SPEAKING & DESIGN THINKING

Emerging Futures Workshops | Thought Leadership | Panel Discussions

Jessica is a creative thought leader and futurist with a focus on people and planet-first transformation. Areas of expertise include tools to cultivate belonging and collaborative play to drive innovation in teams and uncover new business opportunities.

She partners with universities (eg. NYU, Fordham) and global corporations (eg. EY, Mercer, PVH) where her talks, panel discussions, and workshops teach and put into practice creative leadership skills.

By applying future of work research to interactive and collaborative design thinking scenarios, Jessica allows professionals to practice the skills they need to drive strategic innovation and collaboration and effect positive change.

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“I truly feel, after [the workshop] yesterday, that we can make the impossible possible as long as we are willing to think, learn, cooperate and make it happen together.
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— Graduate student at Columbia University

WORKPLACE CONSULTING

Custom Development | UX | Product Management

As lead consultant on a $2 million custom development project for a Fortune 4 client, Jessica nurtured stakeholder relationships through discovery workshops, design mock-up selections, user story refinements, and rounds of internal and external validation.

The success of this two year project was demonstrated by accessibility being introduced to the entire SaaS platform, on both mobile and desktop, which escalated evolution of the Unily platform product and introduced new capabilities and DEXP market advantages.

Continual design emphasis on intuitive and accessible UX for mobile and desktop resulted in mutually beneficial outcomes highlighted by Unily giving an Innovation Award to CVS Health at the global Unite 2023 conference. The digital workplace, Heartbeat, was also recognized globally as the Best Overall Intranet of 2023 by Ragan Communications.

As an example of the custom developments on SaaS platform, ‘My Services’ rolled up users favorites from Support & Services onto their homepage while also presenting company featured so that users are connected to their own specific areas of interest and productivity as well as urgencies as defined by leadership.

Go-to-Market Strategy | Solutioning | Design Strategy

Jessica strategically designs go-to-market approaches that inspire clients, achieving quicker and bigger wins. At Unily, she secured 80% of the North American sales team’s total annual recurring revenue.

Through research and discovery, Jessica translates a client’s needs into products that create desire and exceed expectations, an approach she developed as a start-up founder consulting one-on-one with hundreds of ‘made to measure’ couture clients.

By working directly with developer teams, she curates what is technically possible into solutions and stories that resonate. She empathizes with executive decision-makers, simplify the buying process while building trust through attentive listening and on point delivery.

For instance, the luxury global megabrand RH, known for being technology-averse, was inspired to introduce augmented reality as a selling tool in their 5-floor flagship location in NYC’s historic Meatpacking neighborhood. This achievement underscores her ability to translate client needs into products that create desire and exceed expectations.

Presentation deck and prototype created for opening of new RH flagship retail location in the Meatpacking, NYC.

CREATIVE DIRECTION

Creative | Brand Strategy | Media Channels

Brand is the cornerstone that defines target audiences, differentiates from competitors, and fosters emotional customer connections.

Jessica has developed brand messaging for start-ups and new product launches at The Glimpse Group as well as crafted high-value ad campaigns for established brands, like Tom Ford Beauty, while at award-winning creative agency Ceft and Co.

As a luxury fashion start-up founder, she managed all content on social media, web, and print. Her Jes Wade Atelier brand cultivated deep personal connections with hundreds of luxury clients and received recognition with the Design Entrepreneur NYC award from the NYCEDC and LVMH North America.

Instagram feed highlighting product, inspiration, mood, storytelling, and art campaigns.

DESIGN DIRECTION

Concept | Product Development | Special Projects

As start-up founder and team lead in public and private companies, Jessica has lead dozens of teams and spearheaded the development and production of 1000+ new products.

Her designs have launched new brand like Ralph Lauren’s Rugby brand, which targeted college students, and Champion’s first athleisure collection.

During her time at Ralph Lauren, Jessica was the go-to for urgent high-profile projects, including the world’s first ‘Create Your Own’ e-commerce launched in 2003 and an embroidered oversized polo pony, both of which were flagged as priority by Mr. Lauren.

The ongoing presence and recognition of these projects in Ralph Lauren press coverage today stand as testament to their success.