THom Caughln

Visionary Client Director with over 20 years of experience transforming global creative operations and driving significant revenue growth. Proven ability to manage multi-million-dollar budgets, optimize workflows, and lead cross-functional teams through enterprise -wide initiatives. Successfully reduced annual expenditure by 30% while maintaining performance and orchestrated global transformation projects and enhanced scalability and adoption.

Adept at stakeholder management and developing strategic toolkits to inform brand positioning, eager to leverage extensive operational expertise to drive client success.

VP, Creative Services at Orveon Global (2023-08 – 2025-12)

• Spearheaded end-to-end operations across three global brands, directing campaign production (internal studio and external agencies), creative workflow including store design and visual merchandising planning, packaging, and commercial delivery across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.
• Managed a $10M budget, encompassing cost control, financial forecasting, and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Reduced annual expenditure from $10M to $7M while sustaining full delivery performance and contributing to revenue growth.
• Orchestrated a $7M transformation initiative with a national distribution partner, modernizing infrastructure and enhancing scalability and adoption across multi-stakeholder ecosystem.
• Implemented Go-To-Market and Responsibility Assignment (RASCI) workflows, optimized budget allocation and refined strategic positioning.
• Developed comprehensive program management systems utilizing Asana and Wrike
• Implemented succession planning within creative department to manage bandwidth and flex, and enhanced production technology stack with AI and social-first solutions to increase agility.
• Directed qualitative and quantitative focus group studies resulting in the development of a toolkit that informed brand strategy positioning across key demographics.
• Collaborated closely with digital 1st agencies for full funnel activations to paid and social media channels, contributing to global experiential activations.

General Manager, Creative Operations at The Trade Desk (2021-04 – 2023-07)

Directed global creative operations across US, UK, EMEA and APAC markets, managing a $15.4M budget and a 7-person team, overseeing creative workflow, production, and strategic campaign launches for an industry-leading programmatic advertising platform serving thousands of global advertisers.

• Choregraphed global product launches for Kokai and Solimar platform upgrades, producing Apple-style announcements and comprehensive training programs, including in-house tutorials via the content studio for worldwide deployment.
• Led the global rollout of enterprise platforms and systems, ensuring widespread adoption consistent operational standards across all regions.
• Established international Creative/Marketing rollout infrastructure to support global market expansion initiatives.
• Formalized a global transcreation workflow encompassing 25 native markets, contributing to international growth outpacing North America for nine consecutive quarters, with international markets representing 12% of accounts.

Independent Consultant at Independent Consultant (2019-07 – 2021-03)

• Guided operational execution across multi-category product programs that supported a $1B digital revenue stream.
• Coordinated cross-functional teams comprising design, production, and commercial stakeholders to ensure delivery and strategic objectives.
• Managed large-scale operational initiatives for U.S. national campaigns, supporting the execution of data-driven engagement strategies.
• Developed geotargeted social media content using daily Hawkfish analytics, creating memes and parodies distributed via Instagram direct messages; which increased campaign approval ratings from 7% to 22% within 30 days.
• Facilitated collaboration among cross-functional teams in product, production, and operations within a regulated industry environment,
• Supported end-to-end product lifecycle execution, emphasizing compliance and structural integrity in delivery.

Executive Director, Creative Acceleration at The Estée Lauder Companies (2018-01 – 2019-07)

• Directed global creative operations transformation for the world's third-largest beauty company, spearheading the Leading Beauty Forward initiative to standardize creative workflow systems worldwide.
• Achieved $1B in forecasted annual savings through Leading Beauty Forward global standardization initiative, with funds reinvested into marketing and brand-building endeavors.
• Identified offshoring opportunities, such as design extension for paid media, website and CRM, delivering $130K in first-year savings and projecting an additional $260K annually for subsequent years.

Executive Director/ Director, Creative Operations at The Estée Lauder Companies (2002-02 – 2018-12)

• Managed a team of 5 direct reports and 17 indirect direct reports, overseeing a $15M annual budget across Production, Store Design and Visual Merchandising and Packaging.
• Served as an in-house producer for seasonal campaigns, collaborating with both internal creative teams and external advertising agencies.
• Oversaw global asset production for high-volume launch cycles within the licensed fragrance portfolio including brands like Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Zegna and Missoni generating signifcant revenue impact (over $30M).
• Directed the internal creative studio and managed external 3rd party agencies
• Negotiated over 160 licensing and commercial agreements, enhancing cost savings and mitigating risk exposure.
• Implemented enterprise systems including Digital Asset Management (DAM) and workflow platforms to improve scalability, efficiency, and execution consistency

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy / Minor: Business Administration – Aquinas College, Grand Rapids