Women is...: Ad Exec Rosemarie Ryan

Ad Exec Rosemarie Ryan

born: Dec. 9, 1962 in London.

education: "Read" philosophy and literature at Middlesex University (which for all you non-anglophiles, means that she got her degree there).

profession: president / managing partner of hotshot ad agency Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners in New York City.

the basic story:At 33, one of the top women in advertising. Turned this ad "boutique" into a thriving, mid-sized agency with 15 major clients including Coach Leatherware, Dom Perignon and Keds.

her secret: Has both business-savvy and creativity, straddling the traditional split between the two sides of advertising.

annual revenues: $200 million in billings for 1995.
from London to Madison Ave: Worked as an account planner at BBDO, the advertising giant, in London. Went on holiday to New York for a few days. "The rest of the story is, I think, fate," she says. A colleague had given her the name of a friend to meet for tea, and Ryan, being a Brit, dutifully did. "I had no idea this woman was interviewing me," she laughs. "I really thought we were having lunch." That same day she was offered a job, moving expenses and a working visa from Chiat Day, the agency once known for its Apple Computer ads.

the way up: From Chiat Day she went to KB&P, left for a job at the Angotti Thomas Hedge agency. Wooed back by KB&P to be the prez.

on culture shock: "The niceties were missing (in the U.S.). It seemed like people were shouting all the time." She's acclimated nicely though. "I drive two hours to get the to Hamptons. You'd never do that in England."

household: One American husband named Benjamin Dyett, and one dog named Hank.

on the Net: Does she believe the hype? You bet. "The Internet will completely change why we advertise," she says. "The best ads have always been interactive. As a tool, the Internet is here to stay, and young agencies know it."
computer savviness: "Absolutely everyone here has full access to the Internet," says Ryan. The shop's quirky web site features Snapple's talked about page, with, natch, Wendy, the Snapple Lady.

pet project: Two Chicks, Two Bikes, One Cause -- a two-woman cross-county bike ride to raise money for breast cancer. KB&P has donated the PR and advertising. The two chicks are former KB&P employees. They're on their two bikes as you read this, somewhere in the middle of the U.S.

Fave current project: The Maidenform campaign. Won't say what the end result will be, but do you think there will be any more babes in bras and panties in public places under Ryan? Think again, mate.