Gijs Winkel

Senior Creative Director | Brand Strategy · Creative Leadership · Integrated Campaigns · Digital | Global Brands

The Randstad, Netherlands

About

I believe building a brand is a love story at scale. People don't buy products... they buy into a world they want to belong to, into what they want to feel about themselves. The head follows the heart. Always. That shapes how I work: strategic rigour and creative gut, pushing for the idea that surprises rather than the one that satisfies. The bold over the safe. The zig, not the zag. I've been doing this for 25 years. First at digital agencies, working across big platforms, e-com, CRM, campaigns, and social. Then client-side leading creative and brand expression, and the digital experience of one of the world's most recognized audio brands. Love doing this - with multiple teams and agencies, across brand and product, from upstream brief to final execution. What I bring is the ability to see what the brand truly needs, distil it fast, and align everyone - from creatives to the C's - around work that works. Hard.

Experience

  • Bose Corporation (13 yrs 5 mos)
    • Creative Director
      Nov 2019 - Present · 6 yrs 8 mos

      Co-leading Bose's global creative department — driving brand strategy, brand expression, campaigns and product launches, and the full digital ecosystem. Led two brand repositioning projects from identity through global rollout. Defined the creative strategy and direction for the QuietComfort Ultra launch. Drove a full website redesign — vision, UX, content strategy, design — resulting in significant sales uplift. Helped shape a cross-functional initiative connecting Bose engineering and marketing upstream for the first time. Brief to execution. Brand to product. Agencies to C-suite.

    • Creative Lead
      Feb 2013 - Nov 2019 · 6 yrs 10 mos

      Built Bose's brand expression system from the ground up; creating the visual and creative language that turned a fragmented global brand into a consistent, recognisable identity across every market and touchpoint. Led the creative and UX/UI direction for Bose's push into direct-to-consumer; shaping the digital experience as the brand established itself at scale.

  • Creative Director | Partner at GANDA.
    Oct 2011 - Jan 2013 · 1 yr 4 mos

    RESPONSIBILITIES general management, Creative Direction, strategic partner for clients, concepting, pitches CLIENTS Microsoft, ING bank, Rabobank, Flora Holland

  • Creative Director at These Days
    2008 - Sep 2011 · 3 yrs 9 mos

    RESPONSIBILITIES Creative Direction, strategic partner for clients, managing the creative department, concepting, pitches CLIENTS Microsoft, Ford, Mooi, BAYER

  • Wunderman (7 yrs 1 mo)
    • Creative Director
      2004 - 2008 · 4 yrs

      RESPONSIBILITIES Creative Direction, pitches, client relations, crossmedia concepts, art direction, design CLIENTS Philips CE, Canon Europe, Ford, SonyEricsson, Microsoft, ANWB, Irdeto, PGGM, Casema, Numico, TNT, HP, Delta loyd, Sonnema

    • Creative Director/Interactive
      2002 - 2004 · 2 yrs

      RESPONSIBILITIES creative Direction, pitches, digital concepts, art direction, design CLIENTS Club Philips, Philips CE, Landrover global, Motorola.com, Unilever/YataYata, Ericsson global

    • Interactive Director
      2001 - 2002 · 1 yr

      RESPONSIBILITIES advising clients, managing the UX team, digital strategy, pitches, concepting, ux design CLIENTS Ericsson Global, Philips CE, Ford of Europe

  • Netfactory/WCJ (3 yrs 1 mo)
    • Senior Functional Designer
      1999 - 2001 · 2 yrs

      RESPONSIBILITIES Setting up and managing a UX team, digital strategy, concepting, ux design CLIENTS Ericsson Global, Ford of Europe, Royal Dutch Navy

    • Functional Designer
      1998 - 1999 · 1 yr

      RESPONSIBILITIES information architecture, interaction design, interface design CLIENTS Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), Dell computers, KPN