“In a world forever striving for peace, could Barry Manilow be the answer?” – Washington Post after Barry Manilow’s headlining performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.
“Among the few things one can count on in life: the taste of McDonald’s cheeseburgers, “I Love Lucy” reruns are still funny—and Barry Manilow never wearing out his welcome at the top of the charts.” -Billboard Magazine.
The GRAMMY®, TONY®, and EMMY® Award-winning musician Barry Manilow has had an astonishing 51 Top 40 singles, including 13 #1s and 28 Top 10 hits.
A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. He is one of the world’s all-time bestselling recording artists, with worldwide sales of more than 85 million records, and his success is a benchmark in popular music. His concerts sell out instantly. He is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records) and Billboard Magazines. Rolling Stone crowned him “a giant among entertainers… the showman of our generation.” Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters stated, “Barry Manilow is the coolest motherf***er in the world,” Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol’ Blue Eyes told the British press, “He’s next.”
Music is Manilow’s passion — both in the studio and classroom. While he has released over 40 albums, Manilow has also raised millions through his Manilow Music Project. In response to drastic budget cuts in arts programs across the U.S., the Manilow Music Project is keeping the music alive by ensuring that middle school and high school students have instruments in their hands to use in their music classes.
Manilow’s roots are in his native Brooklyn, where music was integral to his life. By age seven, he was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor’s piano. Choosing a career in music while still in his teens, he attended New York College of Music and the Julliard School of Music while working in the CBS mailroom. Subsequently, he became musical director for the CBS show “Callback” (American Idol’s predecessor), leading to a lucrative sideline on New York’s advertising jingle circuit.
In 1971, Barry Manilow met Bette Midler and became her music director, arranger, and pianist. He signed with Bell Records the following year to record his debut solo album.
In 1974, Clive Davis founded a new label, Arista, along with Columbia Pictures. Davis had the right to choose any artist on the Columbia Pictures-owned Bell Records to bring to Arista. Davis chose Manilow, and the rest is history. He famously brought Manilow a recent U.K. hit rock song, “Brandy” (written by Scott English). Clive and Barry changed the title to “Mandy” so it wouldn’t be confused with the Looking Glass U.S. hit “Brandy.”
Using his arranging and producing abilities, Manilow changed the rock song into the sweeping ballad that the world knows. When the Arista single reached Number One in early 1975, it ignited one of the most incandescent careers in pop music.
Manilow would describe himself as a musician before calling himself a singer. From the beginning, his love of music was, and still is, in arranging, composing, and songwriting. All of which were evident in his most recent original album, 15 MINUTES, released in 2011. Over two years in the making, Manilow produced the album with Michael Lloyd and reunited with lyricist Enoch Anderson. Inspired by the Andy Warhol quote, “In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes,” this edgy, guitar-driven pop album is a captivating musical odyssey exploring the perils and pinnacles of fame’s double-edged sword. Since its release, 15 MINUTES has seen great success; the album debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Independent Chart.
On May 12, 2012, Manilow released his highest-charting live album since 1974, LIVE IN LONDON. This album features several of his most popular hits, including “Can’t Smile Without You,” “Mandy,” and “Copacabana (At The Copa).” LIVE IN LONDON has seen great success, earning the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top Internet Albums, #5 Indie Albums, and #24 on Billboard’s Top 200. It is the highest-charting live album since 1977.
Beginning in 2006, Manilow triumphed with his hugely successful series of albums celebrating the great songs of four decades. The platinum album THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES entered at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Next came the platinum THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SIXTIES, also released in 2006. It entered the chart at #2 and was the all-time highest first sales week debut chart entry of Manilow’s career. With the “FIFTIES” and “SIXTIES” albums, Manilow became the first artist since 1981 to have two albums in the top two positions on the Billboard chart in one calendar year.
The success of the decades series continued with THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE SEVENTIES. Released in 2007, this album’s chart debut made Manilow the only artist to have three top-four debuts on the Billboard 200 chart in two years.
THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE EIGHTIES marked the fourth album of the decades series to enter the Top 10.
In the winter of 2010, Manilow completed his remarkable decades series with a Grammy® nomination for THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME, co-produced by Manilow, Clive Davis, and Michael Lloyd (Somewhere in Time and Dirty Dancing).
Other Manilow album highlights touching on many music styles include the ground-breaking album called 2:00 AM PARADISE CAFÉ. In 1985, Manilow stepped out of his pop comfort zone to create this original jazz album. Set in an imaginary nightclub and featuring jazz legends Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, and Gerry Mulligan, this album was the pinnacle of Manilow’s originality. Packed with all of Manilow’s original compositions, the platinum 2:00 AM PARADISE CAFÉ received the best reviews of Manilow’s career.
The Techno-Jazz SWING STREET (1987) featured guest appearances by Stan Getz, Phyllis Hyman, Kid Creole, and Diane Schuur.
Later came SHOWSTOPPERS (1991), spanning nearly a century of Broadway show tunes.
For 1994’s SINGIN’ WITH THE BIG BANDS, Manilow was paired with the orchestras of Les Brown, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Harry James, and Glenn Miller on a glorious set of Swing Era standards.
1998’s MANILOW SINGS SINATRA paired Barry with Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone, paying homage to the great songs made famous by the legendary Frank Sinatra.
Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with 51 Top 40 Hits. The list includes all-time favorites that Manilow still sings today: “Mandy,” “It’s A Miracle,” “Could It Be Magic,” “I Write the Songs,” “Tryin’ To Get the Feeling Again,” “This One’s For You,” “Weekend In New England,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” “Even Now,” and the Grammy Award-winning “Copacabana (At the Copa).” All these songs (and more) were anthologized on the commemorative 1992 four-CD boxed set, BARRY MANILOW: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION AND THEN SOME.
To date, 29 of Manilow’s albums have been certified platinum, while BARRY MANLOW/LIVE (1977), EVEN NOW (1978), and GREATEST HITS (1978) are each certified triple platinum.
Every album produced by Manilow for other artists—including Bette Midler, Nancy Wilson, and Dionne Warwick—has been nominated for Grammy® Award.
A winner of Grammy®, Emmy®, and Tony® Awards, Manilow’s film credits include the Oscar®-nominated song “Ready To Take A Chance Again” (from 1978’s “Foul Play”), the production of Bette Midler’s “Perfect Isn’t Easy” (from Walt Disney’s “Oliver and Company”), and writing and scoring the soundtracks for the animated features “Thumbelina” and “The Pebble and the Penguin.”
Highlights of Manilow’s theater career range from his Tony® Award-winning Broadway debut in 1977 (the same year ABC-TV presented “The Barry Manilow Special” to an audience of 37 million) to an eight-week SRO run on the Great White Way in 1989. Beginning in 1997, Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana – The Musical,” an elaborate two-act spectacular, played to packed houses in London’s West End for 18 months before touring the U.S., Australia, and Asia. June 2001 saw the opening of “Could It Be Magic? – The Barry Manilow Songbook.”
The singer has made countless television appearances, ranging from Emmy®-winning network specials to cable concerts, and has released best-selling long-form home videos such as “Live On Broadway” and “Because It’s Christmas.” His two-hour 1996 A&E special, “Barry Manilow: Live by Request,” was the highest-rated music show in the network’s history. Manilow also has appeared on the highly-rated TV series “Murphy Brown,” “Ally McBeal,” and “Will & Grace.” In 2006, Manilow received his fifth Emmy® nomination and Emmy® win for the PBS special, “Manilow: Music and Passion.” The broadcast celebrated Manilow’s 100th performance at the Las Vegas Hilton. Produced by STILETTO Television, the Rhino DVD of the PBS special was soon certified triple platinum. “Barry Manilow: Happy Holiday!” is Manilow’s holiday-themed television special from A&E’s “Live By Request.” Originally broadcast from New York City on a snowy December night in 2003, this show is among the highest-rated A&E “Live By Request” performances ever.
