Rochelle “Shelly” Lazarus ’70
Chairman Emeritus
Ogilvy & Mather
New York
During her 30-plus years with Ogilvy & Mather, Shelly Lazarus has worked in every product category, in both the general advertising and direct marketing disciplines. Rising through the ranks of account service, she has held positions of increasing responsibility in the management of the company, including president of O&M Direct North America, Ogilvy & Mather New York, Ogilvy North America, chief operating officer, and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. She is currently chairman of the worldwide company.
A graduate of Smith College, Ms. Lazarus has been widely recognized by her peers in the advertising and business communities. She was named Advertising Woman of the Year in 1994 by Advertising Women of New York. She was a recipient of the Women in Communications Matrix Award in 1995 and was named Business Woman of the Year by the New York City Partnership in 1996. She has been listed in Fortune magazine’s annual ranking of the 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business since its inception in 1998. The Direct Marketing Association named her Woman of the Year in 2002. In 2003, she was the first woman honored by Columbia Business School with its Distinguished Leadership in Business Award.
She serves on the boards of a number of industry, business, and academic institutions, including General Electric, Merck & Co., Inc., NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the World Wildlife Fund, and the American Museum of Natural History. She served for five years as chairman of the board of trustees of Smith College, her alma mater. She has also served as chairman of the leading industry trade group, the American Association of Advertising Agencies — one of only two women to do so in the organization’s history.
Ms. Lazarus is a frequent speaker at industry and leadership forums, not only promoting the power of brands but also commenting on leadership, women in business, and career and life issues — something she speaks from experience as the wife of Dr. George Lazarus, a New York pediatrician, and mother to their three grown children.