Kelly Watkins
Pleasanton
Summary
Creative services professional with a specialization in project and operational management, particularly within the CPG sector.
Distinguished for remarkable productivity, nurturing cross-functional team dynamics, strategic project execution, and inventive problem-solving. Exhibits excellent communication and adaptability, ensuring effective project delivery in fast-paced environments, and varied deliverables.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
Work History
Global Account Director
HH Global
01.2024 - 10.2025
- Owned $15M in global revenue and full P&L responsibility, managing the procurement and delivery of point-of-sale materials for a top global apparel brand.
- Led a global RFP in partnership with internal creative, operations, and external implementation teams, aligning workflows and delivery models. Identified cross-team synergies that streamlined creative operations, accelerated turnaround times, and improved cost efficiency across regions.
- Mentored and developed a 6-person creative/production team, elevating performance and collaboration.
- Collaborated with sourcing and procurement partners to negotiate pricing, evaluate vendors, and improve margin performance.
Account Director
Tjarksandtjarks
Pleasanton, CA (on Site With Albertsons)
05.2022 - 12.2023
- Led cross-functional creative initiatives across three CPG categories, driving innovation in new products, reformulations, and compliance-driven packaging updates that enhanced brand differentiation and consumer engagement.
- Spearheaded a government-led initiative to place standardized recyclable information on own-brand grocery items, aligning regulatory requirements with concurrent reformulation changes, while maintaining brand consistency and speed to market.
- Directed weekly task force meetings across creative, technical, and regulatory stakeholders, proactively providing progress updates and risk mitigation insights ahead of client requests to ensure alignment and on-time delivery.
- Directed and mentored a high-performing team of four, establishing professional development plans, conducting performance evaluations, and cultivating top-tier creative talent.
- Partnered with product and marketing leadership to analyze industry trends and competitive benchmarks, translating insights into actionable strategies that increased market relevance.
- Designed and implemented KPIs to evaluate creative and product performance, enabling data-driven decision-making that strengthened ROI and strategic outcomes.
Print Production Manager
SGK Matthews Inc
Pleasanton, CA (on Site With Albertsons)
05.2017 - 04.2022
- Managed end-to-end creative workflows for grocery packaging, optimizing processes to accelerate time to market, and improve team efficiency.
- Orchestrated a industry wide initiative on adjusting nutritional information on front and back of packs, whilst remaining within brand and design guidelines, across 1500 product lines.
- Ensured brand consistency and regulatory compliance across all creative assets, minimizing errors, and revisions.
- Led cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time and within budget, coordinating stakeholders across design, marketing, and production.
- Streamlined approval processes, enhancing collaboration between creative and operational teams.
Account Executive
PureRED
Pleasanton, CA
08.2016 - 05.2017
- Assisted end-to-end creative operations for a major retail chain, managing critical path and asset workflows to execute weekly promotional campaigns, and in-store events.
- Acted as the strategic client liaison, facilitating regular communications that improved feedback turnaround by 30% and resolved concerns proactively, strengthening client relationships.
- Implemented and maintained robust tracking within CRM systems, providing real-time visibility into project status, sales activity, and supporting data-driven decision-making.
- Designed and delivered tailored proposals and creative solutions aligned with client goals, resulting in enhanced campaign engagement and measurable improvements in promotional ROI.
Account Manager
VCG Kestrel
Enfield, London, UK (on Site With Tesco)
11.2014 - 01.2016
- Directed end-to-end packaging and promotional campaign strategies for grocery categories, enhancing brand engagement, and driving measurable consumer impact.
- Instrumental in strategizing seasonal retail events from concept to execution, defining in-store brand look and feel, engaging printers and vendors early in the critical path to mitigate fulfillment risks, and incorporating stakeholder input to ensure seamless delivery.
- Organized seasonal roadshows to showcase previous campaign successes, inspire teams, and cultivate relationships with new vendors, enhancing creative collaboration and supplier engagement.
- Streamlined high-volume production workflows by leading cross-functional collaboration with stakeholders, vendors, and print partners, ensuring operational efficiency, and consistent quality.
- Leveraged market insights and trend analysis to guide strategic decisions on print substrates, color systems, and campaign execution, optimizing creative output and ROI.
Education
High School Diploma -
Robert Mays School
Odiham, Hampshire, UKSkills
Operational streamlining
Workflow optimization
Resource management
Creative collaboration
Print production
Stakeholder relation
Timeline
Global Account Director
HH Global
01.2024 - 10.2025
Account Director
Tjarksandtjarks
05.2022 - 12.2023
Print Production Manager
SGK Matthews Inc
05.2017 - 04.2022
Account Executive
PureRED
08.2016 - 05.2017
Account Manager
VCG Kestrel
11.2014 - 01.2016
High School Diploma -
Robert Mays School
Technology
Microsoft Office Suite, ProofHQ, SharePoint, Power BI, Adobe