Past Speakers

With more than two decades of strategic expertise and proven client skills, Michael Fassnacht has been instrumental in elevating the agency’s work, culture and industry profile in his role as CEO & President. Michael has extensive entrepreneurial, corporate, regional and local agency experience, and has helped add new vigor and momentum to the agency by bringing in marquee accounts, including Cox Communications, AB InBev, Humana, Discover Card, Choose Chicago and Aramark. In 2014 the agency moved into the one of the most prestigious and recognizable buildings in the world, the John Hancock Center. Honored with the Coolest Office in Chicago recognition by Crain’s, the office’s design and capabilities powerfully unite with a modern aesthetic, rejuvenating the longtime agency that is credited with founding the modern advertising movement. In 2015, the agency had its best Cannes performance since the festival was established in 1954, with varied category wins from Film, Mobile to PR – evidence that having best-in-class capabilities under one roof opens the door to unlimited business building solutions for clients. Before he was promoted to President in 2010, Michael served as global chief strategy officer at FCB, setting the overall corporate strategy while driving excellence across marketing disciplines, and integrating expertise into intellectual property used across the network’s client base. As one of the network’s most published thought leaders, Michael also forged FCB’s global data strategy as the agency’s chief customer intelligence officer from 2006 to 2009, creating the customer intelligence teams to bring data to life in unique and relevant ways that would later become the benchmark for the industry. Michael has helped numerous global companies such as American Express, Apple, The Gap, Starwood and more in their transformation from transaction-based to relationship-based customer organizations. Prior to its merger with FCB, Michael served at director of customer intelligence at Draft Chicago, founded the analytics firm Loyalty Matrix, served as VP of CRM pioneer Netcentives, and was the general manager of Lufthansa’s data practice and loyalty activities. A native of Germany, Michael’s approachability and unique leadership style, paired with the agency’s highly regarded portfolio of work, have helped FCB Chicago attract the best talent and be the go-to source for creativity hailing from the Midwest.