Chris Edwards first began his illustrious creative career as a junior copywriter for Arnold Worldwide. During his early career, Chris struggled with his identity and ultimately transitioned to male during a time when the vocabulary ‘transgender’ did not exist. Nonetheless, Chris’ transition was accepted and embraced by those around him, forging a reputable name and career as a transitioned male. Chris worked his way through the ranks of Arnold Worldwide, holding various roles such as Senior Copywriter, Associate Creative Director, VP Creative Director and SVP Creative Director before ultimately holding the title of Group Creative Director.
During his 19-year tenure with Arnold Worldwide, Chris was an instrumental figure in the branding and advertising of many prominent companies. He helped to develop print, radio, video and digital content for clients such as Monster, Southern Comfort, Coors Light and Apple. He was also at the helm of the creative director’s team, expanding from 4 to 14 members. With Arnold Worldwide, Chris was able to build an extensive skillset, dealing with customers on a daily basis and developing trusting relationships with each and every client of the business. Working on a range of large business pitches, Chris knows what it takes to perform under pressure and deliver peak performance.
After having an incredible impact on countless businesses, Chris ultimately left Arnold Worldwide in 2012 embarking on a freelance journey and focussing on his own creative outlets. In his own personal ventures, Chris now dedicates his time to acting as a keynote speaker, transgender marketing consultant, creative copywriter and brand strategist. One of his most prominent passions is working as a transgender marketing consultant. As a transgender male, Chris is an advocate for helping others to smoothly transition and so pushes the importance of authentic representation of LGBT in both the media and by corporate companies. A pioneer in the world of diversity and inclusion, Chris has helped numerous corporate clients to be more inclusive towards their transgender employees.
Now highly sought as a motivational keynote speaker, Chris travels the country delivering a range of talks to different clients. Empowering all who attend his speeches, Chris tells the tale of his transition to male and the course of his illustrious creative career. From leading teams to orchestrating campaigns that earned recognition on the Top 15 Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century, there is little that Chris does not know in the world of marketing. Author of BALLS: It Takes Some To Get Some, Chris delivers powerful speeches surrounding the subject of his memoir and pushes the importance of LGBT acceptance. A passionate and eloquent speaker, Chris Edwards is the perfect speaker with a broad range of knowledge guaranteed to be a hit at your next event.
