Stephen Harty

Stephen Harty has 23 years of C-level experience in two very different industries. He's now focused on assisting both private sector and non-profit organizations with strategic and communications issues and his role as an Adjunct professor of management at CBS. Most recently Steve was CEO and Vice Chairman of National Flood Services in Kalispell MT. On his watch, the firm acquired its biggest competitor and dealt with the overwhelming disaster of Superstorm Sandy. Prior to flood insurance,  Steve spent 30 years in advertising, most recently as Chairman for North America at BBH, a leading British advertising network, where he worked with clients such as Google, Unilever, British Airways, Cadillac and Miller Lite and participated in the launch of the Ally online bank. He joined BBH from the Plus Consulting Group in New York, where he founded and managed a consultancy designed to integrate the global offerings of the advertising agency Lowe with the direct marketing company Draft. In 1993 he was a co-founder of Merkley Newman Harty, one of the first internally integrated firms on Madison Avenue.  During nine years as President, MNH grew from 30 to 300 people serving clients such as Citigroup, IBM, Pfizer, BellSouth and Mercedes-Benz. The agency notably launched the startup airline JetBlue, developing name, positioning, visual identity and all other aspects of marketing. Steve began his advertising career with Ogilvy & Mather where he started as a trainee, was named the agency’s youngest General Manager and later was appointed Worldwide Account Director for American Express, responsible for the brand in 42 countries. Steve took a one-year leave of absence in 1983 when selected as a White House Fellow, where he served as Special Assistant to the Director of the FBI. He graduated from Williams College in 1973 and recently stepped down after twelve years as a Williams trustee. Steve earned an MPPM in 1980 from the Yale School of Management and later served as an Advisor for the Yale Center for Consumer Insight. Areas of interest: changing careers, advertising, brands, media, the federal government, fostering new ideas and the management of creative enterprises.