Leif Johansen

I currently oversee the creative output required to fuel $7.6M in monthly ad spend and lead a global team across four countries, maintaining 100% retention by fostering a culture of clarity and trust. I expanded our content library significantly across web, print, TV, and billboards, powered by generative AI and automation that lifted output by 35% YoY in FY24/25, compared to a 10–15% historical average, all without increasing headcount. Company revenue has grown more than 85% over the past seven years (from $1.5B to $2.8B annually), driven in part by our productivity and ability to meet rising demand for content. Acting as both creative architect and diplomat, I balance executive vision with the technical realities of engineering and web-development teams, and have led high-stakes initiatives such as retooling and redeploying of all landing pages for the Ontario regulated market with zero downtime, ensuring adapted content was both compliant and culturally relevant.

I designed and implemented the SOPs that became the backbone of our global content function, restructuring workflows both internally and externally to improve turnaround and quality. I refined pre-deployment testing and CMS methods for efficient optimisation and partnered with performance marketing leads to produce creatives tailored for Facebook, Google, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. I also collaborated with external partners such as Games Global and Pragmatic Play to align content with licensing and brand requirements, while onboarding new talent to embed a culture of clarity and trust that supported future scale.

I supported the broader Marketing Department with campaign setup, admin tasks, Shutterstock and Getty image procurement, copywriting for email and landing pages, formatting assets for distribution, and assisting with CMS tagging and indexing.

This section highlights the experience (past 7 years) most relevant to my application for Product Lead - Content at Canva. Additional details about my startup and early-career roles are available upon request.