MEET OUR RISING STARS (Part 1)

Behind every unforgettable experience is a team of passionate people driving innovation, collaboration, and impact. In this three-part series, we’re spotlighting our Rising Stars—GPJers who are shaping the future of our business through their leadership, curiosity, and commitment to excellence. First up, meet Stacy Kistuline in Detroit, Namitha Bhat in Bengaluru, and Sophie Taylor in London as they share the experiences, mindsets, and moments that have defined their journeys.

Michigan, I often have the pleasure of working alongside amazing GPJ colleagues from all over the US. I always love sharing my journey because I ended up at GPJ in an unexpected way. I began my career in the wedding industry before transitioning to a boutique experiential marketing agency in Metro Detroit. Just three months into that job, we found out GPJ was acquiring us! It’s been ten years since that milestone, and I feel a deep sense of gratitude when I look back. I really just fell into GPJ, but that unexpected transition became a key pivotal point in my career and life.

Little did we know we’d be acquiring a future Rising Star, too! Thank you for a whole decade of incredible work. So Stacy—what does being an Account Director entail? What makes you so passionate about your position?

In my role as an Account Director, I own the financial health, strategic growth, and execution quality of my assigned portfolio. But beyond the metrics, I believe a successful account is rooted in a healthy team culture. I am incredibly passionate about acting as an anchor for our cross-functional teams. I champion our clients, but I also work to break down silos internally. Regardless of what practice someone belongs to, we are in this together. I focus on creating an environment where we acknowledge each team member’s unique background and strengths, allowing us to proactively support one another. When a team feels united and valued, high-quality work and client success follow naturally.

And crushed it you did. Getting to see all of the work from behind the scenes play out on a polished stage is a rewarding moment for us all. Because you’ve experienced both sides of the production—seeing through the lens of a team leader and an audience member—what’s something people outside our industry don’t realize about the work we do?

Am I allowed to answer this with an emoji? Because 🤯 (mind blown) perfectly describes it. There are so many people who have no idea what experiential marketing is. I mean, out of transparency, when I first graduated college, I knew the bare minimum about it—it just wasn’t really on my radar. I think people would be blown away by the scale, the logistical intricacies, and the creative brainpower that goes into our work. They don’t realize the impact our work has on the companies we partner with, how that drives those companies’ growth, and ultimately affects their business and the consumers. Our work flows out and touches everyone in some way or another.

When I meet someone and they ask what I do for a living, my brain always goes off first like, “Ha ha ha, wellllll let me tell ya.” I feel like when I start to talk about GPJ, their face says it all—intrigued, they think it sounds super cool, and it’s often like we pulled back a curtain for them.

And last but certainly not least—what do you hope to help shape at GPJ over the next few years?

The people, especially those just graduating from college or just starting at GPJ. I caught myself over the last year looking around the office at a lot of new faces and identifying with them, but also now feeling like I am not in their shoes anymore. I feel strongly that I need to help them learn, make sure they understand their impact—even on the small things—and help drive that we all respect whatever an individual contributes to a program, regardless of title and experience. 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Stacy. We’re so lucky to have you on our team!

Hi, I’m Namitha—Group Account Director, Key Accounts and Audience Marketing at GPJ India, based in Bangalore. My role sits at the intersection of account leadership and audience marketing strategy, which means I’m equally invested in the health of our client relationships and in who actually shows up to the experiences we build, and why. Fun fact: I’m equally at home with my 8 cats, obsessing over a client brief and completely zoning out on a long drive with no agenda. The contrast keeps me sane.

The “Audience Marketing AKA Audience Generation” side means I own how we think about who shows up to those experiences: segmentation, messaging, content architecture, delegate acquisition, and post-event data.

What keeps me genuinely passionate is that no two days look the same. Every client brief comes with a different business problem, a different audience challenge, a different set of constraints, and that constant variation means you never really stop learning. The dynamism is built into the work. That learning curve is something I actively look for. It’s what keeps the work interesting and, honestly, what keeps me sharp.

