J. Russell Findlay is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 advertising and marketing executive.

Career

Russell Findlay is the first Chief Marketing Officer

Chief marketing officer

Chief Marketing Officer is a corporate title referring to an executive responsible for various marketing activities in an organization...

 in the history of Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

. Prior to MLS, Findlay worked for PepsiCo

PepsiCo

PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...

 alongside American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame

American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame

The Advertising Hall of Fame is a list of notable advertising leaders in America as chosen by the American Advertising Federation.It was founded in 1948 as a result of a proposal by the New York Ad Club and its president, Andrew Haire, to the Advertising Federation of America, the predecessor...

 inductee Alan Pottasch

Alan Pottasch

Alan Maxwell Pottasch was an American advertising executive and marketer best known for his five decades of work for PepsiCo. Specifically, Pottasch is best known as the creator behind the "Pepsi Generation" advertising campaign.-Early life:Alan Pottasch was born on August 13, 1927 on Long Island...

. He worked at PepsiCo under Chairmen Roger Enrico

Roger Enrico

Roger Enrico is an American businessman.Enrico was educated at Babson College.He is the former Chairman/CEO of PepsiCo form 1996 to 2001, and current Chairman of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc....

, Steven Reinemund

Steven Reinemund

Steven S Reinemund is dean of the Schools of Business at Wake Forest University. He was chairman and CEO of PepsiCo between 2001 and 2006. Reinemund spent 22 years working for PepsiCo in various capacities. During his CEO tenure at PepsiCo, revenues grew by $9 billion, net income rose 70%,...

 and Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is an Indian-born American business executive. She is the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, the second largest food & beverage business in the world ....

. While at PepsiCo, Findlay helped launch Sierra Mist

Sierra Mist

Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored caffeine-free soft drink, introduced by PepsiCo in 2000 and rolled out nationally in the United States in 2003. PepsiCo owns the rights to the similar 7 Up brand outside the U.S...

, including helping produce a TV commercial putting soccer greats Freddy Adu

Freddy Adu

Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu is a Ghanaian-born American soccer player who currently plays for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He plays primarily as an attacking midfielder, but he is also used as a winger or forward....

 and Pele

Pelé

However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

 together for the first time. Findlay also launched Pepsi Max (North America) while at PepsiCo.

Findlay started his career at Unilever

Unilever

Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....

 as a territory sales rep before moving into their brand marketing department.

He has twice won an Effie Award for effective advertising.
and currently serves as a final round judge in the Effie Award process

Education

His undergraduate degree is in marketing from SUNY Oswego, where he is on the board of their School of Business. He also holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing and advertising from Xavier University.

Personal

He is related to the legendary advertising and media couple, New York Post editor Joseph Cookman

Joseph Cookman

Joseph ‘Joe’ Cookman was an American journalist, writer, critic and a founder of The Newspaper Guild.-Career:His professional career began in 1922 in New York City where he convinced the City Editor of the New York Telegram later known as the New York World-Telegram to give him a job as a...

 and his wife Ladies Home Journal editor Mary Bass

Mary Bass

Mary Cookman Bass was an American journalist, author, and executive editor of the Ladies' Home Journal from 1936 to 1963.-Childhood and Early Years:...

.

Findlay is also a US Soccer Referee.