Simon Marlow EVP, Managing Director, Director of Multinational Client Services BBDO Worldwide
Simon Marlow, Executive Vice President, Managing Director is a member of the Board of Directors of BBDO Worldwide, the leading advertising agency of the Omnicom Communications Group (NYSE: OMC).
He is responsible for international client business development and is the senior executive responsible for the agency’s worldwide P&G business managing the global Gillette, Venue, Oral-B and Braun brands. In his capacity as Director of Multinational Client Services, Simon has been called upon to apply his considerable worldwide client handling skills to the pursuit and development of new multinational business opportunities, both domestically and abroad.
Simon is an internationalist who has lived in Europe, Australia, Japan as well as in the U.S. working on major multinational blue-chip consumer goods business.
Simon joined BBDO New York in 1973 and was promoted to vice president, account supervisor in December 1975 on the Pepsi Cola account. He left the agency in 1978 to continue his international career at McCann Erickson Worldwide where he initially ran the Coca-Cola business in Tokyo, Japan, and later took on Asia/Pacific responsibilities for Unilever, Nestle in addition to Coca-Cola. In 1982, Simon was transferred to McCann Europe as vice president, general manager McCann Erickson Italy, based in Rome. After two years of significant business growth, Simon was transferred to McCann Erickson headquarters in New York as senior V.P., Management Representative running the worldwide RJR business.
In 1988, Simon rejoined BBDO Worldwide as executive vice president and was elected to the board of directors of BBDO New York in 1989. At BBDO, Simon has led the development of the very successful ‘The Best A Man Can Get?’ campaign for Gillette, which has helped revitalize the company’s leadership position. He has also launched all of Gillette’s most successful new product introductions, including: Gillette’s Sensor, MACH3, Venue, Oral-B and most recently, the Fusion shaving system.
Born in Great Britain, Simon holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from University College (London). In 1979, he completed The Marketing Management Program at Columbia University, New York. In 1986, he completed the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in Boston. In 1994, Simon completed the International Management Program at Insead in France. Simon also lectures MBA graduates at Harvard University, MIT and Wharton.