A role that constantly requires you to adapt, learn, and grow? Sounds like that’s right up your alley, Namitha. Next, we’re going to ask you to think back on your time with GPJ. What experience or project of yours are you most proud of?

Salesforce TDX Bangalore stands out without question. It was the largest developer event in India with 7000 pax, three acres of built space, multiple zones, large-format theatre sessions, hands-on demo areas, and an audience profile that was genuinely new territory for us. Developers are a different kind of attendee.

They come with high energy and enthusiasm, and are very gung-ho about the feeling of community! Getting the experience right for that audience required a level of intentionality that pushed the whole team.

What made it particularly meaningful for me was leading the project from the India side in close partnership with my US counterparts and senior WW colleagues. Navigating different time zones, different ways of working, high stakes on both ends, while keeping delivery on track was its own challenge. It taught me a lot about how to hold my ground in a global team with multiple stakeholders while staying genuinely collaborative.

The scale alone was something, but what I’m most proud of is that we pulled it off with the rigour it deserved.

Learn to connect dots that others aren’t connecting yet. The people who stand out aren’t always the ones doing the most; they’re the ones who notice patterns across clients, briefs, and conversations, and bring that perspective forward before someone asks for it. That habit of thinking one level above by taking ownership in your current role is what shifts how people see you.

The more important thing is consistency in how you show up. Recognition rarely comes from one big moment; it’s built from a hundred smaller ones where you were prepared, reliable, and present. How you handle a difficult client call, how you support a junior team member under pressure, how you respond when something goes sideways. Those moments are the ones that matter.

This is important advice considering how unpredictable our industry can be. Staying aware, consistent, and open-minded is a great way of handling the ups and downs of experiential marketing. So Namitha, what does leadership look like to you in an experience-led business like GPJ?

For me, leadership starts with empathy and transparency. People do their best work when they feel understood, valued, and trusted. Taking the time to understand perspectives, challenges, and motivations creates stronger teams and better outcomes. Transparency around the why behind decisions creates clarity and gives people the confidence to step up and contribute at their fullest potential.

Leadership, to me, also means advocating for your team and ensuring talented people have a seat at the table and a platform to shine. Great leaders don’t just manage work; they elevate others and make sure good work and good people get the visibility they deserve. The fundamentals of leadership haven’t changed much over time. When things go wrong, a leader takes accountability and protects the team. When things go right, the spotlight belongs to the people who made it happen. The role of a leader is to create the conditions for success, remove obstacles, champion talent, and then step aside and celebrate the team’s achievements. 

The infrastructure behind that seamlessness: the briefing cycles, the logistics dependencies, the stakeholder alignments, and the contingency plans for contingency plans. But the part people really don’t see is the human cost of holding all of that together. This is a high-pressure industry. Things break, client expectations shift at the worst possible moments, and through all of it, the team has to keep delivering without letting the stress show in the work or the room. That takes a particular kind of resilience, and it takes people who genuinely look out for each other under pressure. The best teams I’ve worked with know how to carry each other when it gets hard.

We’re grateful our teams have you to help be the glue when they need to come together the most, Namitha! Who is your glue? Is there anyone that stands out as having influenced your growth the most at GPJ?

Rasheed Sait, former MD of GPJ India and now Chief Growth Officer at Project Worldwide.
He took an interest, saw potential, and gave me access that I’m genuinely grateful for. That kind of attention, from someone at his level who had no obligation to extend it, is not something you take for granted. He didn’t let me give up on the hard days — not in a motivational-poster way, but in the way that actually matters: he stayed in it with me, pushed back when I was selling myself short, and kept raising the bar because he could see something I hadn’t fully seen in myself yet. But what has stayed with me most is this: he recognised something in me before I recognised it in myself for a decade, and he said it out loud. That kind of belief changes your trajectory. I carry it forward in how I show up for my own team now.

