Ali McLeod
Summary
Strategic and results-driven Senior Creative Operations Executive with deep expertise in the luxury space, specializing in scalable workflows, high-performing teams, and brand-driven content strategies. I lead with a people-first, high-accountability mindset—balancing efficiency with growth to drive both business success and long-term talent development. Passionate about innovation, transformation, and operational excellence, I build and optimize strategic ecosystems that elevate customer experience, streamline execution, and support evolving business objectives.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President, Photo Studios & Digital Operations
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2024 - Current
- Expanded oversight from 2 to 4 out of 5 Digital Operations teams, spanning Photo Studio to Item Set-Up, across two brands
- Directly manage a team of ~87 U.S
- Associates across two locations and remote, with indirect oversight of ~45 associates in India
- Spearheaded post-restructuring integration of Digital teams and operations for new brand (O5th), assuming expanded responsibilities after leadership and resource reductions
- Developed a comprehensive post-restructure roadmap to ensure business continuity and stability, prioritizing standardization across newly integrated teams and processes
- Enhanced data visibility and identified growth opportunities by implementing streamlined practices and industry-leading standards
- Increased team capacity and daily publishing KPIs by 46% within three months of restructure through rapid process triage and swift improvements in data visibility and accuracy
- Leading discovery and strategic roadmap development for an active brand acquisition, identifying synergies to support a seamless transition and optimize performance across both existing and newly acquired brands
Associate Vice President, Photo Studios & Business Office
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2019 - 01.2024
- Manage development and execution of strategies with focus on customer experience, operational effectiveness, optimization & RPA/Automations for end to end Digital Operations ecosystem for example; reducing overall time to site from an average of 12 days to 4
- Oversight of photo studio operations for Saks; Oversaw umbrella operations for Saks Off 5th, The Bay, Gilt and Lord & Taylor in 4 locations through 2020
- Oversight of Digital Operations Business Office owning budget setting, active budget management & tracking, enterprise wide data reporting, data analysis, and process improvement
- Lead, guide, and establish KPIs for 70 team members working closely with team leaders to create intentional associate development strategies; supervised 135+ employees prior to restructuring
- Manage and allocate payroll ($7M) and non-payroll ($5M) budgets and own the month-end and Board re-forecasting process for all PDP Digital Ops teams
- Create and follow through on KPIs for the team to meet, providing hands-on support as needed for example; tracking and maintaining an error reshoot rate of less than 1%
- Liaise with site operations teams to understand VoC data, identify issues, and improve customer experience such as assessing efficacy of 360 video (less than ~4% PDP traffic) and determining go forward strategy of removing the video standard and introducing additional still imagery
- Established home-based studios for over 20 associates during COVID-19 shutdown; enabled the team to shoot over 16K items valued at $1.5M+ while maintaining compliance with stay-at-home orders and safety guidelines
- Transitioned imaging work from 3rd Party to an in-house team in India for reduction of approx
- 30% per asset
Director, Creative Production and Studio Operations
INTERMIX
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Developed and distributed creative and eCommerce budgets totaling $3.5M
- Increased eCommerce shoot capacity by approx
- 115%
- Managed Creative shoot budget, minimizing a ~60K overage within 1 Quarter
- Improved asset management by implementing a DAM solution with a workflow component
- Responsible for Creative & Marketing Project Management, and ecommerce digital operations
Director, Photo Studio Operations
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Identify new budget, staffing, and non-payroll resources needed to effectively shift shoot strategy ahead of deadlines
- Streamlined operations and executed LRPs to enhance the bottom line
- Partnered with cross-functional teams and executive leaders to mobilize business objectives
Senior Manager, Studio
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Maximized efficiency and cost-effectiveness by developing quality standards and processes
- Administered performance management for individual contributors and managers, e.g., discussed goals and feedback
Manager, Retouching and Photography
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Established creative, on-brand themes for seasonal campaigns and the e-commerce platform for 3500+ assets per week
Retoucher
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2010 - 01.2013
- Full Time post-production retoucher for high-volume ecommerce content
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) - Photography
Parsons School of Design
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt -
HBC Digital & Supply Chain/Logistics
01.2017
Skills
- Process Optimization Leadership
- Creative Process Optimization
- Strategic planning
- Workflow Optimization
- Budget Planning & Management
- Organizational Change Management
- Risk Management for Business Continuity
- Analytical Problem Solving
- Leadership & development
- Coaching and mentoring
Selected Achievements
- Managed a $7M payroll budget and a $5M non-payroll budget, effectively mitigating any constraints & gaining YoY Opex reductions
- Spearheaded restructuring of the Photo Studio, vastly improving operations
- Fostered an inclusive and equitable work environment, helping to boost and maintain positive team morale
- Improved operational effectiveness by negotiating contracts and onboarding new platform tools resulting in over 30 workflow automations, 50% reduction in asset turnaround time, accurate & accessible data and reporting
Timeline
Vice President, Photo Studios & Digital Operations
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2024 - Current
Associate Vice President, Photo Studios & Business Office
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2019 - 01.2024
Director, Creative Production and Studio Operations
INTERMIX
01.2018 - 01.2019
Director, Photo Studio Operations
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2016 - 01.2018
Senior Manager, Studio
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2014 - 01.2016
Manager, Retouching and Photography
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2013 - 01.2014
Retoucher
SAKS GLOBAL
01.2010 - 01.2013
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt -
HBC Digital & Supply Chain/Logistics
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) - Photography
Parsons School of Design
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