Design Leadership has worked its way up to the C-level and we see more and more companies appointing Chief Design Officers and Chief Creative Officers to show that they value design as much as technology, finance, or operations. Get inspired by the leaders who are championing creativity at the highest level and hear what qualities are needed when you get to the top.
🟡 Key strengths: Branding, Graphic Design, Creative Strategy.
🟡 Now: Chief Creative Officer and a founding team member of the fine jewellery brand Mejuri. Alongside CEO Noura Sakkijha, Justine brought the creative vision of Mejuri to life and empowered the brand’s unique identity by creating a multidisciplinary, unified creative powerhouse, from jewellery design to brand design and experiences across all customer touchpoints.
🟡 Before: After a Master’s Degree at the Ecole des Art Decoratifs, Justine worked for over 10 years as an Art Director at various brand design agencies, building French-international brand identities.
"I don't think there is a school for that. I do think you learn when you grow. Probably...I would ask more questions."
"The business side was an entirely new thing for me because I wasn't in business at all. I was a creative director or an art director, working on brand identities...I never considered the business side. From the beginning, I loved the entrepreneurship, the understanding of what we're building and why we're doing this and why we're making those decisions for the business. Because of the company's growth, every six months you have to redefine your role because there is something new. I think growing in the role was defining it further: what I'm doing and what it means to be 'creative' within the business."
Watch the interview with Justine
🟡 Key strengths: Creative Strategy, Art Direction, Brand Development.
🟡 Now: Global Chairwoman & Global Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi (UK).
🟡 Before: Kate was a Creative Director at Boy meets Girl, and a Founding Partner of the groundbreaking agency, St Lukes. She's worked with Ikea, Eurostar, BBC, Boots, Midland Bank, Sky television, and many government projects. She began her career working for the inspirational Dave Trott at his agency GGT.
🟡 Highlights: Award-winning campaigns for Cadbury, Nurofen, and Holstein Pils, she was AdAge’s ‘Women to Watch', she's on the committee at the V&A museum and she is President of D&AD.
" What I love is reviewing work, directing and shaping it. Encouraging and developing new talent. I love working in partnership with clients to deliver a vision, having an overview that comes from this different perspective and guiding work to be as effective and impactful as possible across all touchpoints. Working globally gives you a chance to get to know and understand different cultural insights. As a creative leader you are often responsible for people, as well as the work, for the culture of your business and have responsibility for its overall success. "
" Share the load. You are part of a team, you don’t have to have all the answers. Fully understand the impact the role and position have on others. "
" Being a creative leader is very different from being a creative….both amazing roles.
As a creative you are answering to a brief, concepting designing, developing and crafting. You are always using the expansive part of your brain. As a CCO you are often being reductive, editing, and directing. You have to hold the bigger picture in your mind, have a north star and plot the path to it. You have to be prepared to be generous with your ideas, they are no longer yours and you won't be recognised for them. You are supporting as much as leading…it can be lonely.
I say this because a great creative doesn’t necessarily make a great CCO, they are quite different skills, so it is good to be aware of where your own strengths lie in order that you can compensate for your weakness. "
🟡 Key Strengths: Digital Media, Strategy, Brand Development.
🟡 Now: Chief Creative Officer at Cossette, one of Canada’s largest integrated agencies. He is responsible for Cossette's creative output nationally, working closely with the creative leaders in each region.
🟡 Before: Sabaa has spent the last 30 years in Canada and Europe building and growing several platforms and companies across the tech, content, and culture space. Among his many entrepreneurial ventures are Newsrooms, Filminute, and Wealthie Works Daily.
"Working with creative teams across dozens of businesses and industry categories is exciting. Also, my creativity and leadership are now in play in both English and French. My goal is to be equally comfortable in the two languages. I’m in awe of some of the people at Cossette who’ve already achieved that balance."
