R/GA Appoints Vanessa Lai to Advance AI-Driven Creative Innovation
16/12/2025 - R/GA Americas, Brooklyn, USA
R/GA has named Vanessa Lai as group creative director, intelligent systems. The role is new, and it puts her in charge of leading client work and internal creative initiatives that connect emerging tech with day-to-day production. She reports to Tiffany Rolfe, chair and global chief creative officer at R/GA.
Why this matters for creatives
The center of gravity is shifting from one-off executions to intelligent systems that help teams concept, make, and iterate at scale. Or as R/GA frames it: going from "making things" to "making things that make things." For working creatives, that means better use of agentic workflows, tighter creative ops, and more room to push the idea further.
The mandate
Lai will act as a connector across R/GA-working with Addition, the AI System Design and Development studio R/GA acquired earlier this year, and partnering with the company's Global AI Products team. Her remit: experiment with new tools, workflows, and creative blueprints, then help teams adopt the processes that make work faster, smarter, and more imaginative.
Background
Vanessa joins from Monks, where she served as group innovation director, guiding the agency's use of agentic systems and AI workflows to enable human creativity. Her portfolio spans AI-led storytelling, immersive environments, and hybrid experiences across physical, digital, and virtual touchpoints. Earlier roles at Monks included creative director across immersive web, AR/VR, and experiential.
What R/GA is signaling
This appointment lands as R/GA moves deeper into an AI-first creative innovation model. Since returning to independence with support from Truelink Capital, the company has invested in talent, capabilities, and platforms to redefine how creative work gets built. The goal: intelligent brand systems guided by human imagination that deliver standout results for clients.
Quotes
"Vanessa brings the rare blend of creativity, technical fluency, and systems thinking that's needed today," said Tiffany Rolfe, global chair and chief creative officer at R/GA. "We see the future of creativity is about designing intelligent systems for brands which means we'll go from just 'making things' to 'making things that make things', and Vanessa brings the kind of leadership that accelerates that shift. We're thrilled she's chosen to build that future with R/GA."
"As intelligent tools reshape the creative process, this calls for new ways of working that give human imagination more reach, more depth, and the space to evolve with intention. R/GA has always pushed the boundaries of creativity and technology, and I'm so excited to help shape how we build what comes next and unlock the full potential of this emerging tech for our clients," said Vanessa Lai, group creative director, intelligent systems, R/GA.
How creatives can use this shift right now
- Map your workflow: brief → concept → prototype → production → QA → publish. Identify where an intelligent agent or tool can draft, iterate, or QA faster than a human-only process.
- Define system patterns: style guides, prompt libraries, data sources, approval rules. Treat them like reusable components for campaigns and content.
- Pilot one use case: e.g., dynamic post variations, motion concept boards, or AR try-ons. Measure time-to-first-concept and revision cycle time.
- Pair talent: creative lead + technologist + producer. Keep ownership clear; let agents handle grunt work while humans direct taste and strategy.
- Set guardrails: usage policies, provenance checks, and brand safety. Automate checks where possible and review exceptions manually.
- Close the loop: log prompts, decisions, and performance so each project trains the next.
Explore R/GA's work and perspective at rga.com.
Want a quick way to upskill your team for intelligent workflows? See role-based learning paths at Complete AI Training.
Your membership also unlocks:
