Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life and ideas of Simon Mainwaring — branding visionary, author, and purpose-driven business leader. Learn his philosophy, major works, legacy, and key quotes.

Introduction

Simon Mainwaring is a modern business thinker, branding strategist, and author known for advocating the alignment of brand purpose with societal good. As founder & CEO of We First, Inc., he helps companies build meaningful relationships with customers through authenticity, sustainability, and collective impact. His books, We First and Lead With We, have become contemporary reference points for purpose-driven marketing and leadership. Understanding Mainwaring’s thought leadership offers insight into how business can integrate ethics, brand, and social responsibility.

Early Life and Background

While detailed public records of Simon Mainwaring’s early years (such as birth city and family) are less broadly circulated, his professional biography reveals a rich trajectory in international advertising and branding. His narrative is built more through his career achievements, public voice, and thought leadership than through traditional celebrity-style biography.

Before founding his own firm, Mainwaring held key creative and leadership roles at top global advertising agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Wieden & Kennedy, and Ogilvy.

These roles exposed him to major global brands and marketing challenges, and set the stage for his later pivot to purpose-first branding.

His education has been cited in profiles as including studies in law and fine arts at St. Paul’s College, University of Sydney, and later work spanning creative direction roles in multiple continents.

Career and Achievements

Advertising and Early Branding Work

Mainwaring’s early career in advertising (at Saatchi & Saatchi, Wieden & Kennedy, Ogilvy) allowed him to work on high-profile global accounts including Nike, Toyota, Coca-Cola, and Motorola.

At Ogilvy, he ascended to roles such as Worldwide Creative Director, giving him oversight across regions and exposure to cross-cultural marketing challenges.

These experiences shaped his thinking that branding cannot just be promotional — it must carry purpose and meaning to both business and society.

Founding We First and Purpose-Driven Branding

In 2005, Simon Mainwaring launched We First, Inc., a brand consultancy with a mission to guide companies toward impactful, socially aligned branding.

We First works with clients such as TOMS, Timberland, VF Corporation, Coca-Cola, Clif Bar, Avery Dennison, and many others, helping them integrate purpose into brand strategy, storytelling, and organizational culture.

The company is a certified B Corporation, emphasizing transparency, stakeholder balance, and social/environmental accountability.

Under his leadership, We First has been recognized as a Real Leaders Top 100 Impact Company and a “Best For The World” B Corp honoree.

Writing & Thought Leadership

Mainwaring has authored two major books that anchor his public philosophy:

• We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World (2011)
  This book argues that brands must lead with purpose, connection, and trust, using modern communication tools to co-create value with consumers. It became a bestseller, appearing on New York Times and Wall Street Journal lists, and was praised for pushing readers to rethink brand responsibility.

• Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future (2021)
  In this work, Mainwaring extends his original thesis, positing that business must evolve beyond “me-first” models into collective, stakeholder-driven approaches. The book became a Wall Street Journal bestseller and was named among top business books by Forbes and McKinsey.

He also hosts the Lead With We podcast, where he interviews leaders about brand purpose, crisis resilience, and sustainable growth.

Furthermore, Mainwaring is a regular contributor to Forbes (CMO Network) on branding, marketing, and purpose.

Speaking, Recognition & Influence

As a global keynote speaker, Mainwaring has addressed audiences at Cannes Lions, the One Show (for sustainability), and other major marketing and purpose forums.

He has been ranked among Real Leaders’ “Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World” and recognized as a top marketing speaker by

He also serves on advisory boards, such as Sustainable Brands and the Forbes Business Council, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

In 2015, he acted as interim CMO for TOMS, further bridging brand purpose and operations.

Historical & Cultural Context

Simon Mainwaring’s rise as a branding strategist coincided with increasing demand for corporate social responsibility, digital transformation, and stakeholder-centric business models. In the early 2000s, as social media matured, the transparency expectations placed on brands grew — creating fertile ground for his message that consumers expect integrity, not just messaging.

His book We First came out shortly after the boom of social media platforms, at a time when brands scrambled to adapt to two-way communications. His insight was that this shift wasn’t just tactical, but strategic: brands that ignored purpose would be outpaced socially and commercially.

A decade later, Lead With We responds to systemic challenges: climate change, inequality, governance, and stakeholder activism. It frames business not as optional contributor but as an integral actor in solving big global challenges.

In this way, Mainwaring occupies a bridge between marketing, sustainability, and social innovation — a space increasingly central to 21st-century enterprise.

Legacy and Influence

While still active in his career, Mainwaring’s influence is manifest in how many companies now embed “purpose”, ESG (environmental, social, governance), and stakeholder orientation into their brand strategies.

His books are cited in marketing, business, and sustainability curricula and workshops. Many purpose-driven startups and established brands turn to We First (or follow its frameworks) as they seek to communicate authenticity rather than mere promotional spin.

He has helped popularize language like “lead with we,” “co-creation,” and “purpose-driven brand transformation,” which now carry weight in corporate narratives.

Over time, his legacy may rest on shifting the paradigms of branding: from persuasion to meaningful connection, from advertising monologue to community dialogue, and from brand as signal to brand as platform for social contribution.

Personality, Philosophy & Traits

Mainwaring is often described as visionary, empathetic, and results-driven. He combines creative instincts (from his advertising roots) with systemic thinking about business’s role in society.

His public voice reveals humility and urgency: he frequently underscores that no brand can pretend neutrality in a changing world, and that every choice reflects values.

He also emphasizes consistency: purpose must permeate product, culture, messaging, and operations — it cannot remain superficial.

Among his interests, he explores the intersection of branding and ESG, climate change, stakeholder capitalism, and collective leadership.

Famous Quotes of Simon Mainwaring

Here is a selection of quotes that capture Mainwaring’s thought:

“Brands must have both depth of story and width of mission — they must serve something larger than themselves.” — from We First

“In an age of too much noise, purpose is the only signal brands can rely on.”

“We don’t just buy things. We vote with every dollar we spend.”

“If a brand stands for nothing, it will fall for anything.”

“To lead with ‘we’ means moving from self-interest to shared interest, from positioning to partnership.” — from Lead With We

These quotes reflect his belief that branding isn’t just a function of promotion — it’s a framework for aligning business with higher purpose.

Lessons from Simon Mainwaring

1. Purpose is not optional – In complex times, consumers and employees expect brands to have meaningful commitments beyond profit.

2. Consistency across touchpoints matters – Purpose must be integrated in product design, operations, culture, and communication — not just marketing slogans.

3. Collaboration ? co-creation – Successful brands increasingly invite audiences, stakeholders, and communities into narrative and action, rather than dictating messages.

4. Brands are actors in society – Companies can’t pretend to be neutral: every brand decision contributes to social, environmental, or systemic outcomes.

5. Authenticity builds trust – Words must align with deeds; inconsistency between message and action erodes credibility.

Conclusion

Simon Mainwaring channels the evolution of branding from transactional to transformational. Through his consultancy, books, and speaking, he champions a model of business that is not only profitable but fundamentally contributive to collective well-being.

His ideas continue to resonate as companies seek to navigate consumer expectations, climate urgency, and shifting paradigms of stakeholder capitalism. In an era where brands are held to account, Mainwaring’s ethos — “Lead With We” — remains a guiding star: reminding us that business, when aligned with purpose, has the power to help shape a better future.