Two decades ago I set out to build things that make people feel something, first through advertising, then through spaces, and now through the design of entire destinations.
I've led creative and experience teams across five countries and four continents: building a digital shop from a Shanghai basement without speaking a word of Chinese, transforming a national agency in Jakarta into the most sought-after in the country, and shaping how millions of people experience travel and place in Saudi Arabia.
Experiences outlast things. They’re what people remember, what they tell stories about, what brings them back. Everything I build starts there.
My career has moved through advertising, brand experience, live events, and, for the past several years, destination and tourism strategy. Along the way I’ve worked with agencies including BBDO/Proximity, Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, and Serviceplan, on brands from Unilever and Coca-Cola to Mercedes-Benz and Emirates. Each stop demanded something different: rebuilding a creative culture, launching a product into a saturated market, or convincing a government stakeholder that experience design is not decoration but strategy.
Since 2022, I’ve been Executive Director of Experience Design at the Saudi Tourism Authority in Riyadh, where I lead the development of experiential concepts and spatial strategy for Saudi Arabia’s cultural, historical and natural attractions with work that spans single-experience creative direction to building the frameworks an entire sector runs on.
Before STA, I worked independently across the Middle East and Latin America as a creative director for experiential agencies, including creative and spatial planning for the FIFA Fan Fest (Qatar 2022), the HBO Max launch across Latin America, and government and brand activations with MCH Global, Imagination, Auditoire, Prisme International and others.
Do drop me a line to say hi, or to discuss projects!
Seb
At the Judging Table
ADSTARS South Korea 2017 & 2018
Campaign Magazine Middle East
Awards & Recognition
UAE Business Awards – MEA Markets – for LEAP/NATION – 2018
Most successful AXE Apollo campaign globally – UNILEVER – 2014
BRONZE – – AXE APOLLO – Citra Pariwara Awards – 2014
SILVER – Campaign “Agency of the Year, Indonesia” – 2013
FINALIST – Adventures with La Vache qui rit – MENA Cristal Awards 2012
BEST ARABIC WEBSITE – Travel, Retail & Lifestyle – Adventures with La Vache qui rit – The Internet Awards Middle East 2012
FINALIST – Adventures with La Vache qui rit – Effies 2011
SHORTLIST – Adventures with La Vache qui rit – DUBAI LYNX 2011
GOLD – Showtime Arabia – UAE Excellence Awards 2009
GOLD – Lagoons.ae – UAE Excellence Awards 2009
GOLD – Pepsi Streetfootball – UAE Excellence Awards 2009
SILVER – du telecom – UAE Excellence Awards 2009
BRONZE – Pepsi “Haifa” – DUBAI LYNX 2008
SHORTLIST Pepsi “Sea of Stars” – DUBAI LYNX 2008
CYBER CRISTAL – m&ms – MENA Cristal Awards 2008
CYBER CRISTAL – The Monarch Hotel Dubai – MENA Cristal Awards 2008
PROMOTION CRISTAL Pepsi – “Sea of Stars Viral” – MENA Cristal Awards 2008
GOLD – AbuDhabiAwards.com – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2008
GOLD – CocoPops Al Arabia website – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2008
Creative Website Award Site of the Day – M&Ms
SILVER – m&ms – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2008
SILVER – Lagoons.com – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2008
GOLD – Sama Dubai Properties – UAE Excellence Awards 2008
GOLD – Abu Dhabi Awards – UAE Excellence Awards 2008
SILVER – Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank website – UAE Excellence Awards 2008
BRONZE – Snickers website – UAE Excellence Awards 2008
BRONZE – Dubal web communication – UAE Excellence Awards 2008
BRONZE Emirates Airlines 777 launch – DUBAI LYNX 2007
BRONZE “Wella Makeover” – DUBAI LYNX 2007
GOLD – The Monarch Hotel Dubai – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2007
SILVER – Lagoons.com – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2007
SILVER – Snickers Streetskillz – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2007
BEST STRATEGIC ENTERTAINMENT – PepsiSeaOfStars.com – Pan Arab Excellence Awards 2007
Experience
Saudi Tourism Authority (STA)
Executive Director Experience Design
Saudi Arabia Tourism Destination Development, Tourism activities & attraction concepts, private-sector experience labs lead)
LEAP/NATION
Principal Creative & Founder
Peugeot, UAE Government, du telecom, Quintessentially, Havas Worldwide
OgilvyOne
Digital Creative Director
Unilever (AXE, Ponds, Rinso, Molto, Lipton), The Coca-Cola Company (Coke, Aquarius), Nestlé, Philips, and local brands
Serviceplan
Regional Integrated Creative Director
BMW Group (BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce), Takaful Emarat Insurance, Continental Tires, Austrian Business Council)
Leo Burnett
Regional Digital Creative Director
General Motors (Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac), du telecom, Groupe bel, Philip Morris, Emirates Airlines
IMPACT Proximity/BBDO
Regional Digital Creative Director
PepsiCo (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Mirinda), Mercedes-Benz, Dubai Properties, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
EmporioAsia (later aquired by Publicis Groupe)
Digital Creative Director
Ritz Carlton, Hilton, Marriott, Chine Eastern Airlines, Lanxess Chemicals