In June 2002, Manilow was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music’s Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Ashford & Simpson, Michael Jackson, Randy Newman, and Sting. 2012, he was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame.
Manilow is a member of the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Jazz member. His autobiography, Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise, was published by McGraw-Hill in 1987. In addition to his foundation, the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope, other involvements include The Prince’s Trust, United Way, the Starlight Foundation, and several leading organizations for AIDS prevention and research. Manilow is the national spokesperson for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and a member of the Music Center of Los Angeles.
In 2008, Manilow created The Manilow Music Project as part of his Manilow Fund for Health and Hope. Answering the call of need at a time when arts and music programs in most schools are the first casualties of budget cuts, The Manilow Music Project was launched by providing 300,000 dollars worth of musical instruments, as well as sheet music and music stands, to 21 local schools in California’s Coachella Valley. Manilow performed his first-ever Hollywood Bowl concert on October 24, 2009, where, in association with the Manilow Music Project and the Grammy® Foundation, Manilow raised $100,000 for musical instruments for the Los Angeles United School District. He also organized an instrument drive and a $500,000 donation for the Las Vegas/Clark County School District. The Manilow Music Project has given away more than $10 million in instruments and donations to schools across the United States. Manilow also provides music scholarships at ten leading universities.
As CNN reported in 2011, “Barry Manilow not only writes the songs, he makes sure kids can too,” referring to Manilow’s cavalcade charge to assist the tornado-ravaged town of Joplin, Missouri. Manilow personally delivered $300,000 in musical instruments to the town’s only high school upon learning that the storm had blown away the school’s musical instruments. As Manilow says, “Anyone can make a difference. Just call your local schools and ask them what they need. Get ’em a new set of drums! Music changes a young person’s life.”
In 2013, Manilow’s dedication to helping others in need was again recognized when he was honored with the Dream Foundation’s Humanitarian Award. A testament to Manilow’s philanthropic impact, Dream Foundation Founder and President Thomas Rollerson said, “Without the years of support of advocates like Barry, we simply would not have the resources needed to touch the lives of the families we serve.”
In October 2013, Legacy Recordings released THE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS ALBUM, a compilation of Manilow’s three successful Christmas albums over the past 15 years. The album’s single, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” became Barry’s 50th Top 40 hit.
Manilow celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Mandy and received his 15th Grammy nomination for MY DREAM DUETS. Modern technology gave Manilow the opportunity to record his “dream” duets with his musical heroes. The album was released on VERVE/Universal on October 27, 2014. The original vocal tracks for each guest artist were extracted from their original source recordings, allowing Manilow to re-orchestrate the arrangements, record new musical tracks, and then transport the guest vocals into vibrant new settings. From cherished idols like Judy Garland and Louis Armstrong to contemporary icons like Whitney Houston and John Denver, they have all joined Barry in his “virtual recording studio.”
In 2017, Barry Manilow received the BMI Icon Award and was ranked as the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time by Billboard and R&R magazines.
His residency in Las Vegas, MANILOW: LAS VEGAS—The Hits Come Home!, debuted in May 2018 to rave reviews and sold-out audiences. He has been named BEST OF LAS VEGAS by the city’s major daily newspaper, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, and included in the inaugural class of Las Vegas Magazine’s Hall of Fame. Other honors include Best Resident Performer/Headliner and Best New Show. This past year, his phenomenal success as a headliner in Las Vegas included surpassing Elvis Presley’s legendary achievement of a record number of shows at the famous International Theater in the Westgate Hotel Las Vegas.
