Y&R Appoints Alex Hughes to Global Chief Marketing Officer Role

Y&R Global CEO David Sable announced today that he was naming Y&R Advertising veteran Alex Hughes to the post of Global Chief Marketing Officer of Y&R Advertising. He will be responsible for leading marketing and new business development efforts.   

In this role, Hughes will collaborate with VML CMO Beth Wade, going to market together, when appropriate, as more and more clients are requesting global integration. He will also tap into Y&R’s Labstore, Iconmobile, Bravo and BrandAsset Valuator to offer clients the full value and power of the global Y&R network. Hughes will also serve as the liaison to WPP for integrated new business.

Sable stated: “Alex has spent 27 years at Y&R Advertising and Wunderman, helping clients address their communications challenges and opportunities.  He is smart, grounded by real business acumen and passionate about what we do.  Alex solves problems strategically, creatively and inventively and knows every corner of Y&R thoroughly.  He has worked across our various disciplines, all around our global network, and on accounts large and small — and on top of that, speaks four languages. He knows how to leverage the agency’s resources to deliver the best work and results.” 

Hughes commented:  “I am excited to have a challenge that pulls together all that I have learned and done at Y&R Advertising over many years.  In fact, seeing how much our offering continues to evolve to meet the demands of an industry in perpetual motion, I believe I can help clients find solutions that will address both their short- and long-term interests.“ 

Hughes joined the agency business in 1984, doing advertising for clients like E.F. Hutton and Citibank.  He started with sister company Wunderman in 1988 and has been with Y&R Advertising since 1994.  In his first years here, Hughes worked with the global group to develop and implement an agency program designed to help clients benefit from the full global resources of the agency.  He worked with clients such as AT&T, Chevron, Clorox, Danone and Ericsson, and helped win the integrated global assignment for Citibank.  Moving to a leadership role on the Citibank account, Hughes managed the integrated business across Latin America and EMEA before taking on the global leadership role. 

After Citibank, Hughes spent eight years on Y&R’s Colgate-Palmolive team working closely with the agency and client to develop a fully integrated agency offering for the account.  Most recently, Hughes was the General Manager of Y&R Europe and Global Client Development Leader.  

The new change comes as Cathy Cohan, who serves as Global Chief Growth Officer, has decided to step back from her role in order to pursue some of her other passions.  She will transition through the end of March. Said Sable, “Cathy has been an enormous asset to this agency.  And while we are sad to see her leave, we fully support her desire to follow some of her other interests.  We are very thankful for all that she has done in her three years here and will count on her to consult with us in the future.”