In 1986, Keith was one of the architects of the advertising industry’s first and only three-way merger, creating Omnicom, which ranks as one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing services holding company. Concurrent with Omnicom’s creation, Keith accomplished the successful merger of Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper Worldwide to create the present network, DDB Worldwide, which he led as Chairman and CEO for 16 years.
A member of the Advertising Hall of Fame, Keith has been referred to as the industry’s “soft-spoken visionary” by Advertising Age, which in 1999 named him one of the 100 most influential figures in the history of advertising.
Keith is a past Chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and past Chairman of the Board of Union Theological Seminary in New York. From 2002 to 2010 he was President of Business for Diplomatic Action, a not-for-profit effort he founded to enlist the U.S. business community in actions aimed at improving the perception of America in the world. Among many other civic and philanthropic activities, Keith has served on the boards of New York City Ballet, Sesame Workshop and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is also the author of Any Wednesday, a collection of notes on advertising and life.
Keith is the father of seven children. He and his wife Rose-Lee, live in Manhattan.