WILLIAMS LEA · EMBEDDED CREATIVE PARTNER
Goldman Sachs
Turning a service desk into a strategic creative partner.
Creative Operations · Service Design · Brand Governance · Global Teams · Client Partnership
The Role
Global Creative Director
Goldman Sachs for Williams Lea · 2019–Present
The Work
Within Williams Lea’s embedded creative agency serving Goldman Sachs, I built and led a multinational creative organization spanning New York, London, Hong Kong, and India.
My leadership connected creative vision, brand stewardship, talent development, and senior client partnerships to deliver high-stakes creative work at global scale.
The Business Context
I joined the account in 2019, as Goldman Sachs entered a period of significant growth. Since then, firmwide net revenues have increased from $36.6B to $58.3B, nearly 60%. Over the same period, Creative Services evolved from a reactive production function into a global creative organization built to support the firm at increasing scale and complexity.
$36.6B → $58.3B
Firmwide Net Revenues
2019 → 2025
The Challenge
Creative was positioned as a production service: briefs arrived late, quality was uneven, and the team had no seat at the table where decisions were made. The opportunity was to redesign not just the output, but the operating model behind it.
The Approach
My approach centered on establishing a shared creative vision across regions, developing strong creative leadership, and embedding consistent standards of quality and brand expression. The result was a global organization capable of delivering sophisticated creative work while responding to the demands of a fast-moving financial institution.
Operating Model
Designed intake, triage and escalation so the right talent met the right brief at the right hour.
Quality Standards
Instituted shared templates, review gates and a single visual standard across all four hubs.
Follow-the-Sun Model
Built continuous coverage across New York, London, Hong Kong and India.
Leadership Evolution
- 2019
Creative Services Manager
New York
- 2022
Creative Director
Expanded Creative Leadership
- 2026
Global Creative Director
New York · London · Hong Kong · India
Building the organization while growing with it.
As the creative organization expanded, so did my mandate. I built and developed a multidisciplinary organization spanning junior through senior design, art direction, production management and workflow, while directly interviewing, screening and hiring creative talent for the India and Hong Kong teams. I developed and promoted internal talent into increasingly senior roles and established new layers of creative leadership.
My progression from Creative Services Manager to Creative Director to Global Creative Director mirrored the evolution of the function itself, from production service to strategic creative partner.
Built & developed the team
- Hiring & Talent Selection
- Team Development
- Internal Promotions
- Art Direction Capability
- Production Leadership
- Workflow & Operations
- Global Team Building
Securing a Six-Year Partnership
Contributed creative leadership and strategic direction to a competitive RFP process that resulted in Williams Lea securing a six-year contract supporting Goldman Sachs. The successful bid reinforced the value of a scalable, globally integrated creative services model built around quality, consistency, and operational excellence.
Brand in Action
Four hubs, one standard. Creative partners now sit in planning conversations for the firm's highest-stakes moments, with continuous coverage aligned to market hours and deal timelines.
Creative across the firm
The Work Behind the Work.
The creative organization supports a broad communications ecosystem across the firm, from confidential transactions and executive communications to global events, institutional initiatives and highly produced publications. The work spans digital, presentation, print and physical environments, often supporting the firm’s most visible and consequential moments.
Transactions & Banking
High-stakes communications developed for complex transactions, capital markets activity and senior client engagements, where clarity, accuracy and speed are critical.
- Pitch Books
- Management Presentations
- S-1 & IPO Materials
- Investor Presentations
- M&A Communications
- Financing Presentations
- Strategic Transaction Materials
Firmwide & Institutional
Creative support extending across the institution, translating the firm’s standards into communications for employees, leadership, clients and invited guests.
- Executive Communications
- Leadership Presentations
- HR & Employee Communications
- Institutional Initiatives
- Premium Publications
- Hospitality & Executive Materials
Events & Experiences
Integrated creative systems supporting major firm events and initiatives across physical and digital touchpoints, including programs such as 10,000 Small Businesses and Black in Business, from initial communications through the on-site experience.
- Global Conferences & Summits
- Event Identities
- Digital Communications
- Environmental Graphics
- Print Collateral
- Executive & Guest Experiences
Special Projects
Highly produced special projects requiring elevated art direction, production oversight and close collaboration across creative, business and external production partners.
- Limited-Run Publications
- Hardcover Books
- Commemorative Pieces
- Art & Cultural Publications
- Leadership Initiatives
- Landmark Transaction & IPO Publications
Across every format, the challenge is the same: build a creative organization capable of delivering exceptional work at the speed, complexity and scale of a global financial institution.
Impact
The model supported a six-year contract renewal and sustained double-digit volume growth, while raising creative quality and strengthening the organization’s ability to deliver consistently at global scale.