Rochelle "Shelly" Lazarus (born 1947) is the Chairman Emeritus of

Ogilvy & Mather Ogilvy is a New York City-based British advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. It was founded in 1850 by Edmund Mather as a London-based agency. In 1964, the firm became known as Ogilvy & Mather after merging with a New York City a ...

Early life and career

Lazarus is the daughter of Lewis and Sylvia Braff and the grand daughter of May and Adolph Eisenberg. She graduated from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, NY before going to

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...

. Lazarus also obtained an MBA from

Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and is one of the oldest busin ...

. She joined Ogilvy & Mather in 1971 and became President of its U.S. direct marketing business in 1989. She later became President of Ogilvy & Mather New York, followed by President of Ogilvy & Mather North America. In 1995, Lazarus became president and Chief Operating Officer of the company, before becoming CEO in 1996 and Chairman in 1997. She held the title of CEO until 2008 and continues to serve as Chairman. Lazarus serves on the boards of

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

, Merck & Co., New York Presbyterian Hospital, the American Museum of Natural History,

The Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate ...

Rockefeller Capital Management Rockefeller Capital Management is an independent wealth management and financial services firm, founded in 2018. The firm offers family office, asset management, and strategic advisory services to high-net-worth individuals and families, instituti ...

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

, and the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

. She is also a member of the Board of Overseers for Columbia Business School.

Personal

Lazarus was married to Dr. George Mitchell Lazarus on March 22, 1970. They had three children, Theodore Pipiens, Samantha Rana May, and Benjamin Harrison Cates.

References

Columbia Business School alumni Living people Smith College alumni 1947 births American women chief executives Midwood High School alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen {{US-CEO-stub