 |
Ivy Ross |
| Country United States |
| Company Disney Stores North America |
| Designation Chief Creative Officer |
Speech Title
KEEP GOOD COMPANY:
Creativity has less to do with a process and more to do with setting up the right conditions and relationships for the innovation to
occur. My unique methods that I have played with for over 30 years, in a variety of Fortune 500 companies, have come from a deep understanding of when I am my most creative, what is going on both within me and around me that allow for those breakthroughs to happen. I then take those learnings and create the conditions that allow others on my team to have those same opportunities to use their gifts and talents. Through both facts and personal stories I will share some of those learnings.
Bio
Ivy Ross became the Chief Creative Officer for the Disney Stores North America in 2007. Her role is to elevate and innovate in all areas of responsibility, which includes store design and in-store marketing as well as product design and development.
Ross’ high level background in fashion and design spans more than three decades. Ross’ education was in design and psychology and included time at The Harvard Business School. She came to the Disney Stores from Old Navy where she was Executive Vice President of Design & Development for 3 years. Prior to that she was Sr. Vice President of Design & Development for Mattel where she created both new brands and new ways to create as proven by her creation of Project Platypus. This project is a dynamic process for bringing out human potential and maximizing creativity in an organization through the synthesis of collaborative experiences resulting in new business opportunities. She also held positions at Swatch Watch, Calvin Klein and Coach Leather.
In addition, Ross was a founding partner of two independent design firms and a retail store in New York City. She has a proven ability as a design leader and also possesses a strong sense of business management. She has written chapters in a variety of change management books and was chosen in 2006 by Business Week as one of the five most innovative leaders within a corporation.
A world renowned artist, Ross’ innovative metal work in jewelry is in the permanent collection of 12 international museums, including the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., the Victorian Albert Museum in London and the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City, among others. A winner of the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts grant, Ross has also received the Women in Design Award and Diamond International Award for her creative designs.