Susan Smith Ellis

Susan Smith Ellis is the Chief Executive Officer of (RED), a global marketing company whose partnerships help combat the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Since joining (RED), Ms. Smith Ellis has expanded the company's reach and widened its web of partnerships. In addition, she has launched a number of new initiatives, including (RED)WIRE and (RED)NIGHTS - both of which focus on collaborations with renowned musical artists.

In addition to that, Ms. Smith Ellis helped produce the largest grossing contemporary art auction in recent history, which raised more than $42 million for (RED). As a result of all these efforts, (RED), in roughly three years, has contributed more than $156 million to the Global Fund. This amount exceeds the contributions made to the Global Fund by all but a few national governments.

Aside from her management duties, Ms. Smith Ellis continues to be a tireless spokesperson for (RED). Her efforts have gained her national recognition from media outlets and academic institutions. She was named #25 of the MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE IN BUSINESS 2010 by Fast Company Magazine. Ms. Smith Ellis served as Executive Producer along with Spike Jonze on the documentary The Lazarus Effect, recently aired on HBO.

Prior to joining (RED), Ms. Smith Ellis served as an Officer and Executive Vice President of the Omnicom Group of Companies (www.omnicomgroup.com), the world’s largest advertising and marketing services corporation. She has extensive marketing and management experience and has lived and worked in London, Paris, Sydney and Hong Kong.

She serves on the board of Friends of The Global Fight Against Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.