Roya Partovi, born in Iran, raised in Germany, received her degree in advertising and design from Arts Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Working as a New York-based Chief Creative Officer, she has over 20 years of experience leading, managing, mentoring, and inspiring creatives globally.

Roya has created and built brands across many business sectors, both in-house and at advertising agencies. From infamous brands with large teams and big budgets to nimble yet mighty startups with small teams and no budget - her passion for creating disruptive products, brands, and communication is unparalleled.

During her time at agencies such as Fallon LA, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Havas NYC, and Publicis NYC, Roya honed her leadership skills working with a range of global clients including but not limited to BMW, Citibank, Amazon, Toyota, P&G, Cadillac, Nestlé, and Charles Schwab.

After over a decade in the advertising industry, Roya joined the Google Ventures-backed brand launchpad, Aterian (formerly known as Mohawk Group). In her role as Chief Creative Officer, she built and grew a world-class creative department spanning three continents. She helped to rapidly accelerate the company’s portfolio and revenue growth via innovative product development, branding, and tech-savvy product launches.

In her most recent role at MERGE (formerly Sandbox), Roya lead a 90+ person creative team across four offices. She was responsible for overseeing all facets of the agency's creative mission. Key clients included T-Mobile, LG, and American Express. Roya is the Chair of MERGE’s DE&I Taskforce, championing her core values to the agency and agency’s client partners.

Outside of her agency life, she works as a consultant, mentoring small NYC media and entertainment businesses and women-led startups. Roya lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and daughter.