2023 marked another pinnacle in Manilow’s career. His original Broadway musical, “HARMONY,” opened to rave reviews, including a New York Times Critic’s Pick. The musical chronicles the remarkable journey of The Comedian Harmonists, a harmony ensemble of six young men from 1930s Germany. Their meteoric rise to fame was overshadowed by the religious diversity within their group. The collision between their Jewish and Gentile backgrounds thrust them into the tumultuous currents of history.
Manilow returned to the charts in 2023 with his rendition of Mariah Carey’s classic hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” marking his 51st Top 40 hit. He continued to sell out shows, with five consecutive nights at Radio City Music Hall and being honored by The NY Pops at Carnegie Hall. 2023 culminated in his starring in two NBC specials: his very own Holiday special, “A Very Barry Christmas,” and a headlining performance on NBC’s Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Special.
Manilow shows no signs of slowing down. Following a run of twelve consecutive sold-out shows and a recent honor as “Best Las Vegas Show” by USA TODAY, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! remains one of the city’s most sought-after experiences. Manilow has been named Best Resident Performer by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, made history in 2024 by signing the first-ever Lifetime Residency Contract with Westgate, and was recently inducted into the Las Vegas Magazine Hall of Fame with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
After spending an unprecedented ten years at the top of the pop music charts, this multi-talented producer, arranger, musician, composer, singer, and performer has succeeded with albums focused on 50s Jazz, Techno-Jazz, Big Band Swing, Show Tunes, Sinatra Swing, songs from the Great American Songbook, Christmas music, and rock ‘n roll. It makes one’s head spin. No wonder Rolling Stone dubbed him “The Showman of Our Generation.”
An award-winning actress, producer, social activist and philanthropist, Marlo Thomas has been a role model for women and girls since she blazed the trail as television’s first single woman living alone in the hit television series That Girl.
The daughter and eldest child of Danny Thomas, the renowned entertainer and founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Marlo proudly serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude. She is the driving force behind countless fundraising and awareness efforts to educate the public about the lifesaving research and treatment being done every day at St. Jude. In 2004, she and siblings Terre and Tony Thomas created the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign, which has since become a national holiday tradition. In 2014, in recognition of her commitment to the hospital, St. Jude christened its newest building The Marlo Thomas Center for Global Education and Collaboration. Hillary Rodham Clinton presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
In addition to her acclaimed acting career in television and film and on the stage, she is the author of seven bestselling books: Free To Be…You & Me (a project that became a platinum album, Emmy Award-winning television special and a stage show), Free To Be…A Family (which also won an Emmy), The Right Words at the Right Time, The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn!, Thanks and Giving: All Year Long (which became a Grammy-winning CD) and, her memoir, Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny. In 2014, she published It Ain’t Over … Til It’s Over: Reinventing Your Life – and Realizing Your Dreams – Anytime, at Any Age, which chronicles the inspiring stories of women who reinvented their lives and careers. You can purchase Marlo Thomas’ DVDs and books from the St. Jude Gift Shop.
In 2014, Marlo was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, the nation’s highest civilian honor presented to, “individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Marlo has received four Emmys, nine Emmy nominations, the George Foster Peabody Award, a Golden Globe and a Grammy, and she has been inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. She also has been recognized for her activism and advocacy with, among others, the American Women in Radio and Television Satellite Award; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; the American Cancer Society Humanitarian Award; the NAACP Pathway to Excellence Award; the William Kunstler Racial Justice Award; the Helen Caldicott Award for Nuclear Disarmament; the National Council of Jewish Women’s Rebekah Kohut Award; and the Jefferson Award for Public Service, which she received along with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Marlo is a co-founder of the historic Ms. Foundation for Women, which among other landmark achievements created the nation’s Take Our Daughters to Work Day; and in 2012, she launched a nationwide bullying prevention campaign in partnership with, among others, the Ad Council, AOL, Facebook, and the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
Marlo began her career performing in regional theaters around the country, when director Mike Nichols cast her as the lead in the London production of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. In 1965 she burst into television as That Girl, a series she conceived and also produced. She’s appeared in numerous acclaimed television movies, including Nobody’s Child, for which she won the Emmy for Best Dramatic Actress. She also frequently returns to the theatrical stage, on and off Broadway and in regional theatres across the country. In 2011, she starred on Broadway in Elaine May’s comedy, Relatively Speaking; and in 2015 appeared off-Broadway in Joe DiPietro’s comedy, Clever Little Lies.
