Erica Lee, Named First Female CEO Of Biographical Publisher, Marquis Who's Who

Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical material and the brand behind Who's Who in America, has named Erica Lee its first female chief executive officer in 120 years. Lee has served as the chief operating officer and president of Marquis since 2016 and will be assuming the place of Fred Marks, who served the company dutifully for 35 years prior to his retirement.

Established in 1898, company founder, Albert Nelson Marquis, sought to document the lives and accomplishments of the most prominent, renowned and infamous people around the world in print format. In 2002, Marquis expanded its suite from a print-only series to include a proprietary online database, which is utilized by many leading academic institutions and corporate and public libraries around the globe for research purposes. Recognizing the need for biographical listees to build an online presence, Marquis launched a personal branding division spearheaded by Lee. Through personal branding, listees are able to promote their products and services and commemorate their legacy to gain international recognition by taking advantage of video biographies, personal websites, radio interviews, and features in the Wall Street Journal and United Way and American Airlines magazines. Additionally, the most distinguished Marquis listees are presented with the opportunity to be interviewed by the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Famer, Star Jones.

"We profile the most fascinating people in the world, but they rarely focus on promoting themselves and that's where Marquis steps in. We give our biographical listees the platforms to showcase their incredible body of work and make their information discoverable on major search engines," says Lee. Biographical information is updated continuously for Marquis listees and upon approval, it remains online permanently to be referenced by future generations of professionals.

In addition to personal branding, Lee has focused her efforts on brand reputation, setting Marquis apart from numerous imitators and fraudsters. Lee has been working hand-in-hand with federal investigators to identify and stop these bad actors from defrauding customers by misrepresenting affiliation with Marquis. "Our motto is The Original. Often Imitated, Never Duplicated and this remains true," says Lee, "We will not rest until these unscrupulous companies are closed for good."

Lee looks forward to rolling out a Marquis Emerging Leaders division later in 2021, which will highlight up-and-coming leaders over a multitude of industries and career fields. Ultimately, Lee's aim is to pair established Marquis mentors with emerging leaders to identify insight, direction and wisdom as they navigate their own careers. "Mentorship is something I benefitted from while an undergraduate at Yale and something I have found incredibly rewarding over the course of my professional career," says Lee, "It is up to us to pass on the baton and ensure the next generation is ready to lead."

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