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Executive Creative Director · CCO

Europe · MENA · APAC
 

Most brands could disappear
tomorrow,
and no one would notice.
I build the ones that would be
missed —
and the organizations
that make
it possible.

My strategic approach centers on pinpointing the tensions a brand can solve.

A brand becomes genuinely relevant only when it addresses real challenges,

entertains, triggers emotion, or shares knowledge worth having.

Foto Cristiano HR_1 copy.JPG

THE BELIEF

​​I like to stay close: to my teams, my clients, the people, and my own instinct. In over 20 years across Rome, Milan, Dubai, and Singapore, that instinct was right most of the time.

I bring together very different minds with very different opinions and points of view. But I hold the bar in only one direction: brand belief and its relevance. In today's hyper-fragmented digital world, that's the only way to build brand equity and deliver business results.

THE BACKGROUND

I grew up in Rome on a steady diet of cinema, football, architecture, philosophy, food, and family drama. Perfect training for a career in advertising.

After 20+ years living and working across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, I learned one thing that doesn't change between markets: human tensions are universal. What shifts is the cultural context that shapes how people behave, and that's exactly where the best ideas live.

WHAT I BUILD

Creative Organisations

I've built creative departments from scratch in Singapore, Dubai, and Milan — then scaled them to lead integrated campaigns across 30+ simultaneous markets for Toyota, Lexus, Friso, Heineken, Samsung, etc. I hire talent and I build the conditions for it to perform: the culture, the structure, the creative ambition, and the commercial discipline to hold it all together.

Agency Transformation

At Tonic International, I took the agency from unranked to Top 10 Most Awarded in MENA at Cannes in under two years. At Dentsu MENA, I raised the new business win rate from 20% to 60%. 

Integrated Operating Models

At Publicis/Starcom, I led FCA-ONETEAM: a unified hub embedding creative, media strategy, technology, and production for eight automotive brands simultaneously. At M+C Saatchi MENA, I built and led the agency's AI practice — developing frameworks to integrate emerging technology into creative and strategic workflows at scale.

Award-Winning Work with Real Business Results

In 2024, I delivered Singapore's first-ever Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Vaseline in Thailand. The campaign addressed a genuine human tension, reached millions of people who had never engaged with the brand before, and drove measurable commercial impact. It generated 158 million impressions, sold out across 670 stores, drove purchase intent 725% above benchmark, and took Vaseline to a record 35.2% market share. Work that spread because it was true, and because it solved something real.

RECOGNITION

2024

2025

2026

2026

Until 2026

2015

Cannes Lion Grand Prix

First ever for Singapore · Vaseline Transition Body Lotion

#1 Most Awarded ECD in Asia

ONE SHOW

Global Top 100 Most Awarded Creative Directors

The Drum

#2 Most Awarded FMCG Campaign Globally

The Drum

300+ awards total
7 Gold Cannes Lions · Grand Prix at Clio, OneShow, Spikes Asia, Andy Awards, Eurobest, ADC*E · D&AD Pencils · LIA 

Samsung Smart Bike

Permanent collection, MoMA New York

AGENCIES

SELECTED CLIENTS

BEYOND THE WORK

Ogilvy

M+C Saatchi

Dentsu

Leo Burnett

Publicis

JWT

Samsung · Unilever · IKEA · Toyota · Lexus · Heineken · Coca-Cola · Carlsberg · Audi · Fiat · Jeep · Puma · New Balance · Nestlé · Kellogg's · Meraas · Nakheel · Emirates NBD · Dubai Expo 2020 · Dubai Basketball

I lecture at IED Milan on cultural intelligence in advertising: how local culture shapes the conception, execution, and reception of ideas across global markets.

I mentor at D&AD. I believe how an industry thinks about the next generation of talent is as important as the work it makes today.

I'm also the proud father of a smart, creative daughter who keeps my taste honest.

I'm currently open to ECD and CCO conversations — global roles, regional
leadership
,
or organisations serious about
building something
that lasts.
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