As a founder of mcgarrybowen, Gordon Bowen heralds one of the most diverse and celebrated careers on Madison Avenue. His powerful storytelling helped amass an impressive list of iconic clients, including American Express, The Walt Disney Company, Pfizer, JP Morgan Chase, The Hallmark Company, Intel, Verizon, Marriott International, and Proctor & Gamble. His belief in idea-led, data-driven, tech-enabled platforms made mcgarrybowen one of the fastest growing agencies in advertising history. In under a decade after its founding, mcgarrybowen was named “Agency of the Year” three times and expanded into all major global markets. Gordon continues to oversee the many of dentsu’s creative efforts and has added substantially to their client list with accounts, such as Lowes.
Prior to founding the agency that bears his name, Gordon held Chief / Executive Creative Director positions at McCann Erickson Worldwide, Ogilvy & Mather and Young & Rubicam. During this period, he also led AT&T from “Worst Advertiser of the Year” to “Advertiser of the Year” in just 12 months.
As Creative Director for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, he continued his success by writing the theme line, “Light the Fire Within” and teamed to create the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The games were nominated for 7 Emmy Awards. Prior to that, he held the same title for Robert Redford’s Sundance Entities; The Film Festival, Channel, Catalogue, and Resort.
Time Magazine labeled him a creator of “emotional blockbusters.” His legendary “Membership Has Its Privileges” campaign for American Express, shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, was named Advertising Age’s “Campaign of the Decade.” His work for various clients has been selected as the number one spot in the Super Bowl three times, and in 2018 the agency’s campaign for Intel garnered the Grand Prix at the Cannes Lion Festival.
Gordon currently serves on the board for Breitling and Ballet West and acts as an advisor to The End Fund, Charity Vision, Rising Star Outreach, The University of Utah, Utah Valley University, The Great Salt Lake Trust, and other charitable and religious organizations. Gordon was the creative director for the Olympic games in Salt Lake City. He is also currently producing the “Grace for the World Ceremony” on behalf of his Holiness Pope Leo XIV marking the 2025 Jubilee Year. Gordon leads the creative team for the Salt Lake City Temple Open House, opening spring of 2027, which expects to welcome 7 million visitors.
When not globetrotting, he splits his time between New York City and Holladay, Utah to spend time with the greatest loves of his life – his daughter Lily (25) and his son Caleb (22). A filmmaker by trade, he finds inspiration knee deep in the Greatest Snow on Earth and shoulder to shoulder on the Great White Way.
Gordon’s greatest passion is to create emotional bonds. Whether for an iconic brand, charitable cause, art and educational institution or environmental concern, his greatest desire is not to just make “work that works” but work that matters in the world.
Susan Credle’s creative career in advertising has been focused on a quest to lift people up and infuse the industry with diversity and best-in-class creative.
Upon arriving at FCB in 2016 as Global Chief Creative Officer, Susan, along with her C-Suite partners Carter Murray and Nigel Jones, reignited the creative fire within the network by creating a culture of generosity and a single-minded focus that led to strong creative outcomes. She believes that great creative is an economic multiplier for talent, agencies, and clients.
During her tenure as Global CCO, FCB North America was named the Cannes Lions North America Agency of The Year from 2019 through 2024. FCB was honored with the coveted title of Global Network of The Year at Cannes in 2020/21. FCB New York took the stage as Agency of the Year at the Clio Awards in 2023 and brought home Emmy Awards in 2023 and 2024. The network was also ranked the #1 Creative Agency for Effectiveness in the WARC Effective 100 in 2023, listed on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Agencies in 2022, named Adweek’s 2020 Global Agency of the Year, and ranked the #1 Global Network on The Good Report in 2020. FCB was named Network of the Year in The One Club Global rankings in 2023 and 2024.
