Mark Wnek

Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Lowe New York

Mark Wnek’s advertising career started in 1982 when he joined Manhattan-based Ogilvy & Mather’s London office as a trainee copywriter. From this position learning to write ad copy, Wnek rose through the company ranks to become a member of the Board of Directors. At just 27, he was one of the youngest board members in Ogilvy & Mather’s history. The contacts he made while serving on the board continued to serve him throughout his 30-year advertising career. One such contact is Andrew Robertson, who is currently the Global Chief Executive Officer of the advertising agency BBDO. Also on the board during this period was Miles Young, currently Global CEO of Ogilvy. Mark Wnek counts both gentlemen as friends to this day. One project that helped propel him to lofty heights was the “Guinness, Pure Genius” advertising campaign. The campaign garnered Ogilvy & Mather a much sought-after client in Guinness, a global brand with domestic roots. His work in the campaign also helped to bring in additional business for Ogilvy. After seven years with Ogilvy & Mather, Mark Wnek took a position at Lowe + Partners, headquartered in London. Wnek worked on Heineken’s iconic “Refreshes the Parts” campaign. One spot, using blues singer Lonnie Brooks, earned the Cannes Lions Festival Grand Prix de Presse award in 1991. Wnek would stay at the agency for a total of five years. Mark Wnek’s next two positions in the advertising world earned him a reputation as a turn-around expert. While he held key management positions at the two previously failing firms, with Wnek’s arrival, the companies earned accolades from the advertising press, including winning the New Business League in Campaign magazine as well being that magazine’s runner-up for Agency of the Year twice; in 2009, his agency Lowe New York was named Comeback Agency of the Year by Ad Age magazine. Mark Wnek is currently developing multiple privately held companies. He lives with his wife and three sons in New York City.