São Paulo, October 2026 – Leo announces the arrival of Rafael Merel as Creative Director. Originally a copywriter with over 20 years of experience in the advertising market, the creative will join the structure led by Vinicius Stanzione, Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Leo, with a cross-functional role and contributing to different creative challenges at the agency.
The arrival comes at a time of strengthening Leo’s creative department and evolving the agency’s operations, which has been expanding its reach and investing in different approaches to meet the challenges of its clients. Merel brings to the team a background that combines creative experience, team leadership, and work with major brands.
“Merel is an experienced creative, with a broad repertoire and, above all, the ability to navigate very different challenges without losing his restlessness. That’s what we look for when strengthening our team: people who bring their own perspective, contribute to the collective, and help us go beyond the most obvious path. He comes to add to the Creative team as a whole, and we are very happy to have him with us,” says Vinicius Stanzione, Chief Creative Officer at Leo.
Throughout his career, Rafael Merel has worked at agencies such as DM9DDB, F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Y&R, Africa, and Lew’Lara\TBWA. He has also held leadership positions such as Vice President of Creative at Heads and Executive Creative Director at Nacional. His portfolio includes work for brands such as Itaú, Heineken, Nissan, Nubank, Nike, and Heinz.
His career also includes recognition at some of the leading national and international creative festivals, including Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Clio, El Ojo de Iberoamerica, FIAP, and Clube de Criação. In addition to serving on advertising industry juries, Merel has twice been a juror for the Jabuti Prize.
“I’m very happy to join Leo, an iconic agency that has always believed in creativity as a guiding principle. And which is now investing more and more in technology to enhance that creativity and make it an even greater differentiator. Because the principle remains the same as the one Leo championed and which I have always believed in: ‘Keep it simple. Make it memorable. Make it visually appealing. Make it fun to read.’ That’s the challenge,” says Rafael Merel, Creative Director at Leo.
Merel’s arrival is part of Leo’s efforts to strengthen its creative performance, bringing together the experience of professionals who have been part of its history with new perspectives and approaches. This combination reflects the agency’s evolution and its pursuit of increasingly relevant solutions for people, brands, and businesses.