Prior to joining FCB, Credle spent over six years as CCO at Leo Burnett, Chicago, helping guide work like Allstate’s Mayhem, Secret Deodorant’s grass roots Mean Stinks anti-bullying, and McDonald’s Happy Meal literacy campaigns. She began her career at BBDO New York when she joined in 1985 as an “intern.” She and her AD partner, Steve Rutter, launched the comedic ensemble of M&Ms characters in 1996 which kickstarted her inexorable rise to the top of the industry. They also helped birth the Cingular wireless brand which in just four years acquired ATT wireless to become the largest wireless carrier in 2004.
Susan has served on and led juries for the likes of Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, The Clios, LIAs, ANDYs, AICP, The Lories, Spikes, Immortal, and Adfest Awards. Throughout her career, Susan has been recognized by numerous creative and leadership groups, including Ad Age’s “100 Most Influential Women,” and Business Insider’s “Most Creative Women in Advertising.” She was inducted into the AAF’s Hall of Achievement in 2014, named Chicago Woman of the Year in 2013, inducted into The NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame in 2014, and was honored at the Matrix Awards in 2017. In 2018, Credle was named the Chair of the Board of Directors for The One Club for Creativity. And In 2024, she received The Clio Lifetime Achievement Award. In the fall of 2024, she was the guest of honor (denizen of disgrace) at the She Runs It roast.
In 2024, Credle took on the role of Interpublic Global Creative Advisor where she brings thirty years of creative experience to the table to ensure that creativity remains an important and respected economic multiplier in the marketing and advertising industry.
In every organization, the two people who know the most about a company are the CEO and the person in the mailroom. David is proud to say he has held both positions and is better for it.
At only 18, he started his career delivering packages, learning and keeping secrets at Grey Sydney. Just 9 months later, after winning National Student of the Year at the Australian Writers and Art Directors School, his journey as a relentless creative officially began. By 22 he was an Executive Creative Director at OMON Sydney. By 26, he was Chief Creative Officer of Saatchi Singapore, and by 29, Chief Creative Officer of Saatchi London. Four years later, he was promoted to Global CCO of Publicis but decided to move to New York instead to open his own agency, Droga5, in 2006. There, the title ‘Creative Chairman’ was born. Since then, Droga5 NY has been named ‘Agency of the Year’ more than 25 times and in 2020 was named US ‘Agency of the Decade’ by both AdAge and Adweek.
David was proud to be included in the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement in 2005. To date, he is the most-awarded creative in the history of the Cannes International Festival of Creativity and was honored with their lifetime achievement award at only 47, The Lion of St Mark. He is also the youngest person ever inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, the Asian Media and Marketing Hall of Fame, the AdNews Hall of Fame, and the Australian Writer & Art Directors Hall of Fame.
In September 2021, David stepped out of his creative leadership role at Droga5 to become the global CEO of its parent company, Accenture Song. During that time David has taken Accenture Song from a $12.5 billion company to a $20 billion plus tech-powered creative giant. On Sept 1, 2025, David stepped down as Song CEO to become the Vice Chairman of Accenture.
Beyond his family and daydreaming, David is obsessed with the arts, the environment, all sports and anything Australian. And somewhere between all of that, he sits on the board of the New Museum and the Droga Family Foundation.
Esi Eggleston Bracey is Unilever’s Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, responsible for leading Unilever into the next generation of marketing and maximizing opportunities for growth. She was appointed to the Unilever Executive in January 2024.
