Ria Shah
New York City
work.riashah@gmail.com
(669) 224-9129
linkedin.com/in/riashahh
riashah.com

5+ years building brand strategy and closing new business for the brands that define everyday life, with $10M+ in deals closed across 20+ industries. I own strategy end to end: diagnosis, narrative, execution. I move fast when the brief needs it and go deep when the work demands it.

O-1B Visa holder — awarded by the United States to individuals of extraordinary ability in the arts. Granted to fewer than 20,000 people nationally.

Strategy & New Business Consultant
2023 – Present
Interbrand, New York

Interbrand is the world's leading brand consultancy — creators of the annual Best Global Brands report and the agency behind some of the most iconic brand identities ever made.

  • Closed $10M+ in new business across 20+ industries, working with 300+ collaborators across 7 countries.
  • Built and deployed a custom AI tool for outbound and growth — market intelligence, target identification, pipeline tracking — adopted as the team's standing weekly system.
  • Built a POV muscle across 75+ strategic narratives, translating briefs into a sharp arc: market context, cultural diagnosis, competitive gap, strategic direction, proof.
  • Partnered with C-level teams across strategy, design, client services, and global leadership, from brief intake through delivery.
  • Pitched and delivered across financial services, aviation, aerospace, healthcare, hospitality, and consumer goods — from naming a 300-product portfolio to positioning a new aerospace joint venture.
  • Won engagements and stayed on as the continuous strategic voice from pitch through execution.
  • Collaborated directly with the Global Chief Strategy Officer, Global CEO, and Global Chief Design Officer on the company's largest proposals.
  • Contributed to Interbrand's Best Global Brands report (2023–2025), including the 25th anniversary edition — supported the Nasdaq Closing Bell launch.
Brand Strategy & Design Consultant
2021 – 2024
Contract Work
  • Swayable — Brand positioning for an AI-powered creative testing platform.
  • UNICEF / ThinkFirsthand — Child protection playbook across 7 regions, West and Central Africa.
  • Archie Comics — Brand strategy for an 80-year-old franchise entering a new media landscape.
  • Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art — Positioning and cultural audit for the world's first queer art museum.
  • Google — Gen Z brand engagement proposal, presented to 70 Googlers.
  • School of Visual Arts — Teaching Assistant, Masters in Branding.
Graphic & UI Designer
2020 – 2021
Lucid Design, Bengaluru
  • 7+ client accounts across identity, packaging, and digital design. Pitch deck secured $10M for India's largest career platform for women.
Brand Strategist
2019 – 2020
Industree Foundation, Bengaluru
  • Brand strategy and identity for Native Trail — artisan communities and sustainable market development.
Hover to learn more
AdobeHow should a creative platform think about icon architecture when competitors have turned it into a brand asset?
How should a creative platform think about icon architecture when competitors have turned it into a brand asset?
AirbusHow does an aviation data platform carve out a distinct identity in a crowded, technology-led landscape?
How does an aviation data platform carve out a distinct identity in a crowded, technology-led landscape?
BlackRockHow do you unify three powerful sub-brands — BlackRock, iShares, and Aladdin — into one coherent global identification system?
How do you unify three powerful sub-brands — BlackRock, iShares, and Aladdin — into one coherent global identification system?
IKEAHow does one of the world's most recognised brands maintain and grow brand value in a shifting global landscape? Part of Interbrand's Best Global Brands report.
How does one of the world's most recognised brands maintain and grow brand value in a shifting global landscape? Part of Interbrand's Best Global Brands report.
Alaska AirlinesHow do you build a loyalty platform that unites two airline cultures and earns a place beyond the flight? This became Atmos Rewards.
How do you build a loyalty platform that unites two airline cultures and earns a place beyond the flight? This became Atmos Rewards.
Northwestern MutualHow does a wealth management brand evolve without losing the trust it took decades to build?
How does a wealth management brand evolve without losing the trust it took decades to build?
HoneywellWhen Honeywell announced it was spinning out three companies, how do you move fast enough to be in the room before anyone else? Spotted the opportunity, built the outbound strategy, pitched alongside senior leadership and the CEO.
When Honeywell announced it was spinning out three companies, how do you move fast enough to be in the room before anyone else? Spotted the opportunity, built the outbound strategy, pitched alongside senior leadership and the CEO.
AAAFor over a century AAA was how America traveled. How does it stay relevant when the glovebox is gone and GPS replaced the roadside call?
For over a century AAA was how America traveled. How does it stay relevant when the glovebox is gone and GPS replaced the roadside call?
McKessonHow does a medical surgical division establish its own identity within one of the largest healthcare companies in the world?
How does a medical surgical division establish its own identity within one of the largest healthcare companies in the world?
Delaware NorthHow do you build a parent brand for a 100-year-old company whose business units have never needed one?
How do you build a parent brand for a 100-year-old company whose business units have never needed one?
Tempur SealyHow does a premium sleep brand stop competing on features and start commanding the emotional territory it actually owns?
How does a premium sleep brand stop competing on features and start commanding the emotional territory it actually owns?
LEGOHow does one of the world's best-loved toy brands authentically reach girls aged 9–12 without alienating the audience it already has?
How does one of the world's best-loved toy brands authentically reach girls aged 9–12 without alienating the audience it already has?
DermaCoIdentity, packaging, and digital design for a fast-growing D2C skincare brand.
Identity, packaging, and digital design for a fast-growing D2C skincare brand.
PeopleStrongPitch deck that secured $10M in funding for India's largest career platform for women.
Pitch deck that secured $10M in funding for India's largest career platform for women.
Kemwell BiopharmaIdentity and digital design for a pharma brand.
Identity and digital design for a pharma brand.
Brand Strategy
Cultural Diagnosis
Narrative Architecture
Partnership Development
New Business / RFP
Market Intelligence
Visual Identity
AI-Assisted Outbound & Growth
Adobe Creative Suite
Figma · Custom AI Tooling
Masters in Branding — Honors Graduate
School of Visual Arts, New York
2022 – 2023
Chaired by Debbie Millman. Faculty from Interbrand, JKR, Vayner Media, Siegel & Gale, J&J, P&G, KPMG.
Bachelors in Design, Visual Communication & Strategic Branding
Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Bengaluru
2016 – 2020
PRINT Magazine · TechInformed · Wired · Yahoo Finance · Vogue India · GQ India · Condé Nast
PII India Parliament Innovator — selected among 350+ solutions nationally.