Debbie Ellison

Debbie is a creative commerce transformational business leader bringing over 20 years of digital and innovation experience to deliver growth for clients such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Bayer, Lego, No7, Colt Technologies and Coco de Mer.

One of a handful of women in her role, Debbie has built her career by understanding fast changing human behaviour, finding new spaces and places for business growth, and curating highly-performant, expert teams of creative, technology and commerce-focused people. 

She has a history of creative innovation.   Debbie launched The Home of Connected Brands – a global industry first.  Situated in the WPP Sea Containers UK campus and covering over 300m², the space is packed with future facing technologies, helping clients reimagine what it takes to build successful brands through best-in-class brand, customer and creative commerce experiences. 

2022 also Debbie introduced Social Commerce+, a practice to accelerate brand purchase and growth by connecting commerce to social.  And the UK Inclusion Experience practice - helping global businesses like InterContinental Hotels & Resorts culturally transform to become employers and brands of choice. 

The global study “Values Vs Value – Gen Z Paradox” – hit headlines. Global research across Houston, Manchester, Mumbai, Lagos and Shenzen brought insights into the importance this powerful demographic places on brand purpose and values and their immense influence on buying behaviour.

Debbie has been named a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Top 100 Chief Digital Officer 2022; a Top Ten Inspirational Leader in 2021/ HSBC Ethnicity Awards, and a Yahoo Finance/EMpower Ethnic Minority Executive Role Model in 2021, 2020 and 2023. She has led DE&I initiatives leading to the UK agency being named Diversity & Inclusion Company of the Year 2021 by The Drum, and Top 25 Employer by Investing in Ethnicity in 2023.

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  • Debbie Ellison
Global Chief Digital Officer, VMLY&R Commerce