Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

Priscilla Deborah Snowball, DBE, generally known as Cilla Snowball (born October 1958), is Group Chairman and Group

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

) of AMV BBDO, an advertising and communications group in the UK. She has worked for Abbott Mead Vickers for 20 years; in senior management positions since 2005, rising to agency head and now country head.

Career

After graduating from the Birmingham University in 1981 (BA, French), she moved straight into the world of advertising where she joined Allen Brady Marsh. In 1983, she moved to Ogilvy and Mather before leaving for Abbott Mead Vickers nine years later. There she moved up in the company, taking first the post of

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, then chairman in 2004 and Group CEO and

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

in 2006. On the board of BBDO Worldwide,

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

and

Birmingham University The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, she was appointed a CBE for services to advertising in 2009. She is Chairman of the

Advertising Association The Advertising Association (AA) is a trade association representing advertisers, agencies, media and research services in the UK advertising industry. Its stated aim is to promote the “…role, rights and responsibilities of advertising and it ...

Other activities

Corporate boards

* Derwent London, Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors (since 2015) * RAC Limited, Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors (since 2014)

Non-profit organisations

* Genome Research Limited (GRL), Member of the Board of Directors (since 2019) *

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

, Member of the Board of Governors (since 2019) * Women's Business Council, Chair (since 2016)

Recognition

In February 2013 Snowball was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

. She was appointed

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in the

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours were awarded a ...

for services to advertising, diversity, and equality.

References

External links

Financial Times - The Inventory: Cilla SnowballManagement Today - Friends in High PlacesPhoto of BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List
1958 births Living people British advertising executives Alumni of the University of Birmingham Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Place of birth missing (living people) Date of birth missing (living people) {{UK-business-bio-1950s-stub