Donald Chesnut

Donald Chesnut

Global Chief Creative Officer at SapientNitro
New York, United States

About me

Champion of great design. Advocate for the user.

Seasoned business executive who has been working in new media since it was actually "new". Twenty years experience in developing innovative and highly-effective digital solutions for Fortune 500 clients, including Web, mobile, and in-venue experiences, digital business strategies, and multi-channel marketing communications. Stellar track record in leading teams and clients –from strategy through execution– in the development of successful solutions in publishing, e-commerce, social media, mobile, and digital marketing.

Specialties: digital strategy development, experience design (UX), digital product design, brand strategy, mobile, tablet and other, business development, creative and user experience leadership, user research and testing, globalization and localization strategy

Positions

Global Chief Creative Officer
New York, United States
November 2015 - Present (9 years)
Lead SapientNitro's creative teams, world-wide, across geographies, teams and branded capabilities (SapientNitro, Second Story, Campfire). Set the stage for innovation and great work, cultivate and lead talent, and help clients transform their businesses through customer-centric brand experiences, products and services.
Senior Vice President, Chief Experience Officer
New York, United States
January 2015 - Present (9 years 10 months)
SapientNitro's Global Chief Experience officer, and member of the SN's global leadership team
CXO - Chief Experience Officer
New York, United States
July 2011 - Present (13 years 4 months)
SapientNitro's Chief Experience officer, and member of the SN's global leadership team. Applies user-centered research and design thinking best practices to SapientNitro's business, services, and organizational structure globally.

- Oversees SapientNitro's Consumer Experience and UX practices world-wide.
- Leads SapientNitro's Experience Innovation team, focused on defining strategies and approaches for the evolution of customer experiences (digital and otherwise), and the impact that emerging technology will have across types of customer interactions, products, and services.
- Leads Mobile Specialized Delivery Group and Experience Technology teams globally.
- Evangelize – evangelize our work, points-of-view, externally, and internally.
- Executive Sponsor of Sapient's global PRIDE network.
Vice President, Global Lead - Experience Design Practice
New York, United States
May 1997 - September 2011 (14 years 4 months)
Senior business leader helping to grow SapientNitro’s business in e-commerce and multi-channel marketing— providing strategic leadership for the agency and client teams, delivering complex multi-million dollar engagements. Develop new business and build client relationships. Brief industry analysts and work with marketing teams in external positioning of the firm’s capabilities.

Responsibilities include:
-Lead SapientNitro’s Global Experience Design practice, providing strategic and creative direction to multi-disciplinary teams to deliver industry-leading, complex projects, and help set priorities for the practice worldwide. Developed an agile approach to user experience research and design, to blend with SapientNitro’s broader development methodology.

-Help to lead SapientNitro’s business in the media and publishing industry– develop industry points-of-view, SapientNitro market positioning, lead sales efforts, manage client relationships, and lead teams in the development of innovative solutions (including Web, iPad, mobile, e-reader). Clients include Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones, Rolling Stone, Conde Nast, Associated Press, Hearst, Scripps, and others.

Recent Clients: Wall Street Journal, Disney’s Parks and Resorts, HSBC, Rolling Stone, Citibank, PetSmart, Coke, Wells Fargo, Unilever, MetLife, ASPCA, Scripps, Staples, Associated Press, Hugo Boss, JetBlue, Barnes and Noble, Prudential, and UBS.
Vice President, User Experience
Sapient London, UK
2000 - 2002 (2 years)
Sought-out by company leadership to help grow its business in Europe
Group Director
Studio Archetype
1997 - 1999 (2 years)
Responsible for managing and ensuring the utilization of a 25-person design and development group comprised of graphic designers, brand strategists, content strategists, information architects, and site developers. Assisted with post-acquisition integration of Studio Archetype into Sapient, and helped to grow capabilities across all global offices. Clients included United Airlines (united.com - award winning redesign), IBM (ibm.com – award winning redesign), Pictet & Cie (pictet.com), First Union (firstunion.com), and QVC.
Sr Manager, Interactive Services
American Express
1996 - 1997 (1 year)
In the early days of the Internet, I managed the ongoing enhancement of American Express’ industry-leading transactional service, ExpressNet (over AOL and the Internet).
Director, Interactive media
Siegel & Gale
1995 - 1996 (1 year)
Other
Boston, United States

Education

MS, Interactive Telecommunications (ITP)

1991 - 1994 (3 years)
Master’s program centered on the strategic and creative use of new media, including subjects such as: interface design, digital video, animation, local area networks, project management, cognitive perception, and copyright law, among others.

BA (honors), Computer Science / Dramatic Literature (honors) - Double Major

1984 - 1988 (4 years)
Undergraduate double major: Computer Science and Dramatic Literature (Honors).

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