Chairman Emeritus of Young & Rubicam, Inc.
Peter A. Georgescu is Chairman Emeritus of Young & Rubicam (Y&R) Incorporated, 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 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from January, 1994 until January, 2000. Elected as the company’s eighth CEO, Georgescu was the first chairman of Y&R born outside of the United States. Having immigrated to the United States from Romania in 1954, his 37-year career includes top management experience in both the United States and Europe. Instrumental in designing the integrated communications strategy that has shaped the course of Y&R’s development and become an industry standard, Georgescu served as President of both Y&R Advertising and its former international division. Under Georgescu’s leadership, Y&R successfully transformed from a private to a publicly held company. Also during his tenure, Y&R built an extensive research database relating to global branding, and from its findings, developed a proprietary model for diagnosing and managing brands. Within the marketing community, Georgescu is known as a leading proponent of creating unified communications programs and 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, he was elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2001. Georgescu was educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before enrolling at Princeton University where he received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree with cum laude honors. He then earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Stanford Business School. His 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 Board of Director. The University of Alabama and Cornell College in Iowa have awarded Georgescu with honorary doctorate degrees, and he is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In addition, Georgescu continues to serve as a board member of a publicly registered company, Geeknet. Previously he has served on the Boards of Levis, Toys R Us, EMI Recorded Music, International Flavors & Fragrances and Briggs & Stratton. He is currently Vice Chairman of New York Presbyterian Hospital, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2006 Georgescu published his first book titled “The Source of Success,” which asserts that personal values and creativity are the leading drivers of business success in the 21st Century.
