I make experiences.
Not deliverables.
John McHale | Creative & Design Executive
I am a Chief Creative Officer and design leader with 28 years of experience turning complex business goals into high-impact human experiences. From scaling global agencies to building startups from “zero to one,” my work connects strategic vision with hands-on, master-level craft.
28 Years
Creative career spanning agency, startup & enterprise
4x CCO
Chief Creative Officer across agency, startup & enterprise
$100m +
Enterprise account oversight
at Sapient
Cannes Lions
Gold, Bronze & Jury — the industry's highest honor
Pioneering Product Design
At Sapient, I led the UX strategy and visual design system for what became an absolute icon in the beverage industry: The Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine. This wasn't UI work — it was a fundamental rethinking of how consumers interact with a legacy brand at the point of purchase. The platform contributed to a 400% increase in sales at launch. Today, 50,000+ machines pour 11 million drinks a day.
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Emerging Tech & Immersive Impact
Building on Freestyle’s success, my team developed the world’s first 46” touchscreen vending machine for Coca-Cola (uVend) — a platform that generated a 400% increase in sales and earned a Cannes Lions Gold. We then applied biometric technology for Unilever, turning a smile into currency for Walls — winning another Cannes Lion and Gold at SXSW (one of 17 winners from 1,500 entries).
At the same time, we used creative to serve a purpose larger than commerce. For The End It Movement, we designed and deployed a modified glass-sided box truck at the NCAA Final Four to expose human trafficking networks. The campaign catalyzed an FBI sting operation and earned a United Nations Award for Public Service Advertising.
View uVend details →
Global Leadership & Turnaround
In 2014, I relocated to London to stabilize a Sapient office in crisis — high attrition, declining utilization, and a shrinking client roster. Within 18 months, I had reversed all three. We won AXE, Lloyds Bank, the European PGA Tour, Dove, and British Airways. The AXE campaign drove the brand to become the fastest-growing men's grooming brand in the UK post-launch, with a 91% post-launch brand value increase and a Clio for Best Retail Site..
Some facts about AXE:
Axe became the fastest growing mens grooming brand in the UK after launch
Launched in 15 localizations and 25 languages
Post-launch brand value increase of 91% in the Brand Finance annual report
Winner, 2017 Clio for Best Retail Site
Winner 2017 IAC Award for Best Website
Building from Zero
In 2018, I joined Buckle as its first full-time employee, tasked with building the entire brand and digital product ecosystem from nothing. Operating in the highly regulated insurtech space, I architected the brand identity, product UX, go-to-market strategy, and all marketing infrastructure. The work directly contributed to $91 million in Series A and B funding.
Scaling an Agency & AI Innovation
As a founding CCO at GlueIQ, I helped scale a creative agency from 3 people to 70+ and $14M in revenue. A standout was the Evermore Resort launch — a $1.5 billion purpose-built destination next to Walt Disney World. Using an AI-driven visual storytelling framework before the destination even existed, we generated a 1,058% increase in engagement. We also led comprehensive brand launches for Brightline (America's first high-speed intercity rail) and Reyes Beverage Group (one of the world's largest food & beverage distributors).
Current Practice
Today I operate as a Fractional Chief Creative Officer and Design Consultant, embedded with enterprise organizations as a zero-ramp-up creative leader. Current and recent clients include JPMorgan, DIRECTV, and Lumen Technologies. I work directly in Figma and AI-driven workflows daily — building scalable visual systems and translating complex business goals into pitch-ready narratives.
Currently available for senior full-time creative leadership roles — ECD, CCO, CDO, and CXO — and select fractional engagements with organizations where design and experience are a genuine competitive advantage.
Get in touch: teamgoodguys [at] gmail.com