Esi joined the company in 2018 and has served as President of Unilever USA and CEO of Unilever Personal Care in North America. Prior to this, she led Unilever’s $5 billion Beauty and Personal Care portfolio for North America as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer which included responsibility for the Hair, Skin Cleansing, Skin Care and Deodorant businesses with brands such as Dove, TRESemmé, Suave, Vaseline, Degree, Axe, and Shea Moisture. Beyond Unilever, Esi served as President of Coty’s Global Consumer Beauty Division and Senior Vice President of Procter & Gamble’s Global Cosmetics leading a portfolio of flagship international make-up brands including COVERGIRL, Max Factor, Sally Hansen, Rimmel London, and Bourjois.
With decades of experience in consumer goods and beauty, Esi has a track record in guiding organizations to unlock growth in rapidly evolving marketplaces. She is an energetic and dynamic leader who delivers impact for people, communities and the planet.
Esi believes that business can be a force for good. She is an architect of the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Coalition to help foster beauty inclusivity and eradicate race-based hair discrimination through the CROWN Act legislation. She also champions SheaMoisture’s work with the New Voices Fund for Women of Color Entrepreneurs. Her track record in driving change via brands began early in her career when she led COVERGIRL’s pioneering work to diversify the face of beauty with disruptive ‘real beauty’ talent such as Queen Latifah, Pink, Ellen and Janelle Monáe.
Outside of Unilever, Esi is a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance whose mission is to provide an intimate, trusted space for Black marketing C-Suite executives and pave the way for the next generation of Black-marketing leaders. She serves on numerous industry boards, and is a non-executive director for Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Esi has been recognized as one of Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs, a Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50, Ad Age Vanguard Award, Campaign US CMO 50, Marketing Week Top 100, an ADCOLOR Legend, Cosmetic Executive Women Achiever, Ad Age Women to Watch, Women’s Wear Daily Marketer of the Year and Top 50 Women in Power, Beauty Cares Dream Ball Passionate Leader.
A native of Chicago, she graduated from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire with a BA in Engineering Sciences. Esi is married with two children, and currently lives in London.
With an expansive marketing skillset, Tim has cultivated the NFL into a league that’s more human, compassionate and culturally connected—fueling a tangible resurgence of the brand and deepening fan engagement like never before.
Under Tim’s leadership, NFL viewership continues to dominate the media landscape, with 83 of the top 100 broadcasts in 2024. The league also boasts its most global and diverse fan base ever, with growth driven by youth, women and girls and the Latino community.
This season, the NFL’s U.S. fan base hit an all-time high, and brand perception and positive conversation around the league, clubs and players reached record levels, as fans increasingly see the NFL as more inclusive, culturally relevant and entertaining. As of 2024, the NFL ranks as the#1 sports league in the U.S. for brand sentiment, according to YouGov’s Brand Index.
This year, the NFL’s “I Am Somebody” campaign marked a defining marketing moment for the league — a bold, resonant statement on inclusion, identity, and the future of sports. Inspired by the iconic affirmation, the spot delivered a powerful message: that every child, regardless of gender, race, or background, belongs in sports and deserves to be seen and celebrated. It wasn’t just culturally courageous — it was creatively impactful. The ad, along with “Flag 50,” helped the NFL secure two top five rankings in USA Today’s Ad Meter for 2025, continuing the league’s three-year streak of placing among the top five Super Bowl commercials.
Recognized as one of the most influential CMOs globally, Tim’s work has earned accolades from Forbes, Adweek, Ad Age, Cannes Lions, and the Emmys.
Before joining the NFL, Tim served as CMO at Activision Blizzard and held global marketing leadership roles at Volvo and Volkswagen where he created the iconic “The Force” ad, hailed by TIME as “the ad that changed the Super Bowl forever.” He also held senior roles at several of the world’s most respected advertising agencies.
Beyond the league, Tim serves on the national board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which recently presented him with the BIG Champion Award for his visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to organization. Tim also serves on the board and executive committee of the Ad Council, where he helps drive purpose-driven campaigns in partnership with major sports leagues.
