TOM BERNARDIN

TOM
BERNARDIN
CHAIRMAN & CEO, WORLDWIDE
Tom Bernardin has seen plenty of change in the advertising
and marketing industry over the past three decades, including
the past seven years as Chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett
Worldwide. But there has been at least one constant: his
overarching belief that creativity is the most important asset
in business.
“Never has that been more true than today,” Tom says.
“Creativity now commands the world’s attention — it’s our
cultural connective tissue — and it can give businesses the
advantages they need in the marketplace.”
Tom has turned his ideals into action, starting with the complete restructuring of Leo Burnett Worldwide,
by taking a lead role in the development of both one global creative standard and the agency’s strategic
philosophy called HumanKind.
Throughout his tenure, Tom has fostered a culture committed to understanding human behavior and
clients’ businesses — and creating ideas that capture the intersection of both people’s and brands’ needs
and aspirations.
He has focused on finding the right people for the right jobs and inspiring people from all 95+ Leo Burnett
offices in 86 countries to realize their creative potential, working on such world-class clients as Coca-Cola,
Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Philip Morris, P&G and Samsung.
And you’d be hard-pressed to find a global CEO who has spent more time traveling to offices around the world
to build a cohesive agency, and ensure that the agency’s best ideas and practices permeate the entire network.
Tom’s vision and hands-on approach have paid off for Leo Burnett and its clients.
The agency has achieved year-on-year growth for the past five years, thanks to smart acquisitions, consistent
double-digit growth in emerging markets and the progressive stewardship by the agency’s Chicago
headquarters of key global clients.
Meanwhile, Leo Burnett is the second-most-awarded network in the world, with more offices contributing to
the creative reputation than any other network.
“For more than 75 years, Leo Burnett has laid claim to many of the world’s strongest creative ideas,”
Tom says. “My job is to ensure that we never think we’ve ‘arrived,’ that we keep reinventing ourselves and,
in today’s world, that we all know there is no time to rest.”
leoburnett.com