Terri & Sandy names first president as a co-founder retires

Terri & Sandy, a 14-year-old woman-owned agency, has appointed Peyton Sutton as its first president as co-founder Terri Meyer retires from the advertising industry.

The agency name will remain the same.

Reporting to Co-Founder and CEO Sandy Greenberg, Sutton will head the New York agency—which works with clients including Princess Cruises, The Walt Disney Co. and Freshpet—and bolster its capabilities in social media and analytics. Sutton said she was drawn to Terri & Sandy because of Meyer and Greenberg’s commitment to championing women throughout their careers.

“What they have done for women in this industry is incredible,” said Sutton. “I like to tell them all the time that they’re industry icons because they have broken glass ceilings, shattered norms and really changed the face of opportunity for women in this industry.”

Sutton formerly served as executive VP of client partnership at Cincinnati agency Curiosity—a standout on Ad Age’s 2024 Agency A-list—where she oversaw clients such as Native, Brooks Running, Dude Wipes, Zevo and Holland America Line. Curiosity does not have “any immediate plans” to fill Sutton’s role, President and Partner Trey Harness said in a statement.

Passing the baton

Terri & Sandy had been informally looking for a president over the past few years as Meyer moved closer to retirement. Greenberg and Meyer interviewed 20 candidates for over six months before Sutton was chosen.

“We knew eventually that Terri wanted to retire, so when we were out at events and meeting people, we always kept our eyes open for someone who just might be the right person,” said Greenberg. “And then it all worked out with Peyton.”

Once Terri & Sandy started speaking with Sutton, Meyer felt confident it was time to retire. “I felt like I was leaving the agency in the best possible place,” she said. Spending more time in Sonoma, California—where she started living during the pandemic—also factored into her decision. She had been commuting to New York one week per month.

“That’s definitely been a part of it,” said Meyer. “I really love my life here [in Sonoma].”

Terri & Sandy Managing Director Tony Scopellito has also stepped back from the agency, transitioning into a strategic growth advisory role focused on new business development.

Paving the way

Meyer and Greenberg’s partnership began long before Terri & Sandy opened its doors. They first worked together as creative directors at J. Walter Thompson in 1993, when fewer than 1% of creative directors were women, according to a Terri & Sandy statement. There, the duo produced an Olympics commercial for Kodak that featured a little boy making his own epic version of the Winter Games in his backyard.

Later, during their time at FCB together as executive creator directors, Meyer and Greenberg launched Oreo’s “Milk’s Favorite Cookie” campaign, birthing the iconic tagline that is still on packaging 20 years later.

“That really gave us the credibility to start our own company,” said Greenberg. “It was such a game-changing campaign for Oreo.”

In 2010, Meyer and Greenberg launched Terri & Sandy. The creative agency’s best-known purpose campaign is “Strands for Trans,” an initiative launched in partnership with New York-based men’s grooming salon Barba that highlights the discrimination some transgender people face when getting haircuts.

Over the years, Meyer and Greenberg have built a relationship that “outlasted many marriages,” said the latter. And while it is “bittersweet” to see Meyer retire, Greenberg said she is “excited to forge the next chapter” in Terri & Sandy’s history.

“Paving the way for other women … has been really important to us,” Meyer said. “What’s really wonderful about this moment, for me, is that I can give Peyton my seat at the table.”