GABRIELA LUNGU
Integrated ECD, based in London, UK
Hi, and welcome!
If you're here, then you're probably interested in who I am and my skillset. So here we go:
I'm a creative leader with multidisciplinary expertise and an in-depth understanding of multi-platform thinking, along with specific techniques used in different disciplines. I’ve worked at top agencies specialising in advertising, social media, PR, experiential marketing, activation, creative commerce, as well as on the client side in digital and brand marketing. I love integrating different disciplines to create earned-centric, culturally relevant and commercially effective big ideas expressed through content and/or experiences that build brands, excite influencers and consumers, and incite engagement and action.
I'm multilingual and have worked across numerous markets and cultures in UK, EMEA, and global creative leadership roles, including C-suite level. Wherever I go, I am a change agent driving creative transformation, and an engaging, hands-on team builder.
My creative achievements have been recognised with more than 150 awards and nominations over the years. As a result, I’m frequently invited to judge creative competitions. I’ve served as Jury President for Eurobest (Glass, Brand Experience and Activation, and Creative E-Commerce), Clio Awards (PR), and Dubai Lynx (PR); I’ve also been a jury member for Cannes Lions (twice), D&AD (twice), Effie UK (three times), Ad Stars Asia (three times) among others.
I am entrepreneurial, with strong business acumen, and have extensive experience in people and business leadership. I’ve successfully led two agencies: one was a European office of a major global network, while the other one was an agency I founded, focused on delivering results through creativity (it was acquired by the global network Publicis Groupe after just seven years, by which time it was ranked among the world’s most creative firms of its kind).
My current agency role is Chief Creative Officer of LeSHOP - the new brand commerce creative shop launched in September 2024 as part of Publicis Groupe UK. I am part of the founding executive leadership team and, since 2023, have been involved in all aspects of defining, establishing and launching this new agency – from its overall proposition and brand identity to growing the team, developing internal processes, and creating the first comms assets for the launch. My primary responsibilities include driving the agency’s creative vision, overseeing the creative output for our clients, and leading the agency’s creative department (comprising approx. 30 permanent creatives and designers, along with a collective of freelancers) in London and Dublin.
Previously, my UK roles included VP Creative for the digital company Jellyfish Global where I was part of the global creative leadership team (my primary client-related responsibility was leading the creative social media work for the company’s largest and most complex account, Google, the master-brand plus key products such as Pixel, Search, Trends aso); Global Creative Director at VMLY&R (responsible for top brands such as Baileys, Guinness, Costa Coffee, 3M or Pearson Academic); Creative Partner for UK & Europe at TBWA\London (leading the creative work for a major account, Airbnb, as well as the launch of a new agency product, Disruption LIVE – creating ideas at the speed of culture); and Chief Creative Officer for the UK and EMEA of Weber Shandwick, (rewiring the PR agency for creativity and transforming the firm's creative product, culture, structure & reputation).
With a client-centric approach, I have created campaigns across many industries: food & drink, beauty & personal care, travel, sport & entertainment, consumer tech, retail, luxury, automotive, financial services, healthcare, education or NGOs.
In addition to my agency work, I also run WINGS Creative Leadership Lab, a nomadic creative transformation firm that helps companies all over the globe elevate their creativity. I founded the Lab in 2017; I’m a professional trainer and enjoy growing people's creative skills, conducting client & agency creative workshops around the world, and increasingly engaging with academia. For this work, I was recognised in 2018 as “Independent Consultant of the Year” at Women in Marketing Global Awards in London.
I am often invited as a keynote speaker or panelist to major international industry events (including Cannes Lions School, D&AD Academy or Festival of Marketing), to talk about creative bravery, creative culture, purpose and creativity, integration, diversity and inclusion, or entrepreneurship. Starting with 2023, I'm a WACL member.
You can see my CV on LinkedIn. And if you want to chat or for more detailed information, please contact me using the form. You can also connect via LinkedIn - just click on the icon.