"I remember reading the inaugural issues of WIRED and how much that inspired my thinking about design and creativity. I wish I’d started working with creative technologists even sooner, building prototypes and experimenting even more aggressively. At Cossette, I need that kind of creative capacity at my fingertips at all times."
"I’d advise every Creative/Design Director to recognise and elevate their own unique combination. Your backstory, with your own quirks and skills, is what you refine and perfect to a professional level. The goal is to arrive at a completely different vantage point from your peer group. That point of difference makes a Chief Creative Officer unique, compelling, and competitive."
🟡 Key strengths: Strategic Creative Development, Branding.
🟡 Now: VP and Executive Creative Director at Atlassian (USA). He leads multi-disciplined creative, design, ops, and production teams that work across all consumer touchpoints.
🟡 Before: Global Chief Creative Officer for Reality Labs at Meta. In 2013 Josh concluded his role as Design Director for President Obama’s 2012 campaign.
🟡 Highlights: Josh is a creative leader with 20+ years of global experience building teams and consumer / emerging technology brands through multi-channel storytelling.
"If it's your desire to really have an impact on a business like Meta or Atlassian, you have to be invested in what is 'business'. The companies are making huge investments in your team: the folks that you hire, the agencies you work with, the media that they're purchasing…Once you get into a position where you're leading teams and building, you have enormous budgets. You have to really start taking that into account, and you're held accountable for that money. And so, if you're not thinking about how these decisions you're making affect the business, and the overall health of that business, then you're not going to be successful in your role."
🟡 Key strengths: Creative Strategy, Creative Direction, Interactive Advertising.
🟡 Now: Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA (USA). She leads a team that creates at the intersection of storytelling, media, and technology.
🟡 Before: Executive Creative Director/VP at Crispin Porter + Bogusky. During her ten years there, the agency grew from 100 people to over 1200 worldwide, and became Ad Age’s 'Agency of the Decade'.
🟡 Highlights: Her most notable work for Bolthouse Farms’ Baby Carrots was on the cover of The New York Times and quoted by Michelle Obama. Tiffany’s work has also been featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Ad Age, Adweek, and more.
"When I first started out it was about making an impact on one project at a time. As a CCO, now I get to define culture and creativity at scale."
"Just that I would have told myself to enjoy every step of the journey. There are things I miss about being a junior when I first started out — when I first sold an idea. I was learning so much as I produced different kinds of ideas and worked with different clients. I’d say, don’t try to rush to get to the next phase of your career. Enjoy the learning and the process. It can feel hard but it never gets easier, it’s just different, so you have to really like what you are doing in the moment you are doing it."
"Don’t focus on trying to get promoted. Focus on doing work, building relationships, and learning new things. My path to get here wasn’t a traditional path. It was more like a game of “Chutes and Ladders”— which has you going sideways, and sometimes down before up. I chose to follow talented leaders and opportunities that taught me something new and even scared me. All of those experiences helped me get to where I am."
🟡 Key strengths: Advertising, Copywriting, Digital Marketing.
🟡 Now: Global Chief Creative and Design Officer at Wongdoody.
🟡 Before: They worked at Accenture Interactive and were Chief Experience Officers at Droga5 London and Karmarama. Before they were Head of Experience Design and Planning at Grey. They are also the Founder of elsewhere studio.
🟡 Highlights: Grace is a strong advocate of intersectional inclusivity in the creative industry. They have set up a mentorship practice and are a part of the advertising industry's LGBTQIA+ advocacy group. Additionally, they have judged prestigious events such as the Cannes Lions, The One Show, Creative Review Annual, and BIMA.
🟡 Key strengths: Advertising, Integrative Marketing, Copywriting.
🟡 Now: Global Chief Creative Officer at BCW Global (USA).
🟡 Before: Global Executive Creative Director at Huge, with creative oversight of the agency’s Brooklyn headquarters and key global accounts, Group Creative Director at Translation in New York where he worked on the NFL, History Channel, and HBO, among others, before that, he spent 4 years at Ogilvy Tokyo (Coca-Cola, American Express, IBM, Citizen and more).
