Marianne Ellis

Marianne is a renowned leader in advertising, marketing, business coaching, RFPs and business development for over 25 years, averaging over $100 million in new billing growth in less than 2 years for two different national advertising agencies, DDB Worldwide and Quigley-Simpson.

Marianne held EVP, SVP, COO level positions at network and independent national advertising agencies. Her award winning, successful advertising campaigns gained her acceptance to The Television Academy and she enjoys attending The Emmy’s. Marianne has both sell side and buy side experience as a Senior Partner at External View Consulting where she ran RFP reviews for Fortune 500 companies.

Currently, Marianne is CEO of VEO Group, working for Fortune 500 companies, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and WBENC Business Owners helping them grow their brand and their business. She is the author of WBENC 5 Secrets to Meeting Success, a Platinum Supplier Program Developer & Trainer as well as a past mentor Ambassador. VEO Group is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBENC).

To advocate for small diversity business owners, Marianne started CEO Success Community, a division of VEO Group, to grow companies from under $1million to $20million+Value in a membership based model. With 95.8% of small diversity firms not breaking the $1 million-dollar mark, there is a tremendous need to provide coaching to help these firms reach the next level. Marianne is using her proven experience as a current business coach at SCE EDGE Program to help rising suppliers.

CEO Success Community offers two products: Sales Accelerator and Entrepreneurial Flight to $20million+ Value (vetted by Harvard, WPO-Women’s President Organization and co-creating with vNacelle) on our new tech innovation "The Everything Platform”.

Marianne is a graduate of UCLA Anderson MDE program and Startup School 2018-Silicon Valley run by Y Combinator (the Harvard of Startups) who has invested in Dropbox, Airbnb, Reddit, DoorDash, Weebly and more with a combined valuation of companies over $80B.

Proud to be the CEO Emeritus on UCLA Alpha Chi Housing Corporation, Member of Santa Clara Women100 Foundation, Saratoga Foothill Club, past Executive Board Member of YWCA GLA. A two-time graduate of UCLA, UCLA Anderson and UCLA BA.

Work History

VEO Group, President

• Annually, we train 40+ newly certified women business owners in presentation, positioning and leadership with the goal of capacity building with Fortune 500 companies. We provide in-person Platinum Supplier Training, webinars, seminars and coaching for WBENC-West.
• Southern California Edison hired us to research and evaluate their 3-year EDGE Mentorship Program with the goal of program improvement in 2017.
• WBEs have hired us to work with them on accelerating their business with positioning, marketing and new business sales development.
• Continuing to work with External View Consulting on agency search, evaluation, compensation and rates. Currently working with a major financial and energy client.

External View Consulting Group, Senior Partner

• Advisors to Advertisers and Marketers representing over $9 billion in marketing spend on a global basis in four practice areas: Agency Search & Selection, Compensation & Contracts, Relationship Management & Evaluation, Organizational Consulting.
• Agency Searches in financial services, restaurant QSR category, packaged-goods, automotive, video game and more. Experience in agency evaluation and consulting on marketing department modeling.
• Ad Forum Worldwide Summit participant, representing leading global Agency Search consultants to meet with agency network CEO's and management teams in NY, LA and in SF. In 2016, Hollywood (CAA, ICM), business consultants (Accenture, IBM), Facebook, Google, Pinterest and tech startups were added. This helps us understand what will happen next in agencies and advise marketers of the future of the industry.

Quigley-Simpson, SVP, Director of Integrated Communications

• Senior leadership team, minority owner and business development director of the largest women-owned and certified advertising agency in the U.S. Agency of record to Procter & Gamble, J.P.Morgan Chase, Shutterfly.
• Drove over $100 million in new billing in 2 years including Southern California Edison, Allstate, Fidelity Life, Prospect Mortgage, ShoeDazzle, Metropolitan Water District.

VEO Group, EVP, Senior Consultant

• Primary consultant on energy practice working with industry leading clients such as SCE, California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E, SoCal Gas, SDG&E, Arizona Public Service, Hawaiian State Energy Department, California Energy Commission.
• Launched energy efficiency and clean energy (solar, nuclear, wind) programs to help customers and businesses lower their bills and improve the environment for future generations.

DBB WORLDWIDE, EVP, Director of Integrated Communications

• Over 25 years of success in account management, strategic planning, integrated communications and business development at one of the world's largest and most prestigious advertising agencies.
• Promoted to COO of MarCom joint venture. Founding Board Member of Beyond DDB U.S.
• At DDB Worldwide Advertising Agency, closed $120 million in new billing in 18 months. Launched DDB Sales Promotion and Direct/Database marketing practices, which resulted in 30% of total office revenue.
• Past clients include Audi, Volkswagen, Universal, CIGNA, Sea World, KIA, Epson, Wells Fargo Bank, Northrop, Sunkist, Fetzer, Vons, Westfield, SCE, APS. Track record for retaining and growing clients.
• Award-winning campaigns earning Clios, Effies, One Show, Beldings, Pinnacle.
• Using branding and marketing skills, launched smart grid and clean energy (solar, wind, energy efficiency for major energy companies (SCE, APS). Recognized environmental expert, founding Green Effie judge, Environmental Media Association Judge, Thunderbird's International Sustainability Judging Team for top business schools.
• Leader of landmark behavior change campaigns for the State of CA, including Beverage Container Recycling, Anti-Littering, Waste Management-Zero Waste, Fuel Flexible Vehicles. All exceeded campaign goals documented in the state records.

Expert witness in Superior Court on advertising, intellectual property, new business development.

Board of Directors Non-Profit

YWCA Greater Los Angeles, CEO UCLA Alpha Chi Housing Corporation

Education / Personal

MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS

University of California, Los Angeles, CA

BACHELOR OF ARTS: COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES

University of California, Los Angeles, CA

4A'S INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED ADVERTISING STUDIES: ADVERTISING

Los Angeles