Novartis Creative Transformation
Summary
Recruited back to Europe to modernise the global creative ecosystem for Novartis Group External Communications during a period of rapid digital transformation and intense public focus on healthcare during COVID-19.
Tasked with building and leading an agile in-house creative studio to replace fragmented agency dependency; overseeing global storytelling across culture, science, financial communications and corporate affairs.
Led the evolution of the company’s visual and motion design approach, helping establish a more contemporary, digitally fluent brand narrative adopted more broadly across the organisation.
The Sharp End
In-House Studio Transformation: Built and led a multidisciplinary in-house creative team that replaced fragmented agency dependency with an agile internal production model; significantly increasing content speed, consistency and strategic integration across Group External Communications.
Directed creative development and executive sign-off across global storytelling initiatives spanning culture, R&D, financial communications and COVID-19 response content.
Narrative & Motion Design Evolution: Led the introduction of a refreshed animation and motion graphics approach that modernised how science, innovation and corporate storytelling were communicated digitally across Novartis.
Provided creative direction and narrative shaping across a portfolio of films and digital campaigns, partnering closely with Corporate Affairs, HR and Executive Communications stakeholders.
The Impact
Operational Efficiency: Reduced annual agency spend by 40% while doubling content production efficiency through the successful creation of an agile in-house creative studio model.
Brand Modernisation: Helped evolve the visual language and storytelling style of Novartis, introducing a more contemporary and digitally fluent creative approach adopted more broadly across the organisation.
Strategic Influence: Established the creative function as a trusted strategic partner within Group External Communications, embedding creative direction earlier into leadership storytelling, cultural communications and enterprise-wide campaigns.
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