🟡 Highlights: His works has been recognised by the Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clios, Effies, and London International Awards among many others. It has also been featured in news outlets around the world such as USA Today, The Washington Post, The Mirror, The Independent, Fox, People Magazine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Business of Fashion, Business Insider and many more.
"You just made sure that the team is playing to the best of their abilities. And it's a great job…You feel that you have the experience and the ability to shape the collective work of an agency and you can you believe that you can shape the future of what the creative output of that agency is, or even how the agency turns its history around. And that's the point where you're ready to be CCO".
"Being the best in the world doesn’t make you the best coach. I met average creatives whose career takes off when they go to their creative level or above because they can be in the team, push a team, inspire a team or give great feedback. It is important to have great taste and to have the ability to flip an idea on its head, or give feedback. If you happen to be a great creative at the same time, that's great, but it is not a condition."
🟡 Key strengths: User Experience, Design Strategy, Human Centred Design.
🟡 Now: Managing Director - Chief Creative Officer at Accenture Song, India.
🟡 Before: Reginal Director of Design Studios at Boston Consulting Group, Design Director of User Experience at IBM, Senior Designer at Design Core India.
🟡 Key strengths: Graphic Design, Interactive Advertising, User Experience.
🟡 Now: Chief Creative Officer at Squarespace. He led 8 Super Bowl campaigns and successful product launches of the Squarespace Logo and Squarespace 7.
🟡 Before: David served as the Worldwide Digital Executive Creative Director of TBWA. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy London and AKQA San Francisco. He started his career as a Designer and Art Director at Sid Lee in Montréal.
🟡 Highlights: David has masterminded a total of 8 Super Bowl campaigns and won an Emmy Award for the most 'Outstanding Commercial' of the year. David has been named one of the 'Most Creative People in Business' by Fast Company and has been nominated as one of the 'Best Designers in Technology' by Business Insider.
"We need more creative leaders sitting at the adults’ table. In a world where everything is getting automated away, I’m a believer that creativity and critical thinking will be the only value-adds that humans will have in the near future. I’m proud to have the ability to represent creative and design leadership at the executive C-Suite level for a company that deeply cares about it."
"You can’t do everything yourself. Building teams is hard and if you’re self-aware of what you’re good at and not, or what gives you energy and what depletes it — the sooner you will come to the realisation that you need to drop the ego and build a complementary team or have people around you who are better than you."
"You have to be interested in all aspects of the business. The higher up you go, the more horizontal your role becomes. Having a C-suite role requires you to be balanced between being a creative leader, strategic thinker and business operator."
🟡 Key strengths: Creative Strategy, Online Ads, Digital Strategy.
🟡 Now: President & Chief Creative Officer at Grey.
🟡 Before: Co-Founder of SheSays, Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer of Mr. President, and D&AD President. She has held various creative positions for 15 years, including Executive Creative Director at LBi, Head of Art at Glue London. Laura has worked on a range of projects from designing credit cards to creating online content for magazines and has been responsible for everything from third-party media relationships to "good ol' design."
"I’m constantly excited about creatives in leadership and how we can creatively transform our clients and our businesses beyond just the creative idea. Because I have a dual President and CCO role, I’m able to work across the whole agency with my amazing crew to build a business that feels creative at its core as well as making famously effective work".
"You need to learn to listen more. Have more clarity and don’t be afraid of making decisions – but do that from a position of being open to other points of view and taking the time to hear them. And I’d also say the money matters – financially understanding your clients’ and your business is critical."
"There’s nothing I wish I’d known beforehand, but something I did learn very quickly is that to be a good CCO you have to be at the service of your entire team and agency, not just the other way around. You’re there to do the hardest and most complicated stuff to allow your teams to thrive, not just the cool stuff. I always say that I’m here to help my agency folk make the best work of their lives, not to make the best work of mine."
