Peter A. Georgescu

Peter A. Georgescu is Chairman Emeritus of Young & Rubicam Inc., a network of preeminent commercial communications companies dedicated to helping clients build their businesses through the power of brands. He served as the company’s Chairman and CEO from 1994 until January 2000.

Elected as the company’s eighth CEO in 1994, Mr. Georgescu was the first chairman of Young & Rubicam Inc. born outside of the United States. His career spans 37 years and top management experience, both in the United States and Europe. Mr. Georgescu has been instrumental in developing the integrated communications strategy that has shaped the course of Young & Rubicam’s development and become the standard for industry thinking. He has served as President of Y&R Advertising, as well as President of Young & Rubicam’s former international Division.

Under Mr. Georgescu’s leadership, Young & Rubicam successfully transformed from a private to a publicly held company. Also during his tenure, Young & Rubicam built the most extensive database on global branding and, from its findings, developed a proprietary model for diagnosing and managing brands. Within the marketing community, he is known as a leading proponent of creating unified communications programs, agency accountability for measuring the impact of communications programs, and structuring value-based agency compensation. In recognition of his contributions to the marketing and advertising industry, Mr. Georgescu was elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2001.

Mr. Georgescu immigrated to the United States from Romania in 1954. He was educated at Exeter Academy, received his B.A. with cum laude honors from Princeton and an MBA from the Stanford Business School.

Mr. Georgescu’s belief in the power of education has fueled his involvement with organizations such as A Better Chance and Polytechnic University, both of which he has served as a member of their Boards of Directors. The University of Alabama and Cornell College in Iowa have awarded Mr. Georgescu honorary doctorate degrees. Mr. Georgescu is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Mr. Georgescu serves as a board member of several publicly registered companies, including Levi’s and International Flavors & Fragrances. Previously, he has served on the Boards of Toys R Us, EMI Recorded Music and Briggs & Stratton. He is currently Vice Chairman of New York Presbyterian Hospital, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.