Scaling creative delivery across Whitbread’s multi-brand portfolio through a unified studio operating model.

ROLE
Head of Studio | Creative & Brand Lead

SCOPE
Scaling creative delivery across Whitbread’s multi-brand portfolio through a unified studio operating model.

IMPACT
Introduced a unified operating model that increased studio output by 50% and improved speed to market by 25%, transforming the studio from reactive production into a strategic enterprise enabler.

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Issue
As Whitbread’s in-house studio expanded to support Premier Inn, hub, ZIP and seven restaurant brands, creative demand increased rapidly across BAU activity and complex campaigns. Seven cross-functional teams relied on the studio, yet processes had not evolved with demand, limiting visibility and governance. Without structural change, rising volume risked delivery delays and dilution of brand integrity.

Insight
Creative performance requires operational clarity. Sustainable growth depends on a unified operating model that connects brand strategy, resource planning and commercial priorities through shared accountability and transparent lifecycle management.

Clear process alignment strengthens collaboration and reduces friction, enabling strategic value creation rather than reactive output.

Idea
I designed and embedded an end-to-end Creative Operating Model aligned to business priorities. The model standardised intake, prioritisation, resourcing and delivery across brands, introducing defined checkpoints, real-time visibility and clear ownership.

Alongside structural change, I embedded stakeholder education, articulating the creative lifecycle so teams understood their role, decision points and progression.

Built to flex from tactical briefs to complex launches, the model balanced pace, governance and creative quality.

Impact
The Creative Operating Model improved speed to market by 25% and increased output by 50%. It introduced organisation-wide clarity and accountability across the creative lifecycle.

The studio evolved from reactive production into a strategic enabler of consistent brand communications, sustained commercial performance and long-term value creation.

CREATIVE OPERATING MODEL
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