October 15, 2024
Counselor Power 50 2024: No. 32 Chris Lee, Brand Addition
Welcome to the 2024 Counselor Power 50 list, which ranks the most influential people in the industry.
#32 Chris Lee
Brand Addition (asi/202515) – CEO
2023 Rank: #34
Industry Experience: 23 Years
Previous Appearances on Power 50: 5
Chris Lee is truly one of promo’s global operators, and the companies he helms – Brand Addition and Facilisgroup – are significant players in the merch space, extending his influence throughout the North American and European promotional products markets. The Pebble Group, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom, is the publicly traded parent firm of both companies.
With locations in the U.K., U.S., Germany, Ireland, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Brand Addition is a global distributor that generated about $135 million in total sales in 2023, down a bit from the year prior due to headwinds in certain key end-buyer verticals.
Meanwhile, Facilisgroup is a partnering community and software provider to promo firms; FG did roughly $23 million last year. Over the last year, Lee has taken a much more active role with Facilis, serving as president following the departure of past president Ashley McCune last autumn. It’s a role he’s relishing. “Over the last 12 months, I have become much more hands on in FG,” Lee says. “It has been an education and pleasure to see at firsthand the way our distributor partners, suppliers and the FG team support and challenge each other to keep our industry moving forward.”