Fred Cook
Fred Cook
President and Chief Executive Officer
fcook@golinharris.com
I have worked at GolinHarris for almost 25 years and I have enjoyed every day of it. I started as an account supervisor in our Los Angeles office and moved to Chicago six years ago to become our third CEO. The primary reason I have stayed with the firm for so long is because of our culture. I spent a lot of time visiting our offices around the world and everywhere I go I am impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of our people.
Al Golin founded the company based on a few simple Midwestern values — humility, hard work and trust. I believe my job is to preserve those values because they are critical to our people, our clients and our future. Recently, we have won lots of awards, including being voted “Agency of the Year” by three different groups, but I am most proud of the fact that in our annual survey, 92% of our staff believe our company is
headed in the right direction.
Although we don’t spend a lot of time patting ourselves on the back, we are proud of what we have accomplished in the past 50 years. But we are even more excited about the future. Our world is experiencing profound changes in demographics, globalization, multiculturalism and technology which are impacting the way people communicate with each other. Understanding these changes and applying them to our clients’ business is what makes our work so important. It is a fascinating time to be in the PR business and the perfect time to be at GolinHarris.
Client Experience
Amazon.com
Disney
Mattel
Nintendo
Southwest Airlines
Toyota
Walmart
Visa
Yamaha
Areas of Expertise
Brand Marketing
Corporate Positioning
I am a big believer in big ideas
What’s on my iPod, Kindle and TiVo
Arcade Fire, Aimee Mann, Leonard Cohen, Post American World by Fareed Zakaria, Nudge by Richard Thaler, Mad Men, The Tudors, The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm
My Favorite Pastimes
I love playing tennis with my 11-year old son Noah, and spending time with my wife, Cheryl, and daughter, Emily.
My Favorite Quote
“Pressure is Privilege. Champions Take Chances.”– Billy Jean King