Leadership and Management Skills
Executive Decision-Making
Creative and Strategy Department Leadership
Brand Vision and Creative Direction
Innovation and Strategic Planning
P&L Ownership and Budget Oversight
Business Development and Growth
Client Acquisition and Retention
Change Development
Core Competencies
Brand Strategy
Communication Strategy and Naming
Brand Identity
Visual and Verbal Identity
Packaging and Portfolio Architecture
Digital
Brand Governance
Advanced Leadership Program
Omnicom University
(Harvard Business School)
Graduate, Advanced Leadership
2015-2016
Professional Summary
Visionary and award-winning creative leader with extensive expertise in brand transformation, strategic design leadership, and engaging storytelling for global and emerging brands. Skilled in aligning creative vision with business goals to build brand equity, guide innovation, and create deeper consumer connection. Proven track record in leading creative rebrands and product launches for industry leaders in beauty, food & beverage, and CPG, while cultivating client partnerships and directing high-performing teams. Instrumental in building creative agencies, executing cohesive design strategies, and managing 360° brand experiences across packaging, brand campaigns, print, digital, video, and activations. Recognized for driving operational excellence and scaling creative output through strategic foresight and collaborative leadership.
Work Experience
Co-owner, Creative Director
Co-owned a forward-thinking brand design agency, leading high-profile global work across beauty, technology, wellness and financial services for global clients including Cynosure, AlianceBernstein, and GSK. Oversaw multi-disciplinary teams and drove profitability while aligning budgets with client goals to optimize resources and maintain high-quality work.
Founder, Creative DirectorLed brand strategy and creative execution, crafting distinct positioning and go-to-market strategies that drove 2 successful product launches and contributed to sustained growth. Cultivated robust partnerships with industry leaders like PepsiCo and Lonza to attain measurable brand impact by aligning creative initiatives with business objectives.
Executive Creative Director, Managing Director of New YorkDrove measurable client satisfaction and revenue growth by leading successful launch of New York satellite office for a global branding design agency. Fostered a culture of high performance and creativity, leading a multi-disciplinary team that consistently delivered exceptional results on complex branding challenges.
Creative Director 2011-2014Delivered innovative brand identity and packaging solutions for high-profile clients like Revlon, Almay, Hillshire, Enfamil, and Rishi Tea to drive brand recognition and distinguish clients in market. Increased productivity, design practices, and efficiency by leading team of 10 across New York and San Francisco and implementing streamlined procedures and methodologies.
Global Creative DirectorSpearheaded launch of new services in brand architecture, strategy, and innovation at LPK, driving revenue growth and nurturing agency relationships with P&G. Achieved over $4M in annual revenue and exceeded account billing targets by 17% through successful global rebrand of P&G’s Olay brand, aligning its identity across APAC, Europe, Greater China, India, IMEA, LATAM, and North America.
My leadership style drives teams and clients to think and act beyond the boundaries of the conventional to achieve greater success together
Cultural Ethos:
Explore Daringly.Innovate Wisely.
Achieve Beautifully.
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Core Competencies
+ Organizational Leadership
+ Cross-Functional Collaboration
+ Team Management & Mentorship
+ Executive Stakeholder Alignment
+ Executive Presentation Skills
+ Brand Strategy & Architecture
+ Design Systems & Guidelines
+ Budget & Resource Management
+ Design-led Innovation
+ Visual Identity & Storytelling
+ 360° Brand Experience & Packaging Design
+ Campaign Development & Execution
Education & Certification
Omnicom University (Harvard Business School)
Senior Management Postgraduate Program
ArtCenter College of Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) - Graphic Design
Motion Certified Creative Strategist
Motion Creative Strategy Online Certification
Certified in performance creative strategy, paid social analysis, creative testing frameworks, ad concept development, and AI-assisted creative workflows
Kathy Soranno
Kathy Soranno
Creative Leader
Kathy Soranno
Creative Leader
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Profile
As an Executive Creative Director and transformative leader, I excel in building and nurturing high-performing teams. My approach emphasizes strong partnerships and leveraging cutting-edge methodologies that drive significant business results. My dedication to crafting exquisite and impactful designs underscores my pursuit of beautiful outcomes in all endeavors. I have a proven track record of championing groundbreaking solutions that elevate organizational standards and deliver superior business results. I am eager to channel my extensive leadership experience into exciting new ventures.
