Serving a group of 5 VPs across the Operations division, I lead a team of service design, customer experience, and Lean Six Sigma process improvement professionals. The team provides innovation expertise from problem framing and opportunity finding, through to solutioning. To enable and support the team's work, I collaborate with senior leaders in Marketing, Sales, and Technology, in addition to my peers in Operations.After having rebuilt an existing team back up from 1 person when I joined, the focus of my role now is to ensure we are working on the right mix of strategic and tactical initiatives (managing the portfolio and pipeline), and that we deliver win-win-win solutions that create value for our customers, our employees, and the business. To accelerate this, I coach and mentor colleagues at all levels on how to become more human-centric and compete on end-to-end experiences that cut across organizational silos, using best in class methods in service design and continuous improvement. Regularly bringing 'outside thinking' in to the business through a combination of sharing external trends/research, and attending events and conferences as an attendee, panelist or judge.I facilitate strategic decisions by asking questions fearlessly, integrating disparate parts into a meaningful 'big picture', and helping executives discover and align on the most important outcomes.

Part of the leadership of a business unit with the mandate to expand the company’s client base and diversify our revenue into new industries. In the first two years, I drove new internal practices and business development that resulted in the following results for the business unit:▪ increased from one to seven large corporate and institutional clients;▪ expanded from one industry to more than four; ▪ 5x revenue growth, much of it from repeat business;▪ tripled the size of the business unit teamMy role included leading service design and experience strategy projects for clients across North America, primarily in Financial Services and Telco. Worked collaboratively with Director- to VP-level client partners to create shared value for customers, employees and the organization. Working on forward-looking opportunities and C-suite priorities, I guided cross-functional client teams that included business and product owners, operations, IT, legal and risk, sales, marketing, consumer insights, digital design, and development.Internally, coached and developed designers, researchers, and business strategists at Bridgeable, with three or more direct reports. Regularly contributed to company-wide training and IP (including mixed-methods research, strategic foresight and behavioural economics).

Led innovation projects for our clients across a range of industries, including Financial Services, Telco, Automotive, CPG, and QSR. From business strategy to customer experience design to new product & service development, I guided cross-functional client teams through the difficult and ambiguous ‘first mile’ of innovation. Using Happen's best-in-class IP and frameworks, synthesized the right combination of ‘voices’ for each challenge: Business, Technology, Customer, and the evolving context of the Category/Industry.Internally, my responsibilities included: ▪ managing operations and profitability of the NA business unit (Toronto+New York) as part of the leadership team; ▪ driving business development with current and new clients, including proposal writing / pitching; ▪ coaching and professional development of other Happen team members; ▪ and contributing to the evolution of Happen's innovation frameworks and IP, especially Customer Journey Mapping and Foresight.

Reported directly to the CEO and worked as part of the senior leadership team to both manage the creative department, and to develop strategy and new service offerings to drive the growth of this founding Canadian B Corp. Assisted with business development to bring in new clients and projects across a range of sectors, including financial, institutional, real estate, utilities, and not-for-profits.Role involved both internal leadership and client-facing aspects. Created innovative cause-based marketing programs, sustainability platforms, and strategic initiatives to help private companies, governments and NGOs connect with their stakeholders and enable positive change.Clients included Scotiabank, TD, Toronto Hydro, RONA, Minto Group, The Pembina Institute, CBSR, and various government ministries.

While completing a Masters degree, also worked as a communication design consultant. Provided strategic thinking, content planning, art direction, and communication design to various clients: from national brands like Scotiabank; to tech incubators like the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre; to innovative startups like Green Circle Salons. Proven ability to align design with strategic goals, across a range of media.

Documented and co-facilitated strategic foresight engagements commissioned by client organizations, including United Way of Canada and the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC). Gained hands-on skills in conducting multi-stakeholder, participatory foresight exercises designed to broaden strategic thinking about possible futures.

For an interactive design course called Clever Devices, co-taught a group of 20 interdisciplinary students with Suzanne Stein. Innovative student projects used gestural technology to create meaningful socio-technical innovations, and were displayed at the Canada 3.0 conference on digital futures, and at the MaRS Regional Innovation Centre launch. Provided mentoring, research, lectures, workshop facilitation, and evaluation.

Created innovative green branding and communications initiatives for: The Home Depot, Toronto Hydro, Environmental Defence, The City of Toronto, and many others. Outcomes ranged from awareness building, to market transformation, to quantitative reductions of GHG emissions. In addition to client work, served as art director for Green Living Magazine, Canada's only national green consumer magazine, and the companion website, greenlivingonline.com. Used design to translate emerging trends in sustainable technology, products and practices into actionable take-aways for a mainstream audience. 

Responsible for projects from strategy and concept through design development and execution. Role included pitching for new business, managing client relationships, collaborating with salespeople, copywriters, researchers, and mentoring junior designers.Results included:▪ YOY increase of participation in product take-back programs for Toronto Hydro for three consecutive years.▪ Generating a record number of nominations for the City of Toronto's annual Green Toronto Awards. ▪ Helping to pitch and build a CSR program for Scotiabank, the multi-platform 'EcoLiving' initiative.▪ Redesigning and transitioning Green Living Magazine from regional to national circulation.▪ Launching the first print/online directory of green businesses in the GTA.

Part of a small studio team designing powerful communications for corporate, cultural, and educational clients, including award-winning work for the Royal Conservatory of Music, Telus, and others. Involved in all aspects of projects: concept, design development, collaborating with clients, and managing suppliers. In this fast-paced environment, learned what it means to work to a rigorously high standard of quality.

Art directed two national editorial products that supported the Maclean’s Magazine parent brand: a special issue on Canadian innovation called Leaders & Dreamers, and a redesign of the Maclean’s University Guide. Worked collaboratively with teams of diverse creatives to deliver on-time, on-budget, and on-brand.

Coordinating workflow between editorial, art, photo, and advertising departments to consistently meet tight deadlines for this weekly national publication. Learned invaluable project management skills, effective communication and flexible problem-solving in a large corporate environment.