Edward Meyer Longtime CEO At Grey Global Group Dies At 96

Edward Meyer, the longtime chairman and CEO of Grey Global Group died peacefully at home Tuesday in New York at the age of 96, according to an obituary issued by his family.

Born and raised in New York, Meyer served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve from 1945 to 1947. After earning a BA degree in economics from Cornell University he served briefly at retailer Bloomingdales before starting his 55-year career in advertising. He joined the Biow Company in 1951 where he developed a career-long relationship with packaged goods giant Procter & Gamble. His first effort on behalf of the CPG company was as a copywriter on its Lava soap brand.

Former P&G Chairman & CEO Ed Artzt, worked with Meyer from 1956 until his own retirement in 1995. “Ed was always at the meetings, always in the field, always checking on our business results,” Artzt said in a 2017 interview. “He was a true partner and the best agency man I worked with, all through those years.”

In 1956 Meyer joined Grey Advertising the predecessor to Grey Global Group. Over 50 years at Grey, he held numerous positions, becoming President in 1968 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1970. Over the next three and a half decades, Meyer built Grey into a multinational advertising and marketing communications giant, with operations in 96 countries.

He orchestrated the sale of Grey to the WPP Group, in 2005, retiring as Chairman in 2006. Mark Read, CEO of WPP, stated: “Ed Meyer was a hugely important figure who not only transformed Grey into a global powerhouse but helped to shape the modern advertising industry as we know it. He built Grey from an advertising agency into a major international communications group with a strong and independent spirit. Under his leadership Grey created iconic campaigns for many of the world’s leading brands and of course the relationship with P&G – nurtured by Ed over decades – remains strong today. Grey was Ed’s lifetime work and we are proud to see his legacy continue to this day.”

In 2005, Meyer joined with his son, Anthony (Tony) Meyer, to establish Ocean Road Advisors, Inc. as the family office management company for the Meyer family. He also served as a Board director of numerous American public companies, including Harman International Industries, Inc., Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., Allconnect, Retail Opportunity Investments Corporation and National CineMedia, Inc.

Meyer is survived by his wife of nearly 66 years, Sandy; his two children, Meg and Tony; his niece, Emmie Dubin; and five grandchildren (David, Katherine, and William; and Olivia and Victoria).

The burial and shiva will be held privately, however the family is organizing a public memorial service at Central Synagogue in Manhattan for the evening of Saturday, April 15th at 6pm. For information about the shiva, please email EHMMemorial@oceanroadadvisors.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to UJA-Federation of New York or Women for Women International.