Leadership and Management Skills
Executive Decision-Making
Creative and Strategy Department Leadership
Brand Vision and Creative Direction
Innovation and Strategic Planning
P&L Ownership and Budget Oversight
Business Development and Growth
Client Acquisition and Retention
Change Development
Core Competencies
Brand Strategy
Communication Strategy and Naming
Brand Identity
Visual and Verbal Identity
Packaging and Portfolio Architecture
Digital
Brand Governance
Advanced Leadership Program
Omnicom University
(Harvard Business School)
Graduate, Advanced Leadership
2015-2016
Professional Summary
Led high-impact initiatives across notable branding and design agencies, significantly transforming business outcomes
-
Launched Hornall Anderson’s New York office as Executive Creative Director and Managing Director, achieving 20% profitability in the inaugural year
-
Led the global creative rebrand of P&G’s $4-billion Olay brand, developing and authoring
a comprehensive 50-plus page brand guideline that united global offices and drove a
20-plus% increase in agency revenue
-
Directed the 2021 rebranding of Cynosure, repositioning it as a leader in beauty activism within medical aesthetics, catalyzing a strategic 2024 global merger
-
Revitalized Wallace Church by enhancing positioning, expanding service offerings, and
elevating creative standards, significantly boosting national reputation.
-
Over 15 years of creative leadership, transforming major brands with strategic innovation, award-winning design, and pioneering methodologies
-
Accumulated over 50-plus prestigious design awards in a career spanning 25 years by blending strategic foresight with exceptional impactful design
-
Revamped workflows and boosted creativity at Wallace Church with innovative methodologies and creative performance reviews
-
Championed a dynamic, collaborative culture at Hornall Anderson New York, cultivating an elite, forward-thinking team adept at tackling complex brand challenges with limited resources, achieving a 40-plus% reduction in overhead costs
-
Successfully elevated design and unlocked new opportunities for major brands, such as
PepsiCo, Olay, Target, Mead Johnson, and General Mills, as evidenced by increased year-over-year client engagement
-
Reinvented creative project workflows using cutting-edge tools like Figma and AI to streamline processes, reducing timelines and elevating client presentations
-
Expertly navigated storytelling, packaging, print, in-store, and digital platforms for the
global rebrand of Enfamil significantly enhancing global brand cohesion and equity
-
-
Built Bamboo, a standout agency recognized by Graphic Design America as one of the Best and Brightest Design Firms, showcasing inspiring leadership
-
Cultivated enduring partnerships with leading domestic and global brands such as Coke, 3M, Best Buy, and Target, demonstrating a strong ability to align client and stakeholder interests with standout creative vision
-
Led diverse teams across strategy, design, and copywriting, fostering a creative environment that synchronized goals, boosted collaboration, and elevated project deliverables
Founder and leader of agencies in New York and Minneapolis, driving growth by aligning creativity and design with business excellence
-
Work Experience
Co-owner, Creative Director
Co-owned a forward-thinking brand design agency, leading high-profile global work across beauty, technology, wellness and financial services for global clients including Cynosure, AlianceBernstein, and GSK. Oversaw multi-disciplinary teams and drove profitability while aligning budgets with client goals to optimize resources and maintain high-quality work.
Founder, Creative Director
Led brand strategy and creative execution, crafting distinct positioning and go-to-market strategies that drove 2 successful product launches and contributed to sustained growth. Cultivated robust partnerships with industry leaders like PepsiCo and Lonza to attain measurable brand impact by aligning creative initiatives with business objectives.
Executive Creative Director, Managing Director
Drove measurable client satisfaction and revenue growth by leading successful launch of New York satellite office for a global branding design agency. Fostered a culture of high performance and creativity, leading a multi-disciplinary team that consistently delivered exceptional results on complex branding challenges.
Creative Director 2011-2014
Delivered innovative brand identity and packaging solutions for high-profile clients like Revlon, Almay, Hillshire, Enfamil, and Rishi Tea to drive brand recognition and distinguish clients in market. Increased productivity, design practices, and efficiency by leading team of 10 across New York and San Francisco and implementing streamlined procedures and methodologies.
Global Creative Director
Spearheaded launch of new services in brand architecture, strategy, and innovation at LPK, driving revenue growth and nurturing agency relationships with P&G. Achieved over $4M in annual revenue and exceeded account billing targets by 17% through successful global rebrand of P&G’s Olay brand, aligning its identity across APAC, Europe, Greater China, India, IMEA, LATAM, and North America.
