CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Carly is a creative leader specializing in culturally shifting performance systems, outstanding product curation and organizational excellence - translating design leadership into business growth.
Represented Nike externally on several occasions becoming a trusted partner to Nike Brand. Public facing events include;
-Video content for Nike Social Media Platforms
-Instagram Live streamed interview from Niketown Paris
-Editorial interviews featuring design work and interviews in several publications.
-Featured live on nationwide British radio
-Interviewed live for a Japan based press junket
BRAND REPRESENTATION
Recognized a need an opportunity for a full reset of the Womens Tennis business.
Led the charge on a full organizational and creative reset of Nike Women’s Tennis — establishing a consumer-driven design strategy from the ground up. Designed a new tiered product architecture, and drove an aligned vision across business and design.
The system delivered $22.5M in revenue, +154% growth versus men’s, typically the market leader, and +330% expansion in key performance categories within one season.
re-invented WOMENS TENNIS ESSENTIALS BUSINESS
Recognized as a leader and talent builder, I have managed and developed direct reports since 2021 and formally mentored emerging designers since 2018 — a leadership talent recognized by Nike Senior Creative Director of Sport to enroll in Nike’s exclusive DEI leadership mentorship program,
Mentorship extends beyond Nike, with Carly’s leadership shaping the next generation through several guest lectures at Parsons School of Design in New York.
MENTORSHIP & TEACHING
Carly is consistently requested, and trusted to step in at critical moments to recalibrate creative direction, realign product integrity, and elevate performance when collections drift off-brief or off-strategy.
Her editorial vision transforms fragmented work into cohesive, brand-right systems that drive both athlete relevance and measurable business growth.
Case Study 1 -
Brought in at the prototype stage to redesign the business critical inline Womens Tennis collection. The line was re-directed from over-designed, underperforming product into a clean, modern, performance-first system aligned to Nike Tennis’ strategic and aesthetic direction.
Impact; $31 Million in bookings, +29% Growth from previous year.
Case Study 2 -
Led a rapid, two-week creative reset across multiple seasons — clarifying design POV, simplifying and amplifying design language, and refocusing the collections toward bold, sport-driven expression.
Impact; +91% growth following collection redesign
COURSE CORRECTION & CONSULTATION
Over eight years on Nike Tennis, Carly led and stabilized cross-functional teams including Design, Product Management, and Technical Development through four company-wide restructures, providing creative and operational continuity.
Following multiple reorganizations, Carly became the sole remaining part of the Design org, responsible for maintaining athlete trust, accelerating cross-functional onboarding, and preserving category coherence within a technically complex and globally visible sport.
During this period, Carly also provided leadership coverage for the Senior Design Director of Nike Sport and the Design Director of Men’s and Women’s Tennis.
CROSS FUNCTIONAL ONBOARDING
Trusted to lead relationships at the highest level of sport and culture, Carly has managed partnerships with the world’s top female athletes, transforming discontentment into long-term, trust-based creative alliances.
Carly authored a best practice athlete identity framework, in Maria Sharapova’s case, “The Unforgettable Minimalist” — establishing a repeatable, brand-right design system that remains in use across Nike’s athlete partnerships today. Maria was so impressed with her creative center, she asked if she could apply across other brand partnerships and enterprises.
By redefining the athlete relationship and design system, Carly converted creative trust into commercial momentum — delivering 30% year-over-year growth in her first season of Maria Sharapova product.
Managing trusted partnerships with the world’s highest-earning female athletes demonstrates leadership at the highest level of complexity and nuance.