Jon Cook

Jon Cook General Information

Biography

Mr. Jon Cook served as Global Chief Executive Officer at VMLY&R. He has been with the company since the agency was established in September 2018. Prior to leading VMLY&R, he served as VML global CEO from 2011 to 2018. He joined the agency in 1996, and during his tenure, VML grew from 30 employees in Kansas City, Missouri, to more than 3,000 employees across six continents. He helped lead the agency to Advertising Age A-List honors - which recognizes the industry's top 10 most influential and impactful agencies - from 2016 to 2018. In June 2021, he once again led the agency to top 10 recognition on the prestigious Ad Age A-List, based on creativity, financial performance, innovation and the ability to grow clients' business. He was a finalist for Campaign US 2019 Advertising Agency Head of the Year and, in 2017, was named by the 4A's as one of the 100 People Who Make Advertising Great. He was also recognized as the Advertising Professional of the Year by the American Advertising Federation-Kansas City (AAF-KC) in 2014 and was a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award program in 2012. He serves on the advisory board. He also serves on the Ad Council Board of Directors; is a member of the national advisory board of the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri; and is a board member of the Head for the Cure Foundation - a national organization seeking cures for brain cancer. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. In 2018, he delivered the commencement address at the Missouri School of Journalism graduation ceremony.