My leadership style drives teams and clients to think and act beyond the boundaries of the conventional to achieve greater success together
Cultural Ethos:
Explore Daringly.Innovate Wisely.
Achieve Beautifully.
Core Competencies
+ Organizational Leadership
+ Cross-Functional Collaboration
+ Team Management & Mentorship
+ Executive Stakeholder Alignment
+ Executive Presentation Skills
+ Brand Strategy & Architecture
+ Design Systems & Guidelines
+ Budget & Resource Management
+ Design-led Innovation
+ Visual Identity & Storytelling
+ 360° Brand Experience & Packaging Design
+ Campaign Development & Execution
Education & Certification
Omnicom University (Harvard Business School)
Senior Management Postgraduate Program
ArtCenter College of Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) - Graphic Design
Motion Certified Creative Strategist
Motion Creative Strategy Online Certification
Certified in performance creative strategy, paid social analysis, creative testing frameworks, ad concept development, and AI-assisted creative workflows.
Professional Summary
Led high-impact initiatives across notable branding and design
agencies, significantly transforming business outcomes
-
Launched Hornall Anderson’s New York office as Executive Creative Director and Managing Director, achieving 20% profitability in the inaugural year
-
Led the global creative rebrand of P&G’s $4-billion Olay brand, developing and authoring
a comprehensive 50-plus page brand guideline that united global offices and drove a
20-plus% increase in agency revenue
-
Directed the 2021 rebranding of Cynosure, repositioning it as a leader in beauty activism within medical aesthetics, catalyzing a strategic 2024 global merger
-
Revitalized Wallace Church by enhancing positioning, expanding service offerings, and
elevating creative standards, significantly boosting national reputation.
-
Over 15 years of creative leadership, transforming major brands with strategic innovation, award-winning design, and pioneering methodologies
-
Accumulated over 50-plus prestigious design awards in a career spanning 25 years by blending strategic foresight with exceptional impactful design
-
Revamped workflows and boosted creativity at Wallace Church with innovative methodologies and creative performance reviews
-
Championed a dynamic, collaborative culture at Hornall Anderson New York, cultivating an elite, forward-thinking team adept at tackling complex brand challenges with limited resources, achieving a 40-plus% reduction in overhead costs
-
Successfully elevated design and unlocked new opportunities for major brands, such as
PepsiCo, Olay, Target, Mead Johnson, and General Mills, as evidenced by increased year-over-year client engagement
-
Reinvented creative project workflows using cutting-edge tools like Figma and AI to streamline processes, reducing timelines and elevating client presentations
-
Expertly navigated storytelling, packaging, print, in-store, and digital platforms for the
global rebrand of Enfamil significantly enhancing global brand cohesion and equity
-
-
Built Bamboo, a standout agency recognized by Graphic Design America as one of the Best and Brightest Design Firms, showcasing inspiring leadership
-
Cultivated enduring partnerships with leading domestic and global brands such as Coke, 3M, Best Buy, and Target, demonstrating a strong ability to align client and stakeholder interests with standout creative vision
-
Led diverse teams across strategy, design, and copywriting, fostering a creative environment that synchronized goals, boosted collaboration, and elevated project deliverables
Founder and leader of agencies in New York and Minneapolis, driving growth by aligning creativity and design with business excellence
-
Work Experience
Co-owner, Executive Creative Director
Co-founded Courage The Agency, serving visionary C-suite leaders wanting to achieve substantial reward
Brand Transformations: Directed strategic repositioning and rebranding for clients like Cynosure, Ozium, and Alliance Bernstein, leading to a high-profile merger and extensive retail expansions
Strategic and Creative Leadership: For all client engagements, directed and led content creation while playing a key role in design, ensuring cohesive integration of strategy, messaging, verbal identity, and design
Agency Visionary: Led agency marketing as the primary creator and author, serving as the lead strategist, designer, and copywriter, showcasing unparalleled versatility
Business Consulting: Collaborated with Sanofi Global Healthcare to plan the future of their internal design department, optimizing tools and fostering creative excellence.
