Strategic Advisor on Place Branding, Strategy & Experience
Helping places understand their identity, manage their reputation and shape their future.
I advise public institutions, development agencies and destination organizations on how to understand their places more deeply, strengthen identity and reputation, and shape strategies that create long-term value for the place and its people.
About
For more than four decades, I have worked with cities, regions, countries, districts and destinations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, helping them address questions of identity, reputation, development and transformation.
My work connects place branding, strategy and experience with economic development, tourism, culture and investment. It begins with understanding what makes a place distinctive, what it wants to become and what value it seeks to create for its people.
I see places as complex living systems, where identity, reputation, experience, economy, culture, quality of life and governance are deeply interconnected. Creating lasting value requires understanding how these dimensions work together—and how that value can be more balanced, shared and sustained over time.
I advise public institutions, development agencies, destination organisations and developers on building stronger identities, managing reputation and shaping strategies that create long-term value. This includes translating identity and positioning into coherent, distinctive experiences for those who live, work and visit cities, districts, destinations and major developments.
As a strategic advisor, I help leaders frame challenges, make informed decisions and maintain coherence across complex processes of change.
My previous roles include senior positions at FutureBrand, Coopers & Lybrand and KPMG, and membership of the Barcelona ’92 Olympic Organising Committee. I am a founding member of Barcelona Global and the International Place Branding Association, and an editorial reviewer for Place Branding and Public Diplomacy.
I regularly speak at international conferences, universities and executive programmes, sharing insights on place branding, strategy and experience drawn from four decades of learning from places.
Current Focus - Ibiza Tourism Repositioning
Strategic advisory and coordination for Ibiza’s tourism development and repositioning, connecting destination management, brand strategy, product development and related transformation initiatives.
See complete profile and experience by clicking below
Places I have worked
I have worked across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, supporting places at different stages of development and transformation, including
Western Europe
- Andorra
- Belgium
- France
- Greece
- Italy
- Portugal
- Spain
- United Kingdom
Central and Eastern Europe
- Belarus
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic
- Georgia
- Hungary
- The Russian Federation
- Slovakia
- Ukraine
United States of America (USA)
LatinAmerica
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Honduras
- México
Northern Africa
- Morocco
- Algeria
- Turkey
Middle East
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
- Qatar
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
East and South East Asia
- China
- Vietnam
References
Some of the organizations I have worked for and collaborated with
| Abadia de Montserrat | Ente de Turismo de Buenos Aires | L'Hospitalet City Council. Barcelona | Santa Maria della Scala. Siena | UNWTO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona City Council | EU DG Growth / ETC | Moscow Urban Forum | Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) | ESADE |
| Barcelona Global Association | Eurocities | Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima | Siena ECOC Bid 2019 | Anren. Sichuan Province. China |
| ACCIÓ - Generalitat de Catalunya | EuroPCom, Committee for the Regions EU | Novosibirsk regional Government | The Sakha Republic Government. Yakutia | Invest in Greece. Athens |
| Andorra Global Business | Georgia national Tourism Administration (GNTA) | Barcelona Strategic Metropolitan Plan (PEMB) | Travel Trade Athens | Toposophy |
| Aspen Institute Prague | Global Cities | Petushki. Vladimir Oblast | UFA City Government | Postobón |
| Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) | Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) | Poblenou Urban District | Universitat de Barcelona (UB) | Telefonica Group |
| Best Place Institute | Gobierno de Honduras | Porto Business School | Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) | Africa Place Marketing |
| BOP Consulting | IBEI, Barcelona | Porto City Council | UIMP, Barcelona. Centre Ernest Lluch | Expo City Dubai |
| CECOT | Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB) | Reig