Global Design Consultancy Elmwood Names Paul Collins Executive Director of Strategy

In a move to continue its investment into the work, global design consultancy Elmwood has named Paul Collins to the role of executive director of strategy in the New York studio. Paul will build on the momentum created by James Cockerille, Elmwood’s acting executive director of strategy, who will continue to consult with the agency in a strategic advisory capacity.

Paul joined Elmwood in January of this year with a mandate to further strengthen and elevate the agency’s strategic offering and creative integration process. In the past six months, Paul has partnered with James and executive creative director Meg Beckum to define a path forward that builds on the agency’s recent successes in strategy and design, paving the way for new opportunities for Elmwood and its clients.

“Paul has articulated a strong approach to helping our clients design more meaningful and memorable brands, giving them transformative power to achieve their goals,” explained Nulty White, managing director at Elmwood. “With Paul’s focus and guidance, we are building a new model that embraces the sticky and uncomfortable tensions in our clients’ businesses to create solutions that are uniquely suited for our challenging times.”

“Elmwood’s sweet spot is in uncovering hidden sources of market value to create category-defining brand opportunities,” explained Collins. “Our collaborative process leverages strategy and creativity to solve our clients’ most complex business problems with a more expansive view of what’s possible. I’m thrilled to be part of the Elmwood team and to be able to impact the very foundation of our clients’ businesses.”

“Paul is a creative’s perfect strategic partner,” noted Meg Beckum. “He looks at strategy with a creative point of view, visualizing where a brand or company wants to go, which gives power to design to tell that story. His strategic leadership has given Elmwood a stronger point of view to innovate design thinking for clients. We are so excited by what he has brought us in just six months.”

Prior to joining Elmwood, Paul was director of strategy at Sterling Brands and held a variety of roles at Lippincott. He has contributed to creating noteworthy work for such clients as AB InBev, Bank of America, Danone, GSK, American Express, Pepperidge Farm, Mastercard, Walgreens and most recently Summit Health.