Business development and process management for environments and experiential projects for B2C consumer products clients. Creative emphasis on cultural relevance and site-specific solutions for regional audiences.

• Project structuring inclusive of multi-agency workflows and cross-silo collaboration.

• Proposal writing and contract reviews.

• Identification and management of external resource capabilities.

• Ensuring feasibility of physical design solutions.

Collaborated with Founders and Brand Creative Director in the creation and execution of scalable brand environment strategy and asset program for consumer events, retail pop-up shops, partner retailer store-in-store programs and promotional materials.

Accomplishments

• Improved and streamlined year-round events operations processes.

• Led 3D design and oversaw external mechanical design development.

• Built a supplier and vendor network for program deployment.

• Grew internal program management staff capability.

• Emphasized pro-positivity work culture and fostered collaborative team creative process.

Led external engineering and hardware procurement programs incubating human-centric IoT product concepts for commercialization. Collaborated with Design Directors and technologists to define product specifications and concept of operations guidelines; managed engineering development of hardware and firmware design; led RFP creation, vendor review and selection and contract negotiation for US and overseas engineering and design-for-manufacture services, prototyping, and production with original design manufacturers (ODMs).

Accomplishments

• Identified talent and assembled lean multi-disciplinary project-specific engineering teams of mechanical engineers, roboticists, electrical engineers and software designers.

• Directed collaborative workshops between in-house design and external engineering teams to achieve executable solutions without degradation to usability or design-intent.

• Oversaw prototyping and POC creation of robotic vending system demonstrating a first-in-class multi-axis retrieval system.

• Interfaced with legal teams in administration of patents and manufacturing agreements.

Taught course “Design Research—Market” surveying principles and methods of gathering, interpreting and expressing information and data representing potential market audiences. Developed course framework emphasizing strategic broad market human needs assessment. Prompted students to shift between independent and collaborative data collection and analysis to formulate novel insights culminating in a creative product design brief presentation.

Accomplishments

• Coached students to identify their audience across multiple life/cultural factors and construct useful human personas while avoiding archetype tropes and stereotypical profiling.

• Mentored individuals on methods of working through obstacles and leveraging their unique 
points of view in rendering insights and heuristic breakthroughs.

• Developed visualized process instruction materials to facilitate non-native-language learning.

• Challenged students to work collaboratively and identify unexpected insights and discoveries through brainstorming, discussion, and role-play scenarios.

Forged new client relationships through retail innovation projects addressing strategy, creative, and implementation projects across wellness, mobility, finance, and electronics markets for clients including OP Bank, Sonos, Athleta, Tesla, Intel and Icon Aircraft. Provided insights and creative leadership while managing local and global collaborative projects. Fostered and grew global operations coordination and supported company-wide reorganization increasing communication and productivity.

Accomplishments

• Strategy—OP Bank, Retail Experience Reinvented, envisioned how Finland’s largest financial institution could leverage its broad branch network to increase broad populace wellbeing in its play to expand into healthcare, mobility services and retirement investment planning. Structured to bolster government efforts to stabilize rural townships and incentivize local entrepreneurs and community economic growth.

• Creative—Tesla, Retail 2.0 Concept, proposed how the electric car maker could enhance its storytelling and merchandise retailing capability to meet the luxury image and innovation of its product offering. Proposed a curated flexible technology exhibit system and merchandised sales lounge inside a technology-forward exterior facade to differentiate the brand leader from emerging competitor products available through legacy dealers.

• Implementation—Sonos, “Field Day” Channel Retail, designed, prototyped and rolled out a consistent, high-touch interactive product display and live-demo system across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Incorporating program requirements from market leading retailers in each region, the system allowed Sonos to enjoy the highest efficiency and quality manufacturing methods at value through mass manufacturing of an evergreen and adaptable solution.