In this episode of the Financial Marketing Insights podcast, we spoke with Kelly Vives, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Allspring Global Investments, about building a global brand from scratch, shaping culture through marketing, and navigating the opportunities and tensions created by AI.

In this episode of the Financial Marketing Insights podcast, we spoke with Kelly Vives, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Allspring Global Investments, about building a global brand from scratch, shaping culture through marketing, and navigating the opportunities and tensions created by AI.

Kelly’s career spans two decades across UBS, Wells Fargo Asset Management, and now Allspring - a journey that began in wealth management, moved through hedge funds, and ultimately led her to a leadership role where creativity, strategy, and organisational storytelling converge.

“It’ll never be a linear path in your career. It’s always kind of zigzag and windy, but each story kind of adds together and you land at the end.”

That non‑linear path is central to how Kelly leads today - with curiosity, openness, and a deep belief in the power of brand to differentiate in a crowded industry.

A Global Foundation Built Early

Kelly began her career at UBS in a graduate programme that took her across Zurich and London - an experience that shaped her worldview and her understanding of how global organisations operate.

“It was transformative… a wonderful way to understand UBS as a truly global organization.”

From wealth management she moved into hedge funds, where she found herself building marketing capabilities inside a “firm within a firm.” That accidental pivot into marketing - encouraged by mentors who saw her potential - unlocked a part of her skillset she hadn’t fully recognised.

“I could see I’m way more creative than I gave myself credit for.”

That creativity would become essential when she joined Wells Fargo Asset Management - and later led the transformation into Allspring.

A Culture Worth Building a Brand Around

Kelly describes being drawn to Wells Fargo Asset Management not just for the role, but for the people.

“Everybody had such passion for what they were doing, but they were also good people… there was a warmth about the organization.”

That cultural foundation became a defining element of the Allspring brand. Portfolio managers were accessible, collaborative, and deeply experienced - but without the ego often associated with the industry.

One private‑equity owner captured it perfectly:

“Everybody takes their roles very seriously, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.”

For Kelly, that balance - seriousness without self‑importance - became a core part of the brand’s personality.

Building Allspring From a Blank Page

Few marketers ever get the chance to build a global asset‑management brand from scratch. Kelly did - and she describes it as both exhilarating and extraordinarily demanding.

“I was literally handed a white sheet of paper to build Allspring.”

Rather than starting with a name, the team began with strategy: mission, vision, client interviews, and the pillars that would define the firm’s identity. Only then did they tackle naming - a process involving 2,600 options, global linguistic checks, and a surprising amount of subjectivity.

“Naming this firm is like naming a child - but you can’t name it anything a child has ever been named, and your aunts, uncles, and cousins all have to approve.”

The name Allspring wasn’t an immediate favourite - even for Kelly and the CEO - but it became an “empty vessel” the team could fill with meaning.

From there came the visual identity, the violet colour, the geometric system, the tone of voice, and the experiential design that now shapes Allspring’s offices and events.

“I absolutely love branding… I think the brand is the centripetal force of an organization.”

It was a once‑in‑a‑career project - and one she speaks about with unmistakable pride.

Embedding Marketers in the Business

Kelly’s leadership philosophy is rooted in proximity: marketers must be close to the business, the products, and the portfolio managers.

“You have to know the business. You have to know the markets. You’re only going to be as good as understanding the lingo and how the markets are moving.”

She encourages junior marketers to stand at booths with sales teams, attend investment all‑hands meetings, and listen to market calls - not just for context, but to build intuition.

It’s a discipline shaped by her early career in investor relations and business development, and one she believes is essential for modern financial‑services marketing.

Letting Go - and Letting the Brand Grow

As Allspring matured, Kelly faced a challenge familiar to many brand builders: learning to let go.

“We built it and we were so protective of it… we had one opportunity to get it right.”

But once the firm fully separated from Wells Fargo and became cloud‑native, something shifted. The brand entered what Kelly calls its “middle‑school phase” - capable of running on its own, shaped by a growing team of specialists whose ideas often surpass her own.

That evolution allowed her, for the first time, to take a two‑week holiday and truly disconnect - a personal milestone that reflected organisational maturity.

AI, Agents, and the Next Frontier of Marketing

AI is reshaping marketing across financial services, and Kelly is leaning in - not cautiously, but with conviction.

“We’re working on how to bring agentic AI into marketing… it’s been a fascinating experience.”

Allspring is already using AI agents for DDQs and RFPs, building specialised agents for compliance, brand voice, and institutional clients - each improving as the team iterates.

She sees AI not as a standalone capability, but as an operating model that should be embedded across marketing.

“We want to move from AI as a tool to AI as more of an operating model.”

And she rejects the idea that AI disadvantages younger talent - arguing instead that AI natives bring new strengths, while experienced professionals contribute judgement and context.

Motivation, Inspiration, and the Human Side of Leadership

Kelly’s inspiration comes from family - particularly her grandmother, a formidable Irish hotel owner who led with strength, resilience, and deep care.

“She forged her way in a male‑dominated industry… highly respected, with a healthy family life.”

That example shaped Kelly’s belief in balance, wellbeing, and authenticity at work. She encourages her team to draw inspiration from life outside the office - because creativity requires space.

She quotes the great Dolly Parton:

“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

It’s a philosophy she carries into her leadership - creating a culture where people feel safe, supported, and able to bring their whole selves to work.

A Modern Brand Built on Humanity and Ambition

Kelly Vives’ story is one of creativity, conviction, and cultural clarity. She built Allspring from a blank page - not just as a visual identity, but as a living, evolving expression of how a modern asset manager should show up in the world.

Her approach blends strategic rigour with human warmth, and her leadership reflects a belief that marketing can be both commercially powerful and deeply personal.

In an industry defined by complexity, Kelly’s work shows how brand, culture, and creativity can elevate investing - and how marketers can shape organisations not just through campaigns, but through the stories they choose to tell.