AKQA elevates regional leadership with Executive Creative Director and Head of Client Services appointments

Felipe Petroni and Daniel Batista will partner with Managing Director Manuela Rinzler and LATAM CCO Renato Zandoná to advance AKQA’s frontier agency vision

AKQA Casa has announced the promotion of Felipe Petroni to Executive Creative Director (on the right) and Daniel Batista to Head of Client Services. Together with Managing Director Manuela Rinzler and Chief Creative Officer for Latin America Renato Zandoná, Felipe and Daniel will contribute to AKQA’s continued growth at a time when the company operates at the frontier – where imagination, technology and craft combine at the speed of culture to create new forms of value.

Felipe has led creative projects for global brands in entertainment, sport and consumer goods for over 20 years. Since joining AKQA Casa in 2022, he has contributed to a body of work that connects design, storytelling and technology, reflecting the studio’s aspiration to pair creative excellence with tangible impact. He has worked closely with some of the world’s most recognisable brands, including long‑term collaborations with companies such as Nike and Uber, helping them translate cultural insight into ideas that travel across markets.

Among these initiatives, Congresso em Foco’s Transparency Card stands out as a clear expression of that ambition. Using real‑time data to monitor politicians’ use of taxpayer money, the project became the most awarded Brazilian work at Cannes Lions 2023, in addition to Fast Company’s World Changing Idea Award for Politics and Policy. In his elevated role, Felipe will continue to support the evolution of AKQA’s creative vision at a time when the future is still being defined.

Felipe said: “I’ve always admired AKQA for its visionary work. It’s an inventive company that’s been looking ahead from the start. Stepping into this role at such a pivotal moment – not only for the creative industry, but for the world – is both a source of pride and a reason to be genuinely curious about what we can build next.”

The appointment of Daniel Batista as Head of Client Services strengthens AKQA Casa’s position as a frontier agency committed to delivering creative innovation in service of business objectives across the network. Following his tenure as Client Partner, Daniel will continue to lead client partnerships, exploring new ways of delivering value that drive transformative impact and fuel substantial growth. With twenty years of experience, he brings deep expertise in developing creative business solutions that deliver measurable results for iconic, culturally resonant brands such as TikTok and AB InBev.

Daniel said: “AKQA is a place where creative ambition and business impact are treated as part of the same challenge. I’m excited to deepen the way we partner with clients – combining strategic clarity, collaboration and innovation to drive growth. Today, behaviour changes quickly and access to technology is no longer a differentiator. As the market calls for closer collaboration across disciplines and geographies, one of my goals is to help our partners navigate complexity with clarity and distinction.”

Together, Felipe and Daniel will help AKQA Casa deliver on its ambition to be a growth partner for brands, supporting clients who believe in the power of creativity to build the future, and ensuring that work at the intersection of creativity, technology and culture responds not only to business needs but also to the constant transformations of the world, with people at the centre.

For Manuela Rinzler, the studio’s Managing Director, “AKQA has always valued and created space for its own talent, these appointments reflect our culture. We promoted people from within the agency who have grown with us and will help us grow in the future. Felipe brings a culture-driven creative vision, and Daniel adds a keen and collaborative perspective to boost our clients’ businesses. Together, they form a leadership team that helps us transform ambition into real value, using creativity and AI, responding to constant market transformations, while still caring for the people and partners who make it all possible.”

Source: AKQA Casa

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