🟡 Key strengths: Trend Analysis and Innovation.
🟡 Now: Chief Design Officer at La Perla.
🟡 Before: Senior Creative Director for Global Design and Innovation at Nike and Senior Designer for Launch and Communication of PINK at Victoria's Secret. She has also held positions at La Senza, Victoria's Secret's Lingerie, Flora Nikrooz Lingerie, and Badgley Mischka, where she was the AAI Designer of Runway Collection Lingerie, ELLE Lingerie, and Smart & Sexy.
🟡 Key strengths: User Experience and Interaction Design
🟡 Now: SVP, Chief Design Officer at Magic Leap. He is overseeing the company's Industrial Design, OS Design, Application Design, Brand Design, Human Factors and User Experience Research teams.
🟡 Before: Strategic Advisor at Splice, Global Chief Innovation Officer at R/GA, a digital innovation agency. He founded R/GA London and led the strategic and creative vision, grew the team to over 350, and opened offices in LA, Berlin, Stockholm, Bucharest and Istanbul. Through his design-led leadership, R/GA won over 600 awards. James led the branding and product design of Beats Music, the innovative streaming service acquired by Apple. The service is now known as Apple Music.
🟡 Highlights: James was also recognised by Creative Review as one of the Top 50 Creative Leaders in the World.
🟡 Key strength: Television & Production
🟡 Now: Chief Creative Officer at Future.
🟡 Before: Creative Director and Co-Founder of the company NERD. He was also the Head of Development at Raw TV and has held various other positions in the media and television industry since 2004. His credits include producing, directing and developing projects such as My Selfie Life, Find My First Love, Bail Me Out, Idiot Proof and many more!
🟡 Key strengths: Advertising and Marketing, Content Creation.
🟡 Now: CCO at Tag.
🟡 Before: Managing Director and then CEO at Smoke and Mirrors. He was overseeing strategy and sales for content creation, digital, and moving images for Williams Lea Tag's direct-to-brand and creative relationships. He was responsible for the 8 Smoke and Mirrors studios around the world. Before, he was Managing Director at Roster Worldwide and Creative Director at Red Post Production.
🟡 Key strengths: Experience, Content Strategy, and Marketing.
🟡 Now: Chief Design Officer at Gusto.
🟡 Before: Senior Director of User Experience for Core Products at Shopify, Director of UX for Platform and UX Lead at Shopify, Content Strategy Lead at Facebook, Partner and Co-Founder at Contentini, Head of Marketing at Box UK, Co-organiser and Co-Founder at Ignite London and Communications Manager at MacKenzie Art Gallery.
"Two things:
1. That it’s about solving meaningful problems in a creative way to improve people’s lives. I believe deeply in Gusto’s mission, to create a world where work empowers a better life, and the opportunity to build a practice that is supportive. This gives me energy every day.
2. The opportunity to champion other designers, writers, researchers, and creative people and help them grow in their career, craft and influence."
"How helpful it is to feed the Design Leadership great stories about the impact of my work on a regular basis. As a CDO I’m always looking for ways to tell the story of our team’s impact broadly across the company. When someone from the team proactively brings me a story about their impact, it’s so valuable. I don’t think I did this a whole lot throughout my career and I wish I knew how important great storytelling and tangible examples of impact can be to creating more understanding and opportunity for Design within a company."
"Figure out your 'why'. Chasing a job title isn’t going to make you happy or position you well to do meaningful work. Make a list of what you want to be doing and why you are uniquely qualified to do those things. Figure out what impact you want to have. Look for opportunities that create space for you to do meaningful work. A job title won't make you happy."
🟡 Now: Chief Design Officer at Cash App.
🟡 Before: She was a Design Partner at Airbnb and VP of Design at Condé Nast, previously Creative Director at Frog, where she was responsible for design strategy and innovation consulting for clients across a range of industries including healthcare, consumer goods, media, financial services, social impact, entertainment, and retail.
