Ann Fudge, former Young & Rubicam CEO and Maxwell House President, speaks about her career

In honor of BusinessMakers: Breakout Leaders, we salute Ann Fudge, former CEO and Chairman of Young & Rubicam Brands and the head of their advertising network. Fudge speaks about her career with Maxwell House and the necessity of building trust between corporations.

A Simmons College and Harvard Business School graduate, Fudge became the first African American to head a major ad agency when she was appointed CEO and Chairman of Young & Rubicam. Prior, Fudge accomplished another “first” when, in 1994, she became the first African American woman to head a major corporate division as President of Kraft Food’s Maxwell House. As President of the coffee brand, she ran a successful rebranding campaign. In 2001, one year after becoming president of Kraft’s Beverages, Desserts, and Post division, Fudge retired from the company. After a two-year sabbatical, during which she deepened her involvement with the Boys and Girls Club of America, Fudge returned to the corporate world by joining Rubicam Brands in 2003 until 2007. Right after receiving her M.B.A. degree, Fudge joined General Mills as a marketing assistant and was part of the marketing team around Honey Nut Cheerios cereal. In 1983, she was promoted to Marketing Director at General Mills.

Throughout her career, Fudge has served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation, a museum council member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a director of Novartis, chair of the advisory panel of the Gates Foundation, and more. In 2008, Fudge joined President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign finance committee; and, in 2010, she became a member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. In 2011, she was inducted into the National Association of Corporate Directors Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.

Click here to learn more about Ann Fudge: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/ann-fudge

Видео Ann Fudge, former Young & Rubicam CEO and Maxwell House President, speaks about her career канала TheHistoryMakers