Tony Pace, who died in snowmobile accident Tuesday, was in Montana for Olympics-related event

Tony Pace, the former chief marketing officer of Subway who died Tuesday in a snowmobile accident near Big Sky, Montana, was in Montana on invitation from NBCUniversal for an Olympics-related event, a spokesman for the network confirmed. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that Pace, 64, was snowmobiling on the Buck Ridge Trail at approximately 9:30 a.m. when he struck a tree and went into cardiac arrest, citing a news release from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s office. Search and rescue volunteers attempted lifesaving and took Pace to the trailhead, according to the release. He was declared dead at the Big Sky Medical Center. The sheriff’s office and U.S. Forest Service are investigating. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Tony Pace, a wonderful business partner, friend and person,” NBCU spokesman Joe Benarroch said. “Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time.” Pace was also former chairman of the Association of National Advertisers and most recently CEO of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board. Pace in 2017 became CEO of MASB, a group working toward developing standards for objectively evaluating brand value and the contribution of advertising to them. He left Subway in 2015 after nearly a decade with the restaurant chain. While there, he built the brand’s value, as tracked by Millward Brown’s annual Brand Z assessment, from unranked to No. 40, with a brand value of $22 billion, according to MASB. Previously, as an executive at Young & Rubicam and McCann-Erickson, he worked on such brands as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Coca-Cola and Capital One, according to MASB. “A forceful advocate for marketing accountability throughout his 40-year career, Tony made numerous contributions to media planning, creative strategy, digital media, events and sports marketing, and the financial value of brands,” MASB shared in a statement. “Tony was beloved by his family and friends who will miss him greatly. Our deepest sympathy goes out to them.” MASB noted that Pace was also active as a director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, serving as the group's treasurer during the Great Recession, and as a business advisor to the American Heart Association domestically and internationally. Pace concluded a two-year term as chairman of the ANA in 2016, among other things overseeing the group’s probe into media transparency issues. “Tony was a phenomenal ANA chairman and an incredible leader who helped us navigate one of our most challenging times in ANA history – the media transparency report we issued in 2016,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice in a statement. “Without his forceful presence and his great courage, our job at bringing forward this seminal industry moment would have been most challenging indeed. He made a huge difference for us and played a key role in reinforcing the ANA’s position as a leading voice in the marketing industry.” Pace graduated from the University of Notre Dame and got an M.B.A. in finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The Big Sky Resort in the area where Pace died was founded by Chet Huntley, long-time co-anchor of the Huntley & Brinkley Report on NBC, in 1973 after his retirement. This story was published on Feb. 9 and updated on Feb. 10 with comments from NBCUniversal.

Tony Pace, who died in snowmobile accident Tuesday, was in Montana for Olympics-related event

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