Global Update

Mike Tiedy knows plenty about swimming with or against the current — and that ’ s not just what the marine biology grad learned in a classroom .

Today Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide ’ s senior vice president of brand design and innovation , Tiedy ’ s first design job made him a small fish in a very big pond — the brand design department of retail giant Nike . A 17-year stint there saw him follow the school to become creative director in Nike ’ s U . S . and European headquarters . Among his credits : Nikepark at the Atlanta Olympics and the Nike Athlete Center at the Sydney Olympics .

Next , Tiedy was the mastermind behind the sum total of Nordstrom ’ s image , from marketing collateral to events . It wasn ’ t long ,

though , before the same unconventional thought process led him to Starwood Hotels & Resorts , where the executive team was clearly okay with revolutionary , not evolutionary , change .

The years-long timetable for project completion is one thing Tiedy still cites as one of the biggest challenges of the industry . He also would have to navigate keeping a creative vision intact across the much looser framework of Starwood ’ s asset-light operating model . “ We are constantly working with multiple partners and third parties on each project , which is exciting from a creative perspective but can be challenging to be consistent each time around the world ,” he says .

Synthesizing the creative and practical demands of his job taps into both sides of Tiedy ’ s approach to his work . Ask him for the best advice he ever got , and he says , “ Love what you do .” Ask him for the advice he has to give , and he ’ ll point out that alongside

we cAll digital fluency .

– Mike Tiedy

passion and “ irreverence ,” it takes patience to figure out the best solution . “ I see design as being all about problemsolving anyway ,” he notes .

No surprise , then , that technology is one of Tiedy ’ s favorite things . The brains behind Starwood ’ s newly opened Starlab is a fan of all things digital . “ We hope to use Starlab to push the opportunities for crossfunctional collaboration , especially the ability to interact and work closely with our digital team ,” he says . “ Pushing all of our innovations and solutions to take advantage of new technologies that allow our guests to personalize their experiences — that is something we call digital fluency .”

His view on the next big thing in his job ? “ Visualization tools are getting better and better , from 3-D renderings to rapid prototyping , so we are able to paint a picture of our desired direction faster and more efficiently .”