QUALIFICATIONS

• Began computer programming in 1981
  
• Online (the Internet, BBS'es) since 1981
  
• Designed and built online systems from 1983
  
• Computer-based graphic designer since 1985
  
• Creative Director as of 1992
  
• Designed/built one of world’s 1st Web-based stores in 1994
  
• Lived and worked outside the U.S. for 11 years

EXPERIENCE

ORG:
WPP Digital

DIVISION:
BLUE (based in Singapore)

TITLE:
Chief Creative Officer

• Lead creative teams in Singapore, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

• Develop intelligent, engaging solutions and executions for advertising and marketing communication projects.

• Work closely with Managing Directors in each of the worldwide offices to develop the creative skills and passion amongst the agency’s designers and writers.

• Help win new business by working on client presentations and proposals and pitching them directly.

• Extend the agency’s creative leadership by taking a data-centric approach to creative design and apply it to new measurable media in iTV and digital printing.

12/2003 – 10/2007

ORG:
Texas Association of School Boards

DIVISION:
Communications

TITLE:
Division Director

• Managed all online activities for communicating with the more than 7,000 school board members and 560,000 district employees (for serving over four million Texas public school students).

• Developed robust methodologies for use throughout the organization to allow Internet-based content and applications to be developed and maintained by all 21 divisions of TASB, regardless of individual technical knowledge or ability.

• Conceived relevant questions and conduct stakeholder interviews, focus groups and user acceptance testing for development of accurate communications strategies.

• Created brand and Web guidelines to be followed by all TASB divisional content owners.

• Lead team and did hands on graphic design, information architecture, user interface development, content mapping, etc. for development and maintenance of TASB’s membership Web site, Intranet and other online entities.

04/2002 – Present

ORG:
Logicworks

TITLE:
Founder & Creative Director

• Started non-hierarchical ‘virtual’ network of new media professionals to target small-to-medium businesses and to help achieve quality of life for all involved while maintaining maximum quality of product.

• Designed and developed a comprehensive Web-based collaborative project management system that is utilized by clients, vendors and Logicworks members on each engagement.

11/2000 – 04/2002

ORG:
Cordiant Communications Group (Bates Advertising)

DIVISION:
CCG.XM Global (based in New York, NY)

TITLE:
Chief Creative Officer

• Helped guide the direction of this worldwide network, with offices in 14 countries, by being on the worldwide senior management team and the North American Board.

• Helped develop and implement creative strategies both for CCG.XM as an organization as well as for clients.

• Developed standards of excellence and practices to ensure a consistency of creative development approach throughout the entire CCG.XM network.

• Directly responsible for the level of quality in end product development (oversaw the look, feel and function of key work).

• Ensured appropriate tie-in to all agency strategies, client directives and branding.

• Implemented & managed a global creative practice of individuals who participated in, contributed to and worked with local offices as and when required – and managed financial accountability.

• Expanded the knowledge, competency and capacity of existing creative leaders in all offices through online and offline seminars, informal programs, communications, continuing education, round table forums, literature, etc. (specifically related to issues of new media).

• Attracted new blood into the CCG.XM network.

• Helped sister networks integrate new media skills into their mix via education and participating in integrated pitches.

• Worked in tandem with the CEO, CTO, Director of Projects, Strategic Consultants, Account Leaders, CMO, etc. to help win new business from existing and potential clients (e.g., attended pitches, wrote propositions, came up with value-added ideas, was a member of the global strike team).

• Lead important global client projects through initial conceptualization, proposals and developments.

• Consulted with the agency’s core teams to identify creative and technologies that supported the development of new revenue opportunities.

• Represented CCG.XM’s creative position by giving talks, writing articles / papers, attending & participating in key industry events.

• Created brand and corporate Web guidelines for CCG.XM.

• Helped local offices with difficult issues related to projects and clients.

• Acted as North American / New York Creative Director – running the NYC studio and working directly on projects for clients such as:
  • US Department of Defense
  • Sauza Tequila (Allied Domecq)
  • Benadryl (Pfizer/Warner Lambert)
  • NASD
  • Hyundai
  • Accenture

• At times guided the New York office as the acting Managing Director.

02/1996 – 10/2000

ORG:
Cordiant Communications Group (Bates Advertising)

DIVISION:
XM Asia Pacific (based in Singapore)

TITLE:
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Creative Director

UNIT DESCRIPTION:
Consultancy specializing in developing ‘e’-business plans and processes, online marketing, creative development and design, implementation of relevant technology as well as media planning. Services were also offered to develop and manage e-commerce Web sites, intranets, extranets, CD-ROMs and applications for top consumer brands.

SUPERVISOR:
Worldwide CEO (based in the US)

DIRECT REPORTS:
Managing Director, Director of Interactive Marketing, Creative Director, Technical Director and Executive Producer. Directly responsible for staff of more than 50.

MISSION:
Build a world-class new media creative studio network in the Asia Pacific region.

