Biographies and experience
Growing up in South Africa, Hayley saw the effects of social injustice firsthand — and the power that a fierce passion and shared purpose can have in bringing about positive social change. It was this discovery early in life that inspired her to pursue her passion for telling stories and driving action, ultimately founding the Additive Agency.
Prior to founding Additive, Hayley led large-scale brand transformation efforts at Siegel+Gale for clients such as the Y (YMCA), Aetna, Rotary International and Memorial Sloan Kettering, as well as launched new brands, such as Understood and Life Tuner (by AARP). She also developed corporate social responsibility programming benefitting social enterprises in Africa and Asia.
Previously, Hayley managed public affairs at Columbia University, where she was responsible for protecting and promoting the reputation of the Law School, its faculty and programs. The first years of her career were spent working with advocacy and affinity groups to shape the conversation around infectious diseases and destigmatize issues like depression.
Hayley designed and teaches a graduate class called “Purpose-Driven Communications” at Columbia University and is a frequent guest lecturer at New York University. She sits on the board of Democracy Works and the Tyler Clementi Foundation, and lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family.
Rachel has a passion for understanding people and how they think and behave, which she uses to help organizations effectively engage stakeholders and inspire them to action.
At Additive, Rachel has helped lead brand engagements for a diverse set of clients, including New 42, the Y, Syracuse University, Brigham Health, University of Chicago, News Literacy Project and Gap Foundation.
Before joining Additive, Rachel worked at BuzzFeed, helping Fortune 500 brands and nonprofits execute their marketing strategies. Prior to that, she worked on large research and strategy initiatives at Siegel+Gale for clients such as MIT Sloan School of Management, Rotary International and Flywheel, among others.
Rachel graduated magna cum laude from the University
of Pennsylvania with a BA in cultural anthropology.
For more than a decade, Emily has applied her passion for research, disciplined strategic approach and boundless creativity to elevate brands across a variety of sectors.
At Additive, Emily has helped lead brand engagements for a diverse set of clients, including NYU Langone Health, La Jolla Playhouse, STRIVE Prep, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Lighthouse Guild and MDA.
Before joining Additive, Emily was a Strategy Director at Siegel+Gale. During her nine years there, her clients included Rotary International, Aetna, SAP, Memorial Sloan Kettering, the Y, Understood, CooperVision and Bloomberg.
Emily graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in international relations.
Alex is a strategist who combines a passion for understanding human behavior with critical problem-solving — at a time when organizations have both the duty and resources to positively affect society.
At Additive, Alex has worked with clients including Syracuse University, University of Rochester, and Mount Sinai. Before Additive, he drove the strategy for various major brands at key moments of transformation, including Google, IBM, Under Armour, and Chewy. He’s most proud of the launch of IBM Z17, the creation of EPIC World (a pioneering impact investing organization), and a recent rebrand for The Corporate Source (an NYC-based staffing company for people with disabilities).
Alex graduated cum laude from Bowdoin College with a degree in Anthropology, Economics, and Art History.
At Additive, Sacha is the connector across the strategy, content and design teams, providing vital project management and research support. She’s supported clients such as Phoenix Children’s, Carnegie Science, University of California, Berkeley and more.
She began her career in executive search, where she fine-tuned her skills in client relations. Her education focused heavily on health and social justice campaigns, including independent research for her undergraduate institution, which is where her interest in purpose-driven work was sparked.
Sacha graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BA in Human Communications.
Rachel is a purpose-driven strategist and storyteller. Rachel has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, working across marketing, fundraising and program management at organizations such as the Whitney Museum, the Public Theater and New York Stage and Film. Most recently, Rachel has provided insights and fundraising counsel to PBS Distribution, Snapchat, Color Farm Media and the Lower East Side Film Festival.
Rachel began her career onstage, performing in a musical about calculus, a few Shakespeare plays, a dinner-theater murder mystery, and in ensembles at the Upright Citizens Brigade. In addition to a sense of humor, Rachel holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA from the University of Southern California.
Chinyelu is driven by people, purpose and passion. With a background in marketing communications and nonprofit operations, Chinny has developed brand strategies, integrated marketing communications plans and strategic plans for clients as varied as Charity: Water, DonorsChoose, Memphis Tourism, Harlem Children’s Zone and McCarter Theatre Company, Syracuse University, Catholic Community Foundation of Long Island, Gap Foundation and United Nations Foundation, to name a few.
