Forty Under 40: Amanda Bailey

Seeing the invisible and doing the impossible makes Amanda Bailey a visionary. Still, she said she’s also “gritty enough to dig my heels in and work with the people around me to make it happen.”

As both a right- and left-brained thinker, Bailey said advertising suits her because she’s creative but also numbers-driven in a job combining art and science.

Bailey oversees all of VMLY&R’s consumer packaged goods (CPG) business in North America, leading teams of 200-plus people across the country. She’s worked on 350 CPG brands across every major retailer or platform, including Walmart, Amazon, Target, Kroger and Walgreens.

Bailey works to grow the business and her people and to make VMLY&R world-class, as indicated by industry awards they’ve won, including the prestigious Cannes Lion awards won for the Mondelez account. Over her career, Bailey has helped win more than 20 industry awards.

Originally from Fayetteville, Bailey graduated from the University of Arkansas’ in 2009 with a marketing degree. She worked for Saatchi & Saatchi X for five years, becoming senior account manager working with Walmart, Sam’s Club and Procter & Gamble.

Bailey moved to Advantage in 2015 doing e-commerce integration roles for clients including Smuckers, Heineken and Tyson Foods, becoming vice president before moving to VMLY&R in 2020. There, she quickly became senior vice president and executive vice president. In the past three years, Bailey led a 36% increase in revenue across VMLY&R’s portfolio, which includes Kimberly-Clark, Mondelez, Walmart and Nestle.

She was named to Path to Purchase Institute’s 2023 40 Under 40 class.

Bailey works with high school and college students in personal branding immersion and is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion.