Aya Baeshean, Partner, VP, & Global Head of Design at Known, shares her thoughts on leadership and blending culture with creativity with our president, Steve Gilman
What does it look like to lead with both intuition and intention? To bring together data and design, passion and purpose, creativity and strategy—all while staying true to yourself? For Aya Baeshean, it’s not just possible. It’s essential.
As Partner and Global Head of Design at Known, Aya brings a fresh, fearless perspective to the world of branding. In this episode, Aya shares how her early experiences as a multicultural, multilingual child shaped her creative voice and ultimately her approach to leadership. She opens up about the power of immersive travel and volunteer work, the importance of emotional safety in creative teams, and how breaking down traditional structures can lead to better, faster, more human work. We also explore how she and her team blend strategy, storytelling, and data, and how she mentors young creatives to think beyond titles, stay fluid, and grow with intention.