In October 2008, Jim Stengel shocked the marketing world by leaving his prestigious role as Global Marketing Officer at Procter & Gamble, one of the most admired brand building companies in the world. This bold move was Jim’s first step on a new mission to share his passion for growing business through a focus on higher ideals. To continue on his mission, Jim has embraced a variety of exciting roles: President/CEO of The Jim Stengel Company, LLC, host of The CMO Podcast, author of Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies and Unleashing the Innovators: How Mature Companies Find New Life with Startups, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg | Northwestern, speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau®, and advisor to several companies.
The Visionary Leader
Jim’s company is both a think tank and consultancy – conducting proprietary research, generating thought leadership and applying a purpose-driven framework to drive business growth in today’s global economy. The company’s purpose, or ideal, is to help companies and leaders grow and succeed by finding their purpose and activating it. Jim and his team have worked with clients in tech, fashion, retail, financial services, food service, automotive, healthcare, and wine/spirits.
The Author
Jim’s book Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies, published by Crown Business, has been called a “must read” by best selling author and former COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. Based on a unique ten-year growth study involving 50,000 brands, Jim shows how the world’s fifty best businesses have a cause and effect relationship between financial performance and their ability to connect with fundamental human emotions, hopes, values, and greater purposes. Jim’s second book Unleashing the Innovators: How Mature Companies Find New Life with Startups shows how established companies partner with young, energetic startups to invigorate their culture and thrive. The book draws on an original research study of more than 200 iconic companies and startups that are currently engaged in partnerships.
The Educator
Jim is the host of the highly acclaimed “The CMO Podcast,” a weekly intimate and instructive discussion with leading CMOs and CEOs.
One of Jim’s focus areas is to “give back” by inspiring younger people who will be the next generation of leaders in business. In 2009, he was appointed Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and taught for four years. In 2017, Jim was appointed Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor within the Northwestern Kellogg Markets & Customers Initiative. Jim served as Dean of the Young Marketers Academy at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from 2011-2020, and in 2013 he pioneered the CMO Accelerator program at the Cannes Lions Festival and continues to serve as Dean.
The Advisor
Jim is a former member of the Board of Directors for AOL and Motorola, where he chaired the Compensation & Leadership Committee. He was also an advisory board member of MarketShare, until its sale to Neustar. Jim currently serves on the Board of Advisors of MPearlRock, a venture fund investing in emerging consumer brands. In the past, he served on the Board of The Advertising Council, and also served as Chairman of the Association of National Advertisers, and Chairman of the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.
The Global Marketing Officer
Jim is the former Global Marketing Officer of $84B Procter & Gamble, where he oversaw an $8B advertising budget and had organizational responsibility for nearly 7,000 people. Highly regarded, his leadership was recognized in 2008 when P&G was honored as the 2008 Cannes International Advertising Festival Advertiser of the Year for the first time in company history.
Jim is best known for reinvigorating P&G’s marketing culture. In his seven years as Global Marketing Officer, he personally led the transformation that firmly established P&G as one of the most admired brand-building companies in the world. P&G sales doubled during Jim’s tenure.
Prior to his promotion to P&G’s top advertising and marketing position in 2001, Jim had P&L responsibility for the company’s European baby care business. Previously, Jim held positions of increasing responsibility in P&G’s developing markets, Cosmetic, and Food businesses.
Jim is widely known for his leadership in the brand-purpose movement, and for his commitment to building leading-edge marketing capabilities. As a result, he was recognized in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 by Advertising Age as the number one “Power Player” in marketing. In 2005, he was recognized as Grand Marketer of the Year by Brandweek magazine, the same year P&G was named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age magazine. Jim was named to the first-ever Fortune Executive Dream Team in 2011, and is a 2017 American Marketing Association Hall of Fame inductee.
The Person
Jim grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in a family of six children. He holds a BA from Franklin & Marshall College, and an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University, Smeal School of Business. Jim and his wife Kathleen have two children, and split their time between Cincinnati, Ohio and Coronado, California.
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April 23, 2026
Cipriani Wall Street
New York City
