Independent creative agency network GUT has appointed Sandra Alfaro as its first-ever U.S. CEO. She will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of GUT’s office in Miami, the network’s headquarters, as well as its GUT Los Angeles office, effective September 5. She will be working closely with the agency’s global leadership team, especially with the U.S. creative leads Ricardo Casal and Juan Javier Peña Plaza, North America CCOs and partners, and Bruno Acanfora and Ariel Abramovici, ECDs at GUT LA, as well as Carmen Rodriguez, global chief growth officer and partner. Based in Miami, Alfaro will report to GUT’s global CEO Andrea Diquez.
“Sandra is an incredible business leader. She understands where the market and consumers are going so she is the best at setting up clients’ businesses for success,” said Diquez. “Also, her integrated thinking amazes me every time. She’s able to merge media, creativity and data seamlessly into business, and has created models across many categories. And above all, Sandra champions people and creativity, and her heart is huge. Those qualities for me are why she is perfect for our culture and this new role, and is key to GUT’s future as we continue to grow globally.”
Alfaro brings over 25 years of experience across the advertising and marketing industries. Hailing from DDB Chicago, she most recently served as its president. During her time there, she helped the agency launch its first dedicated social practice, and played a key role in new business. Before DDB, she was at Horizon Media, where she was the first leader of culture-first creative agency 305 Worldwide, a joint-venture with Pitbull. And prior to that, she was the managing director of Grey Wing for five years, and helped it win major clients including Pfizer, Papa John’s, Lilly, and Nestle.
“The culture of GUT is what most excites me. They are a brave agency for brave clients with clarity on its values of courage, transparency and intuition, which means that GUT knows what it is, and what it’s not, which is inspiring and exciting,” said Alfaro. “In my new role, I hope to inspire the U.S. team to continue delivering brave work to its amazing clients, while ensuring the agency operates both effectively and efficiently. Growth is my passion, so it’s always my goal to inspire teams to embrace a growth mindset in all we do, in both the agency, as well as with clients. I view myself as a servant leader, so I will focus my energy on helping teams thrive and reach their greatest potential, while also being open to learn from their diverse points of view.”
In her 20+ years in account management, Alfaro has actively led campaigns across major categories including in retail, automotive, CPG, beer, pharma, non-alcoholic beverages, apparel/fashion and beauty, for clients such as The Home Depot, Nissan, Heineken, Stouffer’s, Old Navy, and many others. As the first U.S. born in her Peruvian family, Alfaro has always been interested in learning from different cultures and perspectives in both her personal and professional lives. She also earned her Professional Coaching Certification in 2019, and founded Power & Grace, a boutique consultancy offering life and business coaching, corporate training and public speaking.
“After five years of really exciting growth, it was finally time to appoint someone who could help us continue to lead and grow our U.S. offices successfully, which is why we entrust Sandra with this amazing responsibility,” said Anselmo Ramos, co-founder and creative chairman at GUT. “We also wanted to find someone who shared our people-first philosophy and could help us perpetuate it even more across GUT Miami and GUT LA. We also love the fact that Sandra already worked with Andrea in the past and they perfectly complement each other; we’re strong believers in the power of the second time. I have no doubt that Sandra will successfully lead us into our new chapter of growth and success for our offices and clients across the U.S., and Gaston, Andrea and I, along with our leadership team, will be there to support her every step of the way.”
Alfaro’s appointment comes on the heels of GUT Network’s strong year at Cannes Lions, where it won a total of 35 Lions, including three Grand Prix, eight Golds, 12 Silvers and 12 Bronzes. It also became Cannes Lions’ Independent Network of the Year, LATAM Regional Network of the Year, and its GUT Buenos Aires office was honored as its Independent Agency of the Year and Agency of the Year–the first for Argentina. GUT also recently expanded its footprint to Europe, with the opening of its seventh office in Amsterdam earlier this year.
Alfaro earned her MBA in marketing and management from NYU’s Stern School of Business and her BSBA in International Business from The American University. She began her career at Saatchi & Saatchi, which was where she discovered her passion for advertising and business leadership. Later, at The Vidal Partnership (TVP), she spent over a decade building a best-in-class account management department, reaching the role of managing partner of the agency before she was 30.