DUTIES:
Win business from and service Fortune 100 companies through innovation, creative excellence, quality control and execution. Get business beyond Bates Advertising sister network. Write presentations, proposals and develop myriad of project types. Build a network by hiring and training staff in infant industry and manage it. Establish guidelines and recommend computer systems and techniques both internally and to clients. Supervise regional senior management team and oversee Singapore headquarters.

RESULTS:
Business profitable from first year. Grown to one of the top 40 agencies in the world in terms of revenues (according to Advertising Age and Ad Week magazines) within three years. Highest margins within the entire Cordiant Communications Group Worldwide network for any subsidiary. Most industry awarded company in the Asia Pacific resulting in a high profile. Clients have included agency of record status in the Asia Pacific/globally for:

• Compaq (regionally – 14 countries)
• Nokia (regionally – 18 countries)
• ESPN (regionally – 18 countries)
• Visa (regionally – 5 countries)
• Heineken (regionally – 12 countries)
• Singapore Airlines (globally)
• Singapore Telecom (globally)
• Hong Kong Tourist Association (globally)
• Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (globally)

as well as substantial project work for:

• Coca-Cola
• Cisco Systems
• HSBC
• Discovery Channel
• General Motors
• British-American Tobacco
• DBS Bank
• Animal Planet

among others.

EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENTS:
Increased Productivity
Created streamlined production/work-flow processes from initial proposal through to maintenance that was packagable and could be used throughout entire CCG Worldwide new media network. Designed and produced a series of Web-based applications for same that the accounts teams utilized to open a job #, issue an estimate into a searchable database, obtain a detailed brief, track the project through phases and gain client approval. This improved productivity by no less than four times the previous, manual system and allowed for careful project-by-project analysis – as well as demonstrated to clients where a responsibility lay for each step.

Raised Standards
Trained creative and production staff in necessity for complete and redundant error-checking throughout entire process. Demonstrated need and methodology for coming up with original and innovative, tight and world-class designs, interfaces, user utilities and production techniques using tools such as PhotoShop channels/original filters and DeBabelizer or Fireworks. This set the agency apart from the majority in the Asian region and gave us a reputation for quality and originality (as validated by industry and user group awards).

Created New Revenue Source
Wrote a business plan that established a subsidiary for the agency to carry out Web site maintenance and mini-site (low budget) creation. This allowed the main agency to closely control the quality and standards of the work without relying on third-party vendors who might have had other agendas and capabilities or could distract the agency’s high-cost designers and programmers from their original tasks. Revenue that would have been lost to third party costs was also channeled back into the network and this subsidiary went after its own independent maintenance/low-budget business to help it grow.

CAREER HISTORY

1994–1996
Magic Media
Singapore
Partner/Creative Director
Began regional production/post-production video business with local partners within the Kedaung Group. Responsible for all creative and technical decisions as well as having a significant voice in direction of company. Generally managed day-to-day processes and employees and liaised with Fortune 500 clients. One of first implementations of a nonlinear, digital video editing system in a studio in Singapore. Clients included:

• Singapore Airlines
• Boeing
• Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore
• The Straits Times
  (Singapore’s main English language daily newspaper)
• Phantom of the Opera touring company

1992–1994
Kedaung Group Worldwide
Jakarta, Indonesia
Group Creative Director/Systems Analyst
Established design and photography studio to manage needs of 23 conglomerate subsidiaries throughout Asia as well as a pre-press service bureau for both in-house and external business opportunities. Trained and managed staff of 30. Within two 1/2 years the studios were profitable and self-manageable when previously the Group, one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of glass and flatware, wasn’t using computers at all for its design and printing processes and hadn’t considered selling these services.

1991–1992
MacProducts Asia
Singapore
Pre-Press Sales Manager/Art Director

1990–1991
Hyde Park Studio
Austin, Texas
Founder/Graphic Designer/Systems Manager

1989–1990
Dimyon,
Ramat HaSharon, Israel
Graphic Designer/Systems Manager

1987–1989
RJL Graphics
Austin, Texas
Head Pre-Press Operator/Systems Manager

AFFILIATIONS

RELEVANT ACTIVITIES

• The most awarded interactive Creative Director in Asia, according to the 4As & Ad Age International (1996-2000)

• First new media creative from the Asia Pacific to be a juror for the Clio’s international advertising festival (1999)

• Monthly new media columnist for ADOI Magazine (2000-Present)
  [Most read Asian regional advertising trade publication]

• Chairman of 4As’ Creative Circle Awards new media jury (1997-1999) – Jurist (1996, 2000-2002)

• Worked with the Economic Development Board [EDB] of Singapore and the National Computer Board [NCB] to help develop industry relevant courses with the local universities, polytechnics and design schools

• Have been teaching (English, Graphic Design, Design Applications) for over 12 years.

• Have appeared as an ‘expert’ guest many times on CNBC, CNN, Asia Business News and other cable news networks and quoted in the Asian Wall Street Journal, Internet.com as well as other print and online publications.

• Wrote and edited instructive design/pre-press newsletter – Imagery (Circulated to over 350 ad agencies and design houses)

• Wrote and edited 1,000-word glossary for graphic design industry

EDUCATION