Jayanta Jenkins

About Jayanta Jenkins

Global creative executive building brands, teams, and creative systems at the intersection of culture, strategy, and commerce.Over the course of my career, I’ve led creative organizations at Starbucks, Disney, Apple, and Twitter in roles spanning VP Creative, Executive Creative Director, and Head of Creative. Earlier on, I helped shape category-defining work for Nike and Gatorade at Wieden+Kennedy and TBWA\\Chiat\\Day.I do my best work where creative ambition, strategic clarity, and organizational complexity meet: building in-house teams with the ambition of a top agency and the rigor of a strategic partner, aligning leadership around a stronger role for the brand, and creating systems that help better ideas move consistently across the business.My approach is rooted in a simple belief: creativity is most powerful when it is both culturally resonant and commercially meaningful. I’m especially interested in how human-centered AI can sharpen creative judgment, strengthen brand systems, and expand what teams can do without losing the humanity at the center of the work.I mentor creatives to think like business leaders and focus on helping teams do the best work of their careers.Known for:• Brand expression and creative strategy• Creative systems and operational scale• Cross-functional leadership• In-house agency transformation• AI-empowered creative leadership• Cultural strategy and brand transformation

Experience

1. VP, Global Creative

   Starbucks

   Oct 2023 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Led an 80-person global Creative Studio responsible for brand expression across campaigns, packaging, and digital experiences. Repositioned the team from a service-led function to a strategic creative partner, strengthening cross-functional alignment and elevating the role of creativity in driving business outcomes.• Defined and led global, omni-channel creative platforms driving measurable sales and engagement growth• Transformed team structure and workflows to improve collaboration and reduce timelines by 25%+• Increased digital content engagement by 10% and overall brand engagement by 25%• Defined and scaled global brand voice and creative guidelines across all customer touchpoints

Education

• Virginia Commonwealth University

  Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA, Fashion

• Miami Ad School Atlanta @ Portfolio Center

  Master's degree, Graphic Design, Art Direction