creative industries. She has used her platform to drive important conversations about representation and leadership, including speaking at The Female Quotient's panel at Cannes on why female creatives are leaving the industry instead of leading it, and what organizations must do to change that. Internally, she continues to champion female talent as a key member of the Women's Employee Resource Group, helping create pathways for the next generation of leaders.
Cynthia Volk
Director, Category Management – Center Store
Giant Food
Known for her collaborative approach and commitment to developing others, Cynthia Volk has built a reputation as a trusted mentor, advocate and champion for women across the organization. Her leadership is defined not only by business impact, but by her intentional investment in people — creating opportunities, building confidence and helping others navigate their careers with clarity and purpose. She demonstrates a consistent and authentic commitment to advancing women within Giant Food, actively supporting female talent to take on new challenges, step outside of their comfort zones and pursue leadership opportunities.
Volk is intentional in identifying potential and helping individuals understand their strengths while providing guidance on how to translate those strengths into career growth. Whether through coaching conversations, development opportunities or advocacy in leadership discussions, she ensures that women are positioned for success and given the confidence to grow. Her mentorship style is both practical and highly personalized. She brings deep expertise in category management and shares that knowledge generously, helping others learn how to navigate complex business environments, influence cross-functional partners and deliver results.
Beyond technical skills, she focuses on helping mentees build confidence, communicate effectively and strengthen their decision-making skills. Volk encourages open dialogue and creates space for diverse viewpoints, which strengthens both team performance and individual confidence. By promoting transparency and honest communication, she has built strong relationships across the organization and has created a culture where collaboration thrives. Her leadership is grounded in accountability, respect and a genuine commitment to doing what is right for both the business and her team.
