Paper Stone Scissors
Year
2012–2016
My Role
- Client Leadership
- Operations Strategy
- Process Design
- Culture Building
- Project Delivery
Bringing structure, clarity and connection to a fast-paced creative studio.
At Paper Stone Scissors, a boutique creative agency in Shanghai, I led client relationships, internal operations, and the systems that helped the work actually happen. I managed projects across Asia Pacific for brands like Herman Miller, Hilton Worldwide, and Carrefour—overseeing strategy, creative development, and project delivery. I also secured new business and expanded key accounts, growing the agency and building long-term partnerships that lasted.
Beyond client work, I focused on how we worked as a team. I created our Company Handbook, Playbook, and onboarding system. These weren’t just documents—they became the tools that helped us define our culture, capture best practices, share knowledge, raise the bar, keep expectations clear, and work better together.
My work brought together leadership, strategy, and execution—helping both clients and teams grow stronger, more connected, and better equipped to deliver great work.
The Handbook
Culture doesn’t just happen—it’s built. I created the Paper Stone Scissors Handbook to define how we work, what we value, and the kind of team we want to be. It guided our culture from behaviour and expectations to how we onboarded new hires. In an industry known for high turnover, it helped us keep our identity intact as we grew, building stronger team bonds, clearer communication, and better work.
The Playbook
The Playbook was our internal how-to guide. It documented our best practices, creating step-by-step guides and tools: everything from writing a great brief to managing client relationships. It helped the team move faster, raise quality standards, and deliver more consistent work without reinventing the wheel. More than anything, it made good work easier to repeat, without relying on memory or who was in the room.
Now&Them
I spearheaded Now&Them as a creative platform that brought together people to collaborate across disciplines—with all proceeds supporting local non-profits. Our first exhibition, Collab#1, brought in 400+ attendees and featured 60 creatives, with unexpected pairings like Furniture Designer x Chocolate Factory and Graffiti Artist x Skull Collector. The event raised over ¥100,000 to fund medical and eyecare for underprivileged students in China.
Atia Cader—Cofounder & Creative Director
“Shermaine created an excellent rapport with her clients and strong bonds with our internal teams. This allowed effective communications between the two and resulted in some award winning work. During the time Shermaine worked for us, our Shanghai studio was greatly enhanced with an increase in annual revenue of 120%. The dedication and initiative she has shown this business was far beyond her daily obligations and the legacy she has left is a reminder of the exceptional person she is.”
Gergana Le Coq—Managing & Creative Director
“Shermaine is a real doer. Gets things done with a lot of attention to detail and a methodical & logical organisation. She is also a comprehensive problem solver, no stone gets unturned if she is on a mission. Shermaine is also a natural relationship builder. Her positive persona puts people at ease and helps for reaching out to new business and sustaining and developing current one. She is also instrumental in building positive company culture.”
