Nicola Mendelsohn

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(née: Clyne; born 29 August 1971) is a British advertising executive. Active in the advertising industry since 1992, she was named vice-president for

Europe, the Middle East and Africa EMEA is a shorthand designation meaning Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The acronym is used by institutions and governments, as well as in marketing and business when referring to this region: it is a shorthand way of referencing the two ...

for

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

in June 2013. In 2021, Nicola was named Vice President of Meta's Global Business Group. She is also a non-executive director of

Diageo Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...

. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' has called her "the most powerful woman in the British tech industry". She was named in ''

Campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

'' magazine's Power 100 2020 list of top marketers.

Early life and education

Nicola Sharon Clyne was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. Her mother, Celia Clyne, is a

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

caterer; her father Barry Clyne is Chairman of Celia Clyne Banqueting, and her brother Mark also works in the family business. She was a youth member of the Jewish youth organisation the BBYO (formerly the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) and attended

Manchester High School for Girls Manchester High School for Girls is an English independent day school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester. The head mistress is Helen Jeys who took up the position in September 2020 ...

from 1982 to 1987. From 1989 to 1992 she attended the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in English and Theatre Studies. In her senior year, she helped raise £20,000 for Jewish causes.

Career

Mendelsohn originally planned to attend drama school and become an actress, but on a friend's recommendation decided to explore advertising instead. She was offered a graduate training scheme at

Bartle Bogle Hegarty Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) is a British global advertising agency. Founded in 1982 by British ad men John Bartle, Nigel Bogle, and John Hegarty, BBH has offices in London, New York City, Singapore, Shanghai, Mumbai, Stockholm and Los Angeles ...

, where she worked from September 1992 to January 2004, advancing to Business Development Director. In April 2004 she became Deputy Chairman of

Grey London Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency with headquarters in New York City, and 432 offices in 96 countries, operating in 154 cities. It is organized into four geographical units: North America; Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia ...

, serving in that capacity until December 2007. She was also European Business Development Director for the Grey Communications Group from 2004 to 2008. In April 2008 she became partner and executive chairman at

Karmarama Picturehouse are a band from Dublin, Ireland. The band are most famous for their song "Sunburst" from the album ''Karmarama'' in Ireland. History PictureHouse is the brainchild of Dave Browne. Originally signed to London Records in 1994, a rat ...

, a London advertising agency. In 2013 she was hired as

Vice-President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, ending the company's half-year search to replace outgoing VP

Joanna Shields Joanna Shields, Baroness Shields, (born 12 July 1962) is a British-American technology industry veteran and life peer who currently serves as Group CEO for BenevolentAI. Shields previously served as UK Minister for Internet Safety and Security ...

. She brings her extensive advertising and political contacts to the job, which is the company's most senior position outside the US. Mendelsohn is a strong advocate of

work–life balance Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal tr ...

and

flextime Flextime (also spelled flexitime ( BE) or flex-time) is a flexible hours schedule that allows workers to alter their workday and decide/adjust their start and finish times. In contrast to traditional work arrangements that require employees to wo ...

for women with families. She has worked a

four-day week A four-day workweek is an arrangement where a workplace or place of education has its employees or students work or attend school, college or university over the course of four days per week rather than the more customary five. This arrangement ...

since her first child, born during her tenure at BBH, was one year old. At Facebook, too, she works only from Monday to Thursday.

Affiliations

Mendelsohn is co-chair of the Creative Industries Council and director of the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction. In April 2011 she became the first female president of the

Institute of Practitioners in Advertising The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), incorporated by a Royal Charter, is the trade body and professional institute for agencies and individuals working in the UK's advertising, media and marketing communications industry. History F ...

, serving a two-year term. In September 2014 she became a non-executive director of

. Previously, she was a board director for Bartle Bogle Hegarty and the Fragrance Foundation, chairman of the corporate board of Women's Aid, trustee of The White Ribbon Alliance, and president of the Women's Advertising Club of London. She also serves on the UK government’
Digital Economy Council
the Mayor o
London’s Business Advisory Board
and is co-president of the charit
Norwood

Honours and recognition

In 2015 she was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) for services to the creative industries as part of the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours. Also in 2015, ''

Computer Weekly ''Computer Weekly'' is a digital magazine and website for IT professionals in the United Kingdom. It was formerly published as a weekly print magazine by Reed Business Information for over 45 years. Topics covered within the magazine include outs ...

'' ranked Mendelsohn number 34 on its "50 Most Influential Women in UK IT 2015", she was named one of the Most Inspiring Women in European Tech by the Inspiring Fifty organisation, and

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company, publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John Deb ...

included her on their "People of Influence" in the Debrett's 500 2015 list. In 2014 she was included on '' GQ'' list of the 100 Most Connected Women in Britain, and ranked number 85 on ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' Power 100 list. In 2013, she ranked number 69 on ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' "MediaGuardian 100 2013". In 2011 she was named one of ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mul ...

'' "Women to Watch". In 2005 ''Management Today'' included her on its list of the top 35 women under 35 in the business world. In 2017, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate at the

University of Salford , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

. In 2019, Mendelsohn was 34th in ''

''s 50 "Most Influential Women in UK Tech" shortlist.

Philanthropy

World Cancer Day World Cancer Day is an international day marked on :4 February to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. World Cancer Day is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the ...

(4 February 2018) she made public that she had been diagnosed with

follicular lymphoma Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a cancer that involves certain types of white blood cells known as lymphocytes. The cancer originates from the uncontrolled division of specific types of B-cells known as centrocytes and centroblasts. These cells normal ...

, an incurable cancer of the blood. Mendelsohn said that she made the announcement to raise awareness about the cancer, describing it as not rare but little-known. Nicola launched The Follicular Lymphoma Foundation in 2019 – a charity dedicated to funding research into the disease and supporting patients. The organization is dedicated to helping those with the condition “live well”. It will also aim to raise $20m (£15.5m) in its first three years and is hoping to find a cure to the disease within the next decade. Nicola runs a Facebook group called Living with Follicular Lymphoma, which has nearly 8,000 people, and spends time on the group most days. In an interview with the Sunday Times, she said her ambition is to find a cure so that the foundation won’t need to exist.

Personal

She married Jonathan Mendelsohn, a British

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

political organiser, in 1994. He was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as ''Baron Mendelsohn'', of

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

in the

London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest ...

in 2013. She and her husband are Jewish and are active in their synagogue and Jewish community. In November 2015 they became the new presidential couple for the Norwood Anglo-Jewish family services charity. They reside in Finchley with their three sons and one daughter. Danny, Sam, Zac and Gabi.

Selected articles

* *

References

External links

"Meet the Woman Heading Facebook's Huge International Growth"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', 4 October 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendelsohn, Nicola 1971 births Living people 20th-century English businesswomen 20th-century English businesspeople 21st-century English businesswomen 21st-century English businesspeople British baronesses British women business executives Businesspeople from Manchester Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English Jews Facebook employees People educated at Manchester High School for Girls People from Finchley Women in advertising Alumni of the University of Leeds Spouses of life peers