From growing up on his family’s farm in Scotland, to working for one of the largest and best communications companies in the world, VMLY&R, Graham Smith is a fearlessly authentic leader with extensive global market experience. Having spent almost his entire career within the VMLY&R / WPP network, Graham has worked across multiple departments, clients, agencies, and countries and is currently a Business Lead on Ford. Most recently, Graham spearheaded WPP’s award-winning partnership with the Human Rights Campaign in support of the passing of the Equality Act. The campaign featured the American flag with 29 missing stars representing the 29 states that don’t offer comprehensive protections for LGBTQ+ people. In addition, with the Office of the New York Mayor, he helped lead the team that delivered the award winning ‘NYC Says Gay’ campaign in response to Florida Mayor Ron DeSantis abhorrent ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’. Graham was instrumental to the growth of VMLY&Rs global LGBTQ+ ERG network now with some 250 people in over 35 countries. He led an agency team to achieve to it’s first ever 100% score in the Human Right’s Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index enabling policy changes and improving transgender benefits and transition guidelines.
