By Cary Hatch

Mary Wells Lawrence was a shining star representing the potential and possibilities for women in the advertising industry. She embodied the talent, tenacity and grit to truly “make it” in the overwhelmingly male leadership ranks of the top performing agencies.

Upon founding Wells, Rich, Greene in 1966, Mary Wells Lawrence became the first woman to found, own and run a major agency—and the first female to be CEO of a company traded on the Big Board of the New York Stock Exchange.

In her heyday, Wells Lawrence was responsible for some of advertising’s greatest campaigns, such as Alka-Seltzer’s “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz,” Ford’s “Quality is Job One” and “I Love New York.” While her agency has long since folded (she sold the company for $160 million in 1990), her lesson of leadership lives on.

Mary Wells Lawrence leaves a fierce and fabulous legacy.

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Photo: Wikipedia