Ogilvy's Stacey Ryan Cornelius joins Burson as Global Chief Financial Officer

Stacey Ryan Cornelius, who led Ogilvy as the global chief financial officer, has joined Burson as their global CFO.

In a note, she shared, "I have spent the better part of my 26-year career at WPP at Ogilvy, learning and laughing with all the Ogilvy giants past and present. Working in David Ogilvy's world for so long, my affinity for creativity, impact, client service, culture and reputation has been very well cultivated. My legacy and impact on Ogilvy's business and culture is one of the greatest accomplishments of my career. And my friends and colleagues of Ogilvy hold a special place in my heart."

The note further stated, "That's easy, I answer the call to join Burson, the powerhouse in public relations and communications as their Global CFO, effective this week. This is a truly exciting time to be joining Burson having celebrated their 1-year anniversary since their merger with Hill & Knowlton. I am particularly drawn to Burson's Earned Reputation Strategy and their commitment to leveraging technology to deliver higher-value offerings to clients."

She added, "The recent launch of Reputation Capital, a technology platform and consulting framework using advanced AI and vast data analysis to help clients understand the relationship between proven drivers of reputation and business outcomes such as stock price, sales and purchase intent, reflects their massive commitment to innovation."

Cornelius started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) where she gained experience in auditing major multinational production, advertising and publishing clients and complex merger, acquisition, and IPO transactions.

In 1999, she joined Ogilvy & Mather, and during her 19-year tenure she held various regional and global financial leadership positions, including serving as the company’s Worldwide Controller until 2018. After leaving Ogilvy, Cornelius went on to be the global chief financial officer of WPP Health & Wellness where she spent 15 months restructuring the portfolio, executing key transformation initiatives and delivering financial and strategic direction across 64 operating units in the US, Canada, EMEA and Asia.

Cornelius also served as global CFO and COO of Geometry Global, where she was a driving force behind launching a restructuring a transformation plan to drive growth and strengthen the financial health of the company. This transformation led to Geometry’s relaunch as VMLY&R Commerce in 2020.

Read More: Global agencies shake-up: Grey moves under Ogilvy as WPP reshapes creative holdings