Prior to Additive, she worked at Outbrain, developing email marketing programs and social media strategy from concept to completion with a focus in customer acquisition and retention. At iMentor, she founded and wrote profile stories for a monthly segment showcasing the trials and triumphs of mentor-mentee pairs and led orientation sessions, converting prospects into full-time, volunteer mentors.
Chinyelu holds a master’s degree in strategic communication from Columbia University.
Justin began his career working in story development at RKO Pictures, where he examined how boldness, credibility and the strategic management of expectations work together to create the stories that move the world.
He believes great brands, like great stories, gain affinity and momentum by establishing and then anticipating what happens next.
As a writer, brand strategist and namer (with previous experience at Interbrand and Sullivan), Justin has worked with clients like AT&T, Bank of America, GrowNYC, New 42 and Syracuse University, helping each find the right words to tell their stories.
Justin graduated from Chapman University with a BA in screenwriting.
As a writer and educator, Catherine strives to equip people and organizations with the tools they need to inspire change through strategic storytelling.
Catherine has drafted messaging for a range of national and regional clients including Columbia University School of Nursing, Foster America, Mount Sinai, Carnegie Science, BroSis and Phoenix Children’s.
Prior to Additive, Catherine spent nine years in primary, intermediate and post-secondary writing classrooms where she helped students identify storytelling goals and techniques to achieve them in written and multimodal formats. She worked concurrently as a grant writer at Red Olive Culture Commons where she supported fundraising functions at Black arts organizations including Cave Canem and viBe Theater Experience.
Catherine graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of South Carolina.
Lila brings strategy to life through compelling language. She has a decade of experience transforming the voices of social purpose organizations, helping them shape and amplify their messages for greater impact.
At Additive, Lila has written for clients including Spring Point Partners, Syracuse University and the University of Rochester. Lila came to Additive from BIT, where she translated complex scientific research into clear stories. Before that, she was as a senior copywriter at Big Duck. There, Lila led nonprofit branding, messaging and campaign projects with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, National Brain Tumor Society, TSC Alliance, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and more.
She holds a BA in Sociology from New York University.
Hubert has a long career spanning the advertising, marketing, public relations, crisis communications and branding sectors.
At Additive, he provides technical design oversight across all creative deliverables and creative counsel across strategy deliverables. During his tenure he has developed multi-channel guidelines, tools, templates and collateral, including impact reports, for clients as varied as Harlem Children’s Zone, Columbia University School of Professional Studies, The JED Foundation (JED), Mouse, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), Phoenix Children’s, Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care, Lighthouse Guild and Jonas Philanthropies, among others.
Before joining the Additive Agency, Hubert was at MSLGroup and Siegel+Gale, where he developed print and digital assets for product launches, trade shows, conferences, social media and influencer outreach.
Kruti is a multi-disciplinary designer with a specialization in branding and systems design. She uses strategic storytelling and market research to design efficient solutions and systems through unified brand experiences.
Prior to joining Additive, she was senior designer at Bulletproof, where she led and contributed to design work for clients including Hershey’s, Mondelez and Diageo. Previously, at Landor & Fitch, Kruti designed for iconic brands including Starbucks and P&G. These experiences have shaped her unique perspective on brand strategy and visual design.
At Additive, her clients include Syracuse University, World Wildlife Fund, Mount Sinai, United Way and Carnegie Science.
She holds a BFA in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design.
With more than a decade of experience in logo and identity design, Jackie helps bring brand strategies to life, creating the tools necessary to deliver clear and compelling communications. Jackie’s clients include; Brightbeam, The Children’s Heart Foundation, Congenital Heart Walk, Easterseals, Columbia Alumni Association, The Jed Foundation (JED), The Y (YMCA) and Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), among others. Before Additive, Jackie was at STC Associates where he worked on a range of projects for corporate and nonprofit organizations such as USA Today, Tata Communication, The New York Center for Children, Vodafone and airtel.
With interests in art, music and photography, Jackie brings these passions to bear for his clients. He is known for his distinct ability to develop unexpected and clever creative solutions for many complex branding challenges.
Jackie holds a BFA in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts.
Devina is a multidisciplinary designer with a focus on branding, typography and visual storytelling. At Additive, she has developed brand identities, design applications and graphic systems for clients including Freedom to Choose Schools, Union Health Center and United Way Worldwide. She brings a bold visual language, collaborative spirit and a curiosity-driven approach to every project.
Prior to Additive, Devina worked in motion graphics, creating content for Netflix and other OTT platforms. Her background in both commercial and nonprofit sectors informs her belief in design as a tool for connection and impact. Devina holds an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
