Houston Ballet is pleased to announce Adama Sall as the organization’s first-ever Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). In this newly created role, Adama will lead Houston Ballet’s marketing and brand strategy into a new era as part of the senior leadership team, reporting directly to the Executive Director. She will begin her role on January 26.
“Having worked with the best and the brightest, Adama is passionate about what Houston Ballet is set to accomplish, including building a brand that feels essential, modern, and deeply integrated into people’s lives,” said Executive Director Sonja Kostich. “We are focused on aligning how we show up across ticketing, digital platforms, public relations, events, education, and community engagement—so that every touchpoint tells a cohesive, compelling story. This is not about following traditional ballet marketing playbooks, this is a rare opportunity to shape the identity of an already stable, well-resourced organization and bring fresh creative energy to an institution poised for reinvention. We are thrilled to have her joining us at this pivotal moment for the Company’s growth.”
Adama joins Houston Ballet as a senior marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience building global, culturally influential brands. She holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University and is a longtime mentor, educator, and advocate for diversity in the creative industries. Her career spans both top creative agencies and in-house leadership roles at some of the most innovative, culture-shaping companies in the country.
With roots in both art and commerce, Adama brings a rare combination of creative instinct, strategic rigor, and an entrepreneurial mindset grounded in innovation and systems-building. She is known for collaborating with deeply creative teams and partners who are ready to think differently, and for translating big, imaginative ideas into scalable strategies. She has partnered with leading agencies including Mekanism, Ogilvy & Mather, BBDO, McCann, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and R/GA, and has led brand strategy for some of the world’s most recognized companies, including Disney, Coca-Cola, HBO, Gap, Peloton, Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, Samsung, Jeep, Nasdaq, HP, GE Appliances, and UPS.
“Houston Ballet has the clarity, ambition, and artistry to lead on the global stage,” said Chief Marketing Officer Adama Sall. “I’m thrilled to join Sonja and the team in shaping a dynamic cultural brand that matches the power of the work itself—one rooted in storytelling, creativity, and a genuine love for the arts. This is a new chapter for the organization, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Early in her career, Adama was part of the team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners that partnered with San Francisco Ballet on a full brand refresh in 2002—work that went on to win an Effie Award and cemented her belief in the power of brand and integrated storytelling to drive real-world impact.
At Wieden+Kennedy, Adama supported numerous global campaigns, including helping build The Girl Effect from the ground up with the Nike Foundation—a mission-driven brand focused on investing in underfunded and overlooked girls in developing countries. The work reinforced a core belief that has guided her career: that thoughtful, culturally resonant storytelling can shift perception, unlock opportunity, and create meaningful social change. During her time at W+K, she also played a key role in evolving Nike Women, helping reposition the brand around strength, training, and confidence, and advancing a more empowering representation of women athletes worldwide.
While at TBWA\Chiat\Day, Adama helped launch Ray-Ban’s iconic “Never Hide” brand platform, bringing fresh cultural energy to a storied brand and shaping the category for the next decade. As Director of Global Brand Strategy at Netflix, she led strategy for the company’s first-ever brand team, helping define how a single Netflix brand shows up consistently across campaigns, content, and design worldwide. This foundational work shaped how Netflix builds member joy and drives global cultural conversation.
As Chief Marketing Officer, Adama will develop integrated marketing campaigns that elevate Houston Ballet locally, nationally, and globally. Overseeing digital, social, content creation, public relations, and brand storytelling, she will work across departments to ensure clarity of vision, alignment of messaging, and a strong, future-facing brand presence to elevate Houston Ballet and make a compelling cultural case for ballet overall. Adama’s hire reflects a continued evolution toward a more integrated, future-facing approach to the Company’s brand and audience engagement, that follows Executive Director Sonja Kostich’s recent appointment reflecting the broader generational shift in leadership and vision for the Company that embraces innovation while honoring artistic excellence.
Houston Ballet is entering a bold new chapter as one of the most dynamic and well-respected ballet companies in the world. Proud to call the vibrant, diverse, and deeply artistic city of Houston home, the Company is uniquely positioned to reimagine what a ballet company can be—not just for today, but for the future.
ABOUT HOUSTON BALLET
Founded in 1969, the fourth-largest ballet company in the U.S., Houston Ballet is known for its artistic excellence, bold choreography, and exceptional training programs. Under the leadership of Artistic Directors Julie Kent and Stanton Welch AM, and Executive Director Sonja Kostich, the Company operates with a $46 million budget (FY26) and a $126 million endowment (as of October 2025). In April 2011, it opened the Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance, a $46.6 million-dollar state-of-the-art training facility. The Company regularly performs in the Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Texas, and tours internationally to cities such as London, Paris, and Tokyo. Additionally, its Education and Community Engagement programs reach more than 85,000 people annually, while the Houston Ballet Academy trains over 1,000 students each year, with a majority on scholarship. For more information on Houston Ballet, visit houstonballet.org/explore/history.
Photo by Grace Hwang