Current Clients: Oracle
Born: Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami and Guadalajara, Mexico.
Why do people see you as an Innovator? Being innovative means exceeding the expectations of clients and even peers. I worked in Latin America launching Starcom’s integrated Digital capability across several regional accounts. This emerging region always received a lower share of global budget, and we were often on the hook to defend our ideas and programs more often than counterparts in North America and even Europe. Without continually innovating to drive maximum results on lean n’ mean budgets, we wouldn’t stand a chance. I saw year over year investment in digital programs double for clients such as Visa and Walt Disney World Resorts where Latin America was previously seen as a “gamble.”
What role does Innovation play in your job today? I learned a valuable lesson while working in Latin America. The scale of innovation we can achieve as a company is not directly correlated to scale of investment. If we truly motivate our talent across any market, big or small, and provide them with the tools to leverage amazing ideas – innovation can happen anywhere in the world. Since taking on a Global Account leadership role I have dedicated myself to developing the tools that maximize our ability to innovate on a bigger and ever changing scale. Name an innovative idea or business solution for which you are most proud? Two efforts I am most proud of are the G.P.R. (Global Product Review) and the ‘Circuit Training’ program, both of which I implemented for Oracle to develop future global talent, today.
G.P.R. is a forum where any agency team member can approach a global committee to review their ideas, gaining feedback in order to leverage them on a global scale. This program allowed open communication and generated new, inventive strategies. With this review, I was able to foster a global partnership between CNET International and Businessweek – a first ever for Oracle.
The Circuit Training program enables each manager in an Oracle Center of Excellence office (Chicago, Singapore and London) to partner with a counterpart from an international market to work cooperatively on a joint project, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of the project through a more critical global lens. This procedure was part of an initiative to develop a unique global skill set across the entire team in order to produce an outstanding finished product for the client.
