Leadership

What do you bring to AUC?

I've split my career working on the agency and the brand side and understand the nuances of what clients worry about daily and what solutions agencies can provide.

What's your secret advantage?

Never settling. Having lived through all the challenges as a brand and marketing executive and trying to keep up with the pace of innovation on the agency side, the one constant is change and progress are inevitable. The key is how you react and embrace it.

People. I love finding the extra “gear” in everyone. We all have that gear, but it's not often used or realized. But when we do find it, buckle up because it's going to be a great ride.

What's a unifying theme from your career?

The highest career batting average of all time is Ty Cobb with .366, so he averaged less than four hits out of ten, and he's rightfully immortalized as one of the greatest. We focus too much on being perfect rather than the at-bats. Take the swing and don't worry about missing. Ty Cobb didn't get a hit six out of ten times

What's your favorite commerce channel?

The next one. Commerce isn't dictated by the people selling things, it's built upon the shoppers and how they want to engage and transact. We used to talk about the thousands of messages consumers are exposed to daily. Today, we have an overwhelming amount of ways to reach people, plus countless ways of transacting with them. The race for attention has turned into a race of conviction and trust. Do I trust this platform or retailer with my business? Am I convinced this brand shares the same beliefs and needs I have?

What advice do you return to time and again?

Own your decisions. Be accountable. Fear is self-inflicted. Time is undefeated. When you get to the top, send the elevator down for everyone else. And don't gloat, act like you've been there before.

Believe it or not

I was an alternate for Amazing Race. I was a DJ for a few years. I am an avid sports card collector.

What do you bring to AUC?

Having vision is only part of the role. Equally important (and more challenging) is communicating it in a way that inspires others to see, understand and contribute to the same vision. Whether working with creatives, colleagues or clients, I inevitably get wrapped up in the passion and possibility of the work. The constant refinement of ideas, and balance of pioneering with performance, make the process rewarding. It helps a lot if it's fun, too.

What's your secret advantage?

I'm curious and I question things. I believe by observing, collaborating and constantly changing your perspective, you can connect dots and, together, create unexpected work that works.

What's a unifying theme from your career?

Finding ways to explore new and diverse areas at every step of my career. Working for agencies focused on design, branding, multicultural, direct, digital, promotional and now commerce has given me a dynamic view of how consumers experience brands.

What's your favorite commerce channel?

Social media is like a real-time, global bazaar, an exciting portal to new products, businesses and artists. But flipping through record crates is pretty hard to beat.

What advice do you return to time and again?

Progress > Perfection

Favorite hometown hang

Catch me cycling around White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas. Literally. I am trying to race you.

What do you bring to AUC?

The ability to inspire and constantly be inspired. I'm still amazed by the journey of getting to smart and beautiful work through passion, drive and endless curiosity.

What's your secret advantage?

Being annoyingly optimistic. As a kinetic learner with a sense of adventure, I'm always ready for an exciting opportunity. And I have a knack for inspiring others to do the same.

What's a unifying theme from your career?

Gaining wisdom from experiences. My design approach pulls from every aspect of my life by accessing cultures, revisiting journeys and returning to locations, all of which make up the palette I draw from.

Across client objectives, shifting cultural trends, puzzles to solve and the alchemy of turning ideas into physical form, we're constantly trying to dig deeper. The strength of our solutions comes from living in a constant state of questioning and learning.

What's your favorite commerce channel?

Target runs. I love the surprise and delight element. And its skin care is always on point.

What advice do you return to time and again?

Your faith has got to be greater than your fear. (Thanks, Julian Casablancas!)

What work of art changed your life?

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann.

What do you bring to AUC?

Years of managing financial planning, forecasting, analysis and management reporting. I've led finance and business operations in e-comm, hospitality and education. I have improved processes and maximized operational efficiency and profitability across North America, EMEA and APAC regions. Beyond my global experience, I bring a passion for continuous improvement to everything I touch.

What's your secret advantage?

In addition to decades of work experience, an MBA from Darden School of Business taught me to calculatedly and methodically solve problems for the greater good. For every challenge, I lead by example and connect dots. I'm only as successful as the team I inspire to achieve.

What's a unifying theme from your career?

Feeding a strong culture. It motivates people and helps them believe in themselves and stay passionate about their organization. A good leader leads the culture versus managing it. I create a respectful culture that empowers and motivates.

What's your favorite commerce channel?

Amazon.

What advice do you return to time and again?

A firehouse versus firegrounds mentality. When the firegrounds of work get too hot, I spend time at my firehouse, which could be the gym or with family. This helps me handle stress calmly and efficiently.

If you weren't in marketing, what would you do?

Indian classical dancer or a fashion designer.

What do you bring to AUC?

I have experience on both sides of the table with Amazon. Inside, I hired, trained and learned from the best. Outside, I launched an e-commerce consultancy that helped brands achieve unprecedented success with Amazon. I am obsessed with Amazon. During my journey, I have learned how critical a strong and functioning team is in achieving ambitious goals and the benefit of hiring people who are smarter than you.

What's your secret advantage?

I put in the time to stay on top of all things Amazon, even in my “free time.” I'm scanning forums, LinkedIn, mastermind groups and more daily to see what people are talking about. This helps me stay ahead of the curve and eliminate our blind spots.

What's a unifying theme from your career?

Get things done. No matter my role — senior financial analyst to category manager to CEO — I roll up my sleeves and focus more on solutions than problems. The only constant is change, so I believe you must have passion and agility to conquer challenges thrown your way.

What's your favorite commerce channel?

Surprise: It's Amazon. I spend most of my day on the platform for work or personal shopping. I am that guy who buys cereal, clothes and toothpaste on Amazon.

What advice do you return to time and again?

“Bias for action.” This is a leadership principle from my time at Amazon that focuses on moving fast but sensibly and continuing to reevaluate along the way.

Favorite hometown hang

Representing at a Miami Heat game.

What do you bring to AUC?

An entrepreneurial spirit with keen interest in digital media and cultural trends. I've built and led teams for 25 years, developing and delivering services across strategic planning, media planning and buying, and measurement and analytics.

What's your secret advantage?

I thrive in creating order out of chaos. In today's world, we are inundated with information, options, data points and opportunities and it can be challenging to connect the dots. Especially in the Media & Analytics space in which I live, where technology, tools, and techniques change frequently. I create processes and frameworks that help us harness all that's available in a digestible and actionable way — while maintaining just the right amount of “chaos” to fuel innovation — is my secret advantage.

What's a unifying theme from your career?

Lifelong learning, curiosity and innovation. I began my career in the early days of digital marketing. More than being comfortable with change, I expect it and enjoy continuously learning new frameworks, tools and technology to succeed.

What's your favorite commerce channel?

Sephora does a fantastic job unifying its physical and digital shopping experience. Recently a store associate scanned my face with a device, showed me matching foundations from over 8,000 SKUs and attached them to my profile for future reference.

What advice do you return to time and again?

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

Favorite thing to do when you're not working

Travel. I absolutely love seeing new places and am energized by learning about people, food, art and culture.