🟡 Key strengths: UX, Design Strategy, Visual Design, Brand and Marketing, Experience Design.
"Telling a full story for customers across the experience, from brand to product, and the impact that has on people’s lives and on the business. It’s a sweeping view and a big challenge but I think it's incredibly exciting to lead a team with that mandate."
"How close to the business you will be and how hard you’ll have to fight to remain as close to the craft and work. How the importance of craft doesn’t lessen, but the importance of operating increases, and how much there is to contain."
What advice would you give to someone who wants to progress from a Creative/Design Director to a Chief Creative/Design Officer?
"First of all, work for a brand and organisation that values design and that understands it is required for business and customer success. And work to deeply embody that. And also really get close and understand each discipline under your charge, because if you cannot have breadth and mastery of the team you lead, you don’t have a shot at representing them at that leadership level."
🟡 Key strengths: Experience Design and Design Innovation, Scaling.
🟡 Now: Chief Design Officer at Zillow.
🟡 Before: VP of Digital Design at Nike. Before this, she was head of Consumer at Lyft where she oversaw all consumer experiences and products including ridesharing, bikes, scooters, transit, and autonomous vehicles, ensuring a cohesive experience across our businesses. She was GM of transportation at Airbnb. Before she was the Design Lead for the Self-Driving Car Project at Google and Interaction Design at IDEO.
🟡 Key strength: Design-Thinking, Strategy, User Experience.
🟡 Now: Chief Design Officer at United Health Group.
🟡 Before: Chief Design Officer at Lloyds Banking Group, and VP of Design at Walmart and Capital one. He was Head of Design at Google ATAP and worked for Dr. Regina Dugan (The Verge 50), directing design strategy, interaction, product, research and branding across her innovation portfolio. Before this, he led a Design Research team of 25 experts in human factors, usability, ethnography, and co-design at Motorola and directed user experience at Microsoft projects for 7 years.
"Creative leadership excites me because of the extraordinary challenge of unlocking the empathy, creativity, simplicity and right-brained innovation that comes from the modern practice of human-centred design, in environments that both desperately need it and completely misunderstand it."
"I wish I had been smart enough to actively starve the natural imposter syndrome that subtly and overtly makes me think that I don't belong at the C-suite table; encouraged myself to remember that being responsible for the practice of design at the entire company is really about uncovering and amplifying the soul of the business. The purpose of business is to serve society, and human-centred design is about serving the needs of people."
"Be ready to move beyond bringing design to projects, products and experiences: a CDO must understand the deeper needs of society that their company serves at the highest levels...Then innovate authentically from that human space instead of just the competition, technology, or quarterly P&L goals that fill the conversation at the C-suite."
🟡 Key strengths: User Experience, Strategy, User Research.
🟡 Now: Chief Design Officer, Consumer & Community Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
🟡 Before: EVP Experience Design & Research at Wells Fargo, Product Design Director at Facebook where she led and rapidly grew design teams in Ads and Business Platform. She also launched UX excellence. Previously, she was VP of Experience Design at Medallia, and VP of Design and Innovation and Intuit.
🟡 Highlights: Her team's successes have been written up in design and business books and periodicals such as the Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Business Week, LA Times, and Inc Magazine.
🟡 Key strengths: Creative Direction, Brand Development, Merchandising.
🟡 Now: Chief Creative Officer at Wella.
🟡 Before: Vice President of Global Creative at Victoria's Secret where she was a critical strategic partner in pushing the brand to exceed 1B in revenue; building and developing a margin-rich product assortment in just a 3-year period. She was also a Design Director at LG, where she was hired to catapult Avon's digital and social content aesthetic and support their future vision of the brand.
🟡 Highlights: Created and nurtured the Bombshell fragrance franchise to achieve the #1 Fragrance in America.
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