Starting her career over twenty years ago as a junior ad executive at Ammirati Puris Lintas in NYC, Ami learned the ins-and-outs of what makes great consumer brands. It’s all about knowing, learning and growing with your consumer.
“Early in my career, I got the nickname “Can Do Sandhu” — I never hesitated to raise my hand for a new project. Not because I knew exactly what I was doing. But I always had a passion for learning and understanding how brands connect with their audience. Each experience grew my knowledge and skills.” Ami worked on major brand initiatives and product launches for clients including RCA, Montblanc, Burger King and Ortho McNeil Pharmaceutical.
Wanting to deepen her experience in the full product-to-market process, Ami moved to Madison, WI to work at American Girl, a division of Mattel and one of the nation’s top omni-channel marketers. Spending 12 years at American Girl, Ami worked in each division of the DTC business from publishing and retail to product and brand management. “This is where my passion for values-driven brands took shape. American Girl was more than just a toy line to me. It was a brand with products that helped to spark girls’ imaginations and to believe in themselves.” Taking this to heart, Ami pursued her MBA at night at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while working full time.
Ami relocated to Mattel headquarters in Los Angeles in 2015 with her family to build upon her brand experience, working on the global Barbie business before leaving to work on iconic entertainment brands for Warner Bros. While at Warner Bros., Ami launched new content brands for kids including DC Super Hero Girls, and helped to build younger audience segments for iconic Wonder Woman and Batman global brands. “Leading the brand relaunch of DC Super Hero Girls was so personally fulfilling. I grew up loving Wonder Woman and her message of strength and compassion. I knew that she would resonate with young fans today.”
Ami’s experience has led her to be a trusted brand marketing expert, and a proven leader in launching, building and managing global brands. When not working on the next big brand assignment, Ami spends her free time exploring and enjoying life in SoCal with her husband Ryan and dog-son Louie. Ami is also a dedicated mentor at A Place Called Home in South Central LA.
It’s rare to come across someone as passionate about their role in supporting and developing a brand as much as Ami does. Having spent the last two years working together across several WB/DC projects I’ve always been in awe of how much she cares about the core principles of brand/IP management, from ensuring there’s a vision of innovation, a deep collaboration across all business units, and above all never ever forgetting about the final experience as it lands in the hands of the customer…
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ami as a colleague and team member at American Girl and Mattel as she led the Barbie Collector and American Girl BeForever businesses. Ami provides the right balance of soft and hard skills as a brand management leader, which is rare to find in this field. She is highly strategic yet analytical, driven by both consumer and business insights, and authentically enjoys the challenge of solving complex business problems…
“Strategic powerhouse” is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about Ami. I had the pleasure of working with her as a colleague on multiple marketing and brand initiatives during her tenure at American Girl. Of specific note, was Ami’s leadership on the rebranding effort for the flagship sub brand “Historical Characters”. During this complex initiative there were multiple management changes including onboarding of a new President and Brand Director…
