About
David Sable — Global Chief Executive Officer
“Never forget that only dead fish swim with the current.”
These words of British author-journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, spoken many years ago, are a mantra for David Sable, whose advertising career spans more than 30 years. His profound commitment to innovative customer-centric advertising continues to power his journey.
David’s career in advertising began at Y&R, joining its Training Program in 1976. Later, he went on to Wells Rich Greene, then co-founded the award-winning Israeli agency Mimsar-Arielly. On his return to the U.S., David spent time at PR giant Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe (both parts of Young & Rubicam Brands), where he quickly became a trusted counselor to big-name clients like Colgate-Palmolive, Digital Equipment Corporation and Coca-Cola. All the while this customer-centric fish never swam with the tide.
When he rejoined Y&R in 1990 to lead the United States Postal Service account, his service approach helped direct a new messaging platform and other assets (including its logo), which are still in use today. Under David’s leadership of the USPS team, Y&R created the industry’s very first website for a client. An early digital entrepreneur, David co-founded Genesis Direct, an innovative, web-based firm instrumental in establishing a direct-to-fan Internet presence for the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Football League and the National Basketball Association.
For the past 10 years, David has been at Wunderman, serving as its vice chairman and COO, responsible for managing the agency’s global marketing services network—among the largest in the world. He’s on the leading edge of technology and serves as an adviser to many digital startups around the world.
David has now returned to Y&R, which remains the largest division of Young & Rubicam Brands and one of the most iconic agency brands in the world. He was named to the post on February 9, 2011.
David is highly active in the industry. In 2009, he began serving as Director at Large of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) and was a founding member of its Digital Advisory Board. David also was a past jury president (Lions Direct) and jury member (Titanium) at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival; his views on how to win are featured on the Festival’s website. David is also a frequent digital speaker whose views are featured in The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, ADWEEK, Campaign, Horizont, NEO; and his own blog, Weekly Ramble, gets thousands of hits each week.
Active in philanthropy and education all his life, David was named to the New Yorkers Volunteer State Office of National & Community Service Commission in 2010. Two years earlier, the Mayor of the City of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, appointed him to serve as a member of the Cultural Advisory Committee of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
David and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters, a son-in-law and Henry and Teddy — their treasured grandsons.