Founder, Executive Creative DirectorFounded Run Brand Run to pioneer innovative brand strategies for emerging brands
Design & Brand Leadership: Led a multi-disciplinary team for Pepsi LifeWtr and SodaStream. Launched Miha Artisanal Foods and Seedly Snacks and repositioned Starion Energy, enhancing market presence and consumer engagement
Proprietary Practices: Pioneered vital strategic and creative processes, the cornerstone of my philosophy across brand strategy, communication strategy, brand identity and innovation
Executive Creative Director, Managing DirectorLaunched and managed Hornall Anderson’s New York office, overseeing recruitment, talent development, strategic vision, operations, and driving revenue growth
Growth and Profitability: Instrumental in driving revenue growth and achieving over 20-plus% profitability in year one, underscoring management of operations during extreme cost-cutting
Client Building: Fostered strong partnerships with leading global brands, including PepsiCo, General Mills, and Nike, to deliver innovative brand experiences aligned with clients business objectives
Cross-functional Management: Built and managed a multi-disciplinary team, including strategy, client services, design, and copywriting, across offices
Culture Building: Led top New York creative talent to foster a collaborative and entrepreneurial culture, achieving a 40-plus% reduction in overhead costs
Leadership Recognition: Selected for Omnicom’s advanced leadership program with Harvard Business School, underscoring exceptional performance on a global stage
Executive Creative Director 2012-2014Creative Director 2011
Led the creative transformation of Wallace Church, revitalizing culture and services
Innovation: Implemented best-in-class creative, strategy, and naming methodologies, elevating standards and output
Creative Management: Managed a team of 7 directors across San Francisco and New York, implementing new performance reviews and department structure
Revenue Growth: Introduced new strategic and brand identity services and methodologies, driving additional revenue streams
Design & Brand Leadership: Led high-profile global brand identity and packaging projects for renowned clients, including Pepsi, Revlon, Colorsilk, Hillshire, Enfamil, and Rishi Tea, driving brand recognition and market differentiation
Global Creative DirectorLed the global rebranding of P&G’s $4-billion Olay skincare brand, unifying the brand under one position and identity worldwide
Global Brand Results: Led the successful global rebrand of Olay, transcending cultural nuances and aligning the brand identity across five key regional stakeholders across markets
Global Management: Directed twenty-plus creatives across the global team, demonstrating efficiencies gained with strategic alignment and enhanced processes
Agency Revenue Growth: Collaborated across agency functions to elevate design standards, generating significant improvements in billings and achieving over 20% year-over-year growth
Innovation Expertise: Led significant new initiatives across brand architecture, global brand guidelines, and new expansion, helping build additional agency revenue streams
dition to elevated design standards, collaborated with client services to generate over five million dollars in agency billings, resulting in a twenty-plus-percent year-over-year revenue growth, demonstrating an ability to drive business growth through strategic collaboration
Founder, Lead Designer, Creative DirectorFounded Bamboo, internationally recognized as one of the Best and Brightest Design Firms in the U.S. by Graphic Design America
Industry Recognition: Attracted renowned brands like Coca-Cola, Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy, General Mills, 3M, Copco, Blue Q, D’Amico & Partners, and Schroeder, securing over fifty awards for client projects, demonstrating a dedication to exceptional design
Team Leadership: Led cross-functional teams, including new business, account, design, and copywriting, to cultivate a collaborative culture and productive work environment
Design Excellence: Directed comprehensive design services, including packaging, brand identity development, structural design, and campaign development
My leadership style drives teams and clients to think and act beyond the boundaries of the conventional to achieve greater success together
Cultural Ethos:
Explore Daringly.Innovate Wisely.
Achieve Beautifully.
Leadership and Management Skills
Executive Decision-Making
Creative and Strategy Department Leadership
Brand Vision and Creative Direction
Innovation and Strategic Planning
P&L Ownership and Budget Oversight
Business Development and Growth
Client Acquisition and Retention
Change Development
Core Competencies
Brand Strategy
Communication Strategy and Naming
Brand Identity
Visual and Verbal Identity
Packaging and Portfolio Architecture
Digital
Brand Governance
Advanced Leadership Program
Omnicom University
(Harvard Business School)
Graduate, Advanced Leadership
2015-2016
Leadership and Management Skills
Executive Decision-Making
Creative and Strategy Department Leadership
Brand Vision and Creative Direction
Innovation and Strategic Planning
P&L Ownership and Budget Oversight
Business Development and Growth
Client Acquisition and Retention
Change Development
Core Competencies
Brand Strategy
Communication Strategy and Naming
Brand Identity
Visual and Verbal Identity
Packaging and Portfolio Architecture
Digital
Brand Governance
Advanced Leadership Program
Omnicom University
(Harvard Business School)
Graduate, Advanced Leadership
2015-2016