A Filipina-born Parisian who lives in New York.
My first life and home in Manila.
Something I struggle with is saying exactly who I am, what I like and what I do in a simple and concise way. I’ve had a few lives, from life in Manila then Paris then Toronto then New York; from the love of math, literature, academia and sports as a child, to a scientific high school, then an applied arts school in Paris; from ad agency Designer & Art Director in Paris and Toronto, to Creative Director in New York; to being an accomplished creative (O1 FTW!) to learning to be fluent in brand performance metrics (CPC? ER? growth rates? hitting targets?); from creative agencies to starting businesses to joining tech companies. Am I even a Creative Director anymore? I’m in a lot of meetings and spreadsheets; I get excited about charts going up and building bridges between departments.
Who am I? Not sure. Where is home? That’s easy: wherever my bed is.
Some highlights
Advertising Accolades
✦ Cannes Lions 'See it, Be it' alum: 12 women from around the world are chosen yearly to participate in a mentorship and networking program
✦ Next Creative Leader by 3% Conference and the One Club for Creativity
✦ One of Mashable’s Rising Stars in Advertising
✦ One of 10 brilliant women in advertising by Campaign magazine
✦ One of 200 Women Redefining the Creative Industry by The Dots UK
✦ Ad agencies (2005-2018): BETC Paris, DDB Toronto, AKQA New York, 72andSunny/Sundae, and freelance at McCann and Grey.
Entrepreneurship Accolades
✦ Girlboss Foundation Winner (rewarding the 1st of 1,000 applicants)
✦ Represented by William Morris/WME
✦ Project Entrepreneur Winner by the Rent The Runway Foundation, rewarding 12 of 700 applicants.
✦ Apple’s “Apps We Love” for Secret Code’s AR coding game
Keynotes
SxSW panel, Facebook Women In Leadership kickoff keynote, 3% Conference morning kickoff keynote, Gritty Conference San Diego ending keynote, Hong Kong Designer's Association keynote, Ad Summit Philippines ending keynote, Art Director’s Club New York panel, Interactive Day San Diego keynote.
Judge
One Show, Cannes Future Lions, Hong Kong Global Design Awards, Art Director’s Club Canada, Webby's Portfolios, Next Creative Leader.
“Mara exceeds expectations every time. She is also a breath of fresh air—intelligent, inclusive, strong, caring, well-rounded and limitlessly talented.”
Felicia Zhang
VP of Marketing, Zip Co (ex-Nike & R/GA)
“Mara is a true inspiration and the most hard-working person I know. She is not only an amazing creative but also a caring teacher and leader. Mara is a vicarious advocate for women, passionately speaking out to empower and support them.”
Dinushi Perera
Creative Director, EMI Music