Market Leader

She has one of the most recognized names in advertising. Wendy Clark has built a career on being a business-savvy marketer and transformative leader who understands what it takes to brand — or rebrand — and run the world’s biggest companies.

Today, Clark is a partner of the Consello Group, a financial services advisory and strategic investing firm, where she advises CEOs and other C-suite executives on how to be effective leaders — to build capable teams, manage solid investment portfolios, and deploy marketing strategies that positively affect their companies’ bottom lines.

“I enjoy applying my over 30 years of experience to help C-suite leaders refine their strategies and drive the impact of their companies,” said Clark, a Florida State University alumna who also serves on the board of jewelry company David Yurman. “Drawing from my own experiences is so rewarding.”

Her journey to the top began in the 1980s with a dinnertime dare. Clark moved from England to Florida with her family at age 11, and her mother often invited friends and neighbors to serve as informal focus groups when she tried out new dishes.

“My close friend in high school said he’d only eat dinner with us if I promised to go to Florida State with him,” Clark said. “I thought highly of the university, so I agreed. It’s been a running joke between us for almost 40 years — what will he have to eat to get me to do something?”

Clark found a home as a creative writing major in FSU’s Department of English, and she credits her time in Tallahassee for the command of language that has served her well in advertising and business.

“I became fascinated by writing’s function in advertising,” Clark said. “The advent of email and its use in business necessitated exceptional writing skills. The academic preparedness in writing I received at Florida State allowed me to go into the world as a professional communicator, shaping my career.”

After graduating in 1991, Clark landed a copywriting and receptionist job at the Denmark Group in Atlanta, Georgia, and the skills she learned and people she met propelled her career forward. She held various agency and in-house marketing positions at several companies before transitioning to Bellsouth Mobility, where she received intense business management training that prepared her to lead.

By the early 2000s, Clark served in senior vice president roles at ad agency GSD&M and later SBC Communications where she was part of one of the largest telecommunications mergers of all time — the acquisitions of both AT&T and Bellsouth, leading to the formation of Cingular, now known as AT&T. During the $1 billion AT&T post-merger rebrand in 2006, Clark shouldered increased responsibility, paving the way for a breakthrough position: president of Sparkling Brands and Strategic Marketing at The Coca-Cola Company.

“Working for Coca-Cola was one of my best career experiences,” Clark said. “I learned I could be an operator and was empowered to move forward in my career. I subsequently became CEO at DDB, an international ad agency, where I headed the North America office and later the worldwide operations.”

“Being a creative writing major is the foundation of my career. Starting out as a receptionist and then some 25 years later becoming a CEO has been such a great experience — I’ve learned at every part of a company. I’m grateful my experiences have brought me to where I am today.”

— Wendy Clark

At DDB Worldwide, Clark led a company of 10,000 employees in 100 countries. As CEO of the marketing agency, Clark worked opposite clients, reversing roles from her time at Coca-Cola and AT&T.

“On the agency side, I extended empathy to those clients because I once stood in their shoes,” Clark said. “It gave a unique perspective that allowed me to help most effectively.”

Following her stint as CEO at DDB Worldwide — during which Clark was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame — she was courted to lead Dentsu International, a fully integrated international marketing agency. Clark considers her time at Dentsu, helming a company of nearly 50,000 people in 145 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, her most defining leadership experience.

Following restructuring at Dentsu, Clark moved into consulting. Since joining the Consello Group in 2023, Clark has advised leaders of top companies, just like ones she headed.

“I spent years on the client and agency sides of marketing, but adding consulting to the mix awoke a new skillset,” Clark said. “When the water’s up to my nose and I’m forced to paddle harder to stay afloat, I perform my best.”

Paul Gunning, senior managing director at the Consello Group, has been with Clark for much of her journey; they first worked together at DDB North America while Clark was CEO and Gunning was president and chief operating officer of the Chicago, Illinois office. Gunning attributes his growth as a manager at DDB to Clark’s tenure as CEO and is thrilled to work with her again.

“Wendy has a vast knowledge of marketing, and I bring that vision to life operationally,” Gunning said. “We have a stunning dynamic, and Wendy has an immense amount of empathy.”

While Clark works in the upper echelons of the business world today, she has never forgotten where she started.

“Being a creative writing major is the foundation of my career,” Clark said. “Starting out as a receptionist and then some 25 years later becoming a CEO has been such a great experience — I’ve learned at every part of a company. I’m grateful my experiences have brought me to where I am today.”