An Interview with an EVP of Operations
On Trust, Change & Leadership Without a Title
Operations often sits behind the scenes, yet it’s critical to the client’s experience with your agency. Operations is what fulfills the promises made in pitch decks. It’s what sustains trust when scopes shift. And it’s what turns strategy into something clients can actually see and feel.
In this interview, we sat down with Melissa Davis, EVP of Operations at a digital and corporate communications firm to explore what truly drives retention from the inside out. From promoting through the lens of change management to navigating speed vs. clarity across teams, she shares grounded, thoughtful insight into what operational leadership really looks like and why influence doesn’t always require a title.
Her approach is equal parts empathetic and precise, making the case that strong operations aren’t just about systems, but about people. The result? A behind-the-scenes look at how trust is built, integration is led, and consistency becomes a competitive advantage.
Let’s dive in.
Operations often sits behind the scenes, yet it’s critical to the client experience. How do you define the role of operations in shaping client trust and retention?
Operations fulfills the promises made to clients. Operations ensures efficiency, quality and reliability, which are central to providing positive client experiences and cultivating trusting partnerships. Clients will form lasting relationships with partners whose operations consistently limit friction, prevent issues before they arise and generally make their lives easier.
What’s one operational decision you made that had an outsized impact—internally or externally—that most people wouldn’t have noticed?
One of the most impactful decisions I made that many didn’t pick up on, and some even railed against, was a promotion decision that aligned to a broader change management strategy. Following an acquisition, our operational model needed to evolve to incorporate new people and service lines. Rather than promoting someone with a similar background to mine from my existing team, I intentionally chose someone from the acquired company to help me lead the integration. I saw this person as someone who could fill in my blind spots about the acquired company’s services and processes and whose existing relationships could be beneficial to bringing people along with us for the changes. Together, we rolled out tools and workflows that streamlined delivery and improved consistency and we did so with empathy, clarity, and a focus on adoption.
Most people didn’t see the hire as a “change management tactic,” but it absolutely was. It reinforced for me that successful operational change depends as much on people strategy as it does on systems strategy.
“Clients will form lasting relationships with partners whose operations consistently limit friction, prevent issues before they arise and generally make their lives easier.”
How do you personally approach moments when clarity and speed are at odds? What do you prioritize and how do you communicate that across teams?
When clarity and speed are at odds, I always prioritize clarity. It’s far better to take a little extra time to first understand the issue at hand and then proceed swiftly with a clear purpose. With a lack of clarity, you run the risk of confusion among team members and rework, which ultimately slows you down anyway.
Communication is key in these situations, and I often will pull together the team and/or the client to talk through what we know, where the gaps are and the pros and cons of proceeding based on assumptions. Oftentimes taking a few minutes to discuss as a team can help clear up the confusion or at least point us in the right direction for filling in the gaps before we go too far.
You’ve worked across both digital and corporate communications—what operational challenges are unique to that hybrid space, and how do you navigate them?
Working across digital and corporate communications requires finding ways to balance speed with control and agility with consistency. Digital channels demand fast, reactive content, while Corporate Communications requires structured review and alignment. We’ve successfully navigated this by implementing workflows that facilitate quick execution with built-in checkpoints for oversight. We also support our Corporate Communications clients with creating shared messaging frameworks and content calendars that help ensure consistency across fast-moving digital platforms and formal corporate channels.
What advice would you give to someone moving into their first operational leadership role? Especially one where they’re expected to lead without formal authority?
Build trust before trying to drive change. In operational leadership—especially without formal authority—your influence comes from relationships, not titles. Take time to understand how people work, what they care about, and what pressures they’re under. Listen more than you speak early on.
Find common goals and align around them. You’re there to connect dots and remove friction, not control outcomes. When people see you’re focused on making their work easier or more effective, they’ll be more open to collaboration.
Communicate with clarity and empathy. Operational roles often deal with ambiguity and change. Be the person who brings calm, clarity, and follow-through. That reliability builds credibility.
And finally, treat leadership as service. Support others, highlight their wins, and create space for people to do their best work. When you lead with respect and a shared sense of purpose, authority tends to follow.
Melissa Davis is an experienced operations leader specializing in digital transformation, cross-functional collaboration, and scalable process design. With a background in both digital and corporate communications, she excels in aligning teams, optimizing workflows, and driving efficiency across complex organizations.
Throughout her career, Melissa has led initiatives that bridge the gap between strategic vision and operational execution, ensuring that change is not only implemented but embraced. Her approach emphasizes clarity, empathy, and the human side of operational change, fostering environments where teams can thrive and deliver exceptional results.
