180 co-founder Alex Melvin passed away peacefully in his Amsterdam home last Friday, August 12. He was 53. Alex, who bravely fought melanoma for three years, was comforted by family and close friends. He leaves behind his wife, Alison Melvin, and three loving children. For more than a decade, Alex played an integral role in the agency’s growth including his work with marquee global client Adidas. In 2007, he and the other two founders Chris Mendola and Guy Hayward launched a U.S. office in Santa Monica, CA. Alex was of enormous importance to the city of Amsterdam; not only did he found an agency that put the city internationally on the map, he also embraced the city as the true representation of his agency. In an interview with us in 2009, during the Boards Conference that he co-hosted with Indie’s Mark Aink, he explained that the resemblance was so strong, because just like 180 the city of Amsterdam has always been a city of talent, ideas and international trade. With a big smile he added: “and I also believe Amsterdam is home to 180 different nationalities, but you’d have to double check that with the chamber of commerce”. In that interview – and all the chats thereafter – we got to know Alex as a modest, good humoured, and overall amiable guy. We’ll miss him. There will be a memorial for Alex on Friday, August 19th at 3 p.m. at De Rode Hoed, Keizersgracht 102, Amsterdam. He will be buried in his native Scotland. His family has set up a Facebook page for people to post memories of Alex.
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In memoriam: Alex Melvin
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