Nellie has been one of the most-awarded creative leaders in the world throughout her career. Along with her Co-CCO, Chris Hirsch, she has helped turn small independent agencies into global success stories. She has sat on prestigious industry juries, including twice at the Cannes Lions, One Show, ADC, Clios, and Webby’s, among others. She was recognized as one of the top Creative Directors in the world by The Drum and is regularly invited to industry panels and conferences to speak about creativity and the future of our industry.

Chris has been recognized globally for both the creativity and effectiveness of his award-winning work for brands like Nike, State Farm, Cleveland Clinic, Casper, Under Armour, and Domino’s. Prior to starting The Creative Dept., he and his Co-CCO, Nellie Kim, helped build two internationally awarded agencies from the ground up. He regularly judges and chairs numerous industry competitions, including the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. Chris is also a mentor and frequent speaker to the next generation of creative stars at the annual One Show Educator’s Summit in NYC.

As COO, Lisa helps oversee the day-to-day business of the agency and ensures that the organization, including its operations, accounts, project management, and technology functions, has the necessary connectivity, coordination, and processes in place. Lisa has an MBA from the Ivey Business School, and brings over two decades of institutional client service, account, and project management experience. She was most recently a Director, Product Strategist at BlackRock. During her tenure, she led relationship efforts and developed innovative solutions for some of BlackRock’s largest institutional clients, including government and corporate pension plans, endowments, and foundations.