Her Story
About Esen
Esen is a creative executive and designer with about 15 years of experience in branding and design for consumer packaged goods, primarily in food and beverage as well as health and wellness. She began her career in-house as a designer at La Colombe Coffee Roasters when it was a small local company with about 10 corporate employees. Over nearly 11 years there, she advanced to building a multi-layered in-house creative studio and leading brand strategy and communications, contributing to scaling revenue from approximately $15 million to $150 million and the company's eventual $1 billion acquisition. For the past four years, she has focused on working with CEOs and founders of smaller startups as a fractional creative leader, building her own business in this space while continuing to serve clients in the food and beverage and health and wellness sectors. She has also been actively involved with AIGA, serving on the board of the Philadelphia chapter as well as previously on committees, and is now getting involved with the Boston chapter after relocating to Vermont.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Esen
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Focus on what you want rather than what you can provide or what is available. Every time I find myself asking what's next, I try to turn inward and figure out what I want, thinking from a place of abundance rather than scarcity.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Take space and know that we need more diversity. Don't be afraid to bring what you have and who you are into your work and fully embrace it. Bringing your heart into the work and focusing on the things that you truly care about actually makes the world better.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenges include finding how we as humans provide value in a changing industry with new digital tools, moving from pre-Adobe to digital design. Opportunities lie in experimenting with new tools every day, embracing improvements while knowing their limits, and continuing to think critically to improve tool sets.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Transparency and authenticity are most important, being able to show up as yourself and make connections based on a true version of yourself. Close seconds are connections, building long-term connections and creating real foundations with other individuals, whether professionally or personally.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.