Dr Oliver Gray
Director General
Dr Gray joined the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) as Director General in 1993. He has a BSc in Social Science with History and Philosophy and a PhD in European Political Management, both from the University of Bath, and combines his academic achievements with significant professional experience of European affairs. At EASA, Dr Gray is responsible for providing strategic input, lobbying the EU institutions, and managing the work of the five-person secretariat. He acts as an advisor in the creation and development of self-regulation for the advertising sector, particularly in the new Member States and applicant countries of the EU. He speaks regularly at conferences, seminars and events across Europe to maintain the profile of self-regulation in the advertising sector.
Dr Gray is currently co-chair of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Code Revision Taskforce which helps revise and establish ICC codes of marketing and advertising practice. The ICC released a new Consolidated Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice in September 2006, which extends the scope of the rules from pure advertising to new marketing communications techniques and media platforms.
Prior to joining EASA, Dr Gray was Senior Committee Coordinator at the American Chamber of Commerce in Brussels, where he was responsible for coordinating the views of 140 European companies of American parentage on intellectual property, data protection, competition, trade, financial services and taxation. Previously he was Deputy Director General at the European Glass Confederation (CPIV).
Dr Gray maintains his involvement with academia as a visiting professor at the KUL University in Leuven, Belgium, where he has lectured on EU representation, lobbying, and ethical issues within the European Studies Masters programme. He has also been a visiting speaker on the ECPAB Public Affairs programme. A native English speaker, he is fluent in French, and also speaks Dutch and German.
Dr Gray is married with three children and lives in the Brussels area.
