Hello, my name is Fernando Sosa. And although it still feels a bit uncomfortable to say it, I am a highly recognized and awarded Executive Creative Director with nearly 20 years of experience at a local, regional, and global level. Throughout my career, I have worked in highly creative independent agencies as well as in some of the most important global networks. Not only leading campaigns, but also leading agencies—taking care of the business, helping them grow, winning new clients, and, above all, building great places to work. I am Argentine, based in Buenos Aires, and I have been fortunate enough to enjoy my work so much that, for a long time, it never really felt like a job. Over the last six years, I was the President & Executive Creative Director of Leo Burnett Argentina, where I led an office of more than 120 people. I worked with some of the biggest brands in the country, such as Visa, Fiat, Santander, McDonald's, Walmart, and Samsung. The strong relationships I built with these clients, together with the creative results—especially with McDonald’s and Visa—led me to become Regional Creative Director for both brands across Latin America & Caribbean (LAC). In that role, I led more than 15 countries across the continent, working alongside all the ECDs in the region and effectively becoming the leader of the leaders within the network. While leading Santander and Visa, I was also invited to participate in different global projects for both brands. This allowed a market like Argentina to gain access to global initiatives, driven by the trust and expertise I developed working with these clients. If there is something not very creative about a creative’s life, it’s that I have also won a significant number of awards. Grand Prix at Cannes Lions, several Gold, Silver, and Bronze Lions, as well as awards at The One Show, Clio Awards (including a Grand Clio), D&AD, and Effie Awards. This also gave me the opportunity to serve as a jury member at many of these festivals—some of them more than once—and in recent years I have been invited to give talks at several regional events such as El Ojo de Iberoamérica, El Diente, +Cartagena, El Dorado, among others. Before Leo Burnett, I had some truly incredible years at La Comunidad, one of the best agencies in the world. I started as a Senior Creative and eventually became VP Associate, being a key member of the team and part of the group that sold the agency. During that time, I led the Buenos Aires office for more than six years. I worked with brands such as Rolling Stone, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Billboard, Converse, and Sony. During those years, I also won awards across all major festivals, helping position the agency multiple times on the global A-list. During that period, I also had the unique opportunity to lead the presidential campaign of Mauricio Macri. Without a doubt, one of the most intense professional experiences in any communicator’s career—handling that level of pressure, responsibility, and impact. Earlier in my career, I worked at Young & Rubicam, where I was part of the team behind one of the most iconic commercials in Argentine advertising: “Siamo Fuori” for Quilmes. And before that, I worked at DDB, where I took my first steps and realized this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Although my career eventually led me to manage agencies, I am originally an Art Director. I remain deeply obsessed with craft—what we would call, in our own way, a bit of a perfectionist. Being shaped at La Comunidad strongly influenced how I understand art direction and the importance of detail. In recent years, working with global brands, I have developed a strong connection with technology, particularly AI. I also became highly experienced in building large and complex campaigns, with long and sophisticated funnels—essentially, the kind of work the industry is demanding today. I have grown comfortable working across different types of campaigns, understanding that every brand requires a different solution, approached in a different way. In my free time, I also helped lead the presidential campaign of Juan Román Riquelme for Boca Juniors, and I was responsible for the club’s overall communication for more than five years. I did this more as a passion project than anything else. Global campaigns, regional campaigns, A-list agencies, leadership roles, awards, and even two presidential campaigns. Every now and then, I ask myself what advice I would give to that younger Fernando Sosa who was just starting out in advertising. Without a doubt, I would say: “Fer, don’t take press photos with your arms crossed wearing a black t-shirt.”