Mary Leonard | Creative Director & Founder
MRLD STUDIO

Mary Leonard is a creative director and brand strategist who works at the intersection of hospitality, experience, and complex, multidisciplinary design projects. She is the founder of MRLD (More Reason—Less Decoration), a creative and design studio that partners with hotel groups, developers, and cultural organisations to define clear positioning and deliver integrated experiences across brand, architecture, interiors, digital, and service design.

With over 15 years’ experience in luxury hospitality, Mary has worked on internationally recognised projects for Aman Resorts and the Maybourne Hotel Group, including Claridge’s and The Berkeley. Her work focuses on shaping the strategic foundations of hospitality brands—from early-stage vision and positioning through to the delivery of cohesive, guest-focused design experiences.

Alongside hospitality, Mary has served as creative director for global organisations including Google, The New York Times, and Depop, leading work that spans physical environments, digital platforms, and emotionally led experiences. While working with some of the world’s biggest brands, including Nike, UN, Gucci and WWF, her work has gained numerous recognitions from industry and press, including D&AD and Cannes Lions. This cross-sector perspective informs her approach to hospitality as a system—not a series of disconnected design decisions.

Mary currently works as a creative director across hospitality projects in the UK, Ireland, and Portugal, where she leads and aligns multidisciplinary teams around a shared framework for decision-making. She also lectures on 'Design as Experience' and has co-developed postgraduate teaching on inclusive design, bringing academic rigour to her practice. Her work is driven by the belief that the most successful hospitality projects are built on emotion, consistency, and brand—creating experiences that feel intentional, human, and enduring.