And then there’s Neha Lobo, my current MD, and that chapter is equally shaping. Observing a female leader like Neha has provided a unique curriculum in leadership.

Our mindsets shape the work we put into the world, and what a great mindset that is to carry with you. Speaking of, is there anything you hope to help shape at GPJ?

Absolutely, there’s something the industry needs to reckon with more honestly – pay gaps, limited growth visibility, not enough access to the right mentors at the right time; these aren’t new problems, but they’re quietly hollowing out the talent pipeline. The people who would have been extraordinary five years from now are making different choices today, and I think those of us in leadership positions have a real responsibility to change that. I’d like to help build an environment at GPJ India where talented people can see a clear path forward, where growth is deliberate, mentorship is real, and the work is rewarding enough to stay for. 

We can’t wait to see the impact your leadership has on the next generation of GPJers. Last question—what’s one word that describes the work you create?

INTENTIONAL.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Namitha. We’re so lucky to have you on our team!

It was a crash course in resilience, adaptability, and the fine art of staying calm under pressure…which, turns out, is excellent training for agency life.

Being a parent will give you some impressive skills well suited for the workplace, that’s for sure! So Sophie, what does your role as a Group Senior Account Director include, and what makes you so passionate about your position?

At its core, my role is about obsessing over client success (don’t worry, it’s the productive kind of obsession). I get under the skin of their business – understanding their challenges, ambitions, and everything in between – so we can genuinely make an impact.

What I love most is building real partnerships. I’m not here for “brief in, work out”; I’m here for the long game. The goal is to become someone clients trust, rely on, and occasionally panic-call when things get interesting. When we’re helping shape the work, not just delivering against it, that’s when it gets really exciting.

collaborating across GPJ offices in the UK, Germany, Dubai, and KSA, alongside Project Alliances. Different time zones, different perspectives, one shared goal (#TheProjectEffect in full force).

Winning was a huge moment, but what really stands out is what came next. We delivered a strong programme and built real trust with the client along the way. For me, it’s a great example of leadership in action—bringing people together, navigating complexity, and turning a pitch win into a lasting and trusted partnership.

Fantastic work, Sophie and team! Getting to see #OneGPJ in action is inspiring. We’re lucky to have teams that are constantly tapping on their global sister office’s shoulders for different perspectives and unique ways of accomplishing our shared goals. Speaking of sharing different perspectives, what advice would you give to someone who is hoping to achieve Rising Star status in the coming years?

Stay relentlessly curious – borderline annoyingly curious. The people who stand out are the ones who keep asking “why,” “what if,” and “can we do this better?”

Push yourself outside your comfort zone, even when it feels a bit uncomfortable (or like you might regret volunteering five minutes in). Growth doesn’t happen in the safe space. Take on challenges that stretch you, ask for feedback (yes, even the slightly brutal kind), and don’t be afraid to have a point of view. You don’t need to have all the answers—but you do need to show up and contribute.

things, or someone in the room with a perspective you haven’t considered yet. For me, growth has come from being open to feedback (even when it stings a little), asking questions, and not being afraid to say “I don’t know—yet.” That mindset keeps you learning, keeps you improving, and—importantly—keeps your ego in check.

And alongside that, passion is the fuel. Caring about the work, the clients, and the people around me is what pushes me to go further, bring energy into everything I do, and occasionally hit send on emails at times that suggest I should probably log off.

Well said! The work we do directly reflects the care that we put into each and every experience. Lastly, what’s one word that describes the work you create? 

Intentional. 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Sophie. We’re so lucky to have you on our team!

From championing team culture and mentoring future talent, to leading global programs and building lasting client partnerships, Stacy, Namitha, and Sophie embody what it means to be a Rising Star at GPJ. Their stories are a reminder that growth comes from curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to lift others along the way. Stay tuned for the next installment of our Rising Stars series, where we’ll introduce more inspiring GPJers making an impact across our global network!