Rafael is a Brazilian-born creative leader with over 20 years of global experience across continents, cultures, and creative disciplines. His career has taken him from Brazil to Dubai to San Francisco, with key roles at Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Pereira & O’Dell, 180LA, BBH US, and Dentsu Creative across the U.S. and LATAM. 

In 2017, he founded TBD, an independent agency in San Francisco. In August 2024, he returned to Ogilvy as Chief Creative Officer for North America. 

Rafael is known for work that blends bold creativity with cultural relevance — campaigns like Boost Mobile’s “Boost Your Voice,” which won two Grand Prix and a titanium in Cannes, and was named Ad Age Campaign of the Year in 2017; Eurofarma’s “Scrolling Therapy,” which earned the Pharma Grand Prix at Cannes in 2023; Google’s “Black Owned Friday,” a project that won Grand Prix at The One Show and Clios in 2021/22; and UNICEF’s “UNfairy Tales,” which took home the Cannes Grand Prix for Good in 2016. His work has been recognized by every major global festival, and he’s frequently served as a juror at each of them. 

As a creative leader, Rafael helped 180LA become the most awarded agency in TBWA’s global network for two years in a row (2016/17), led BBH NY back to the Ad Age A-List after a decade, and played a key role in Dentsu Creative US earning Standout Agency honors for the first time, while winning major accounts like T-Mobile, Lowe’s, and Walmart. 

He’s been named to Ad Age’s 40 Under 40, Campaign US’s 40 Over 40, and Business Insider’s list of the 30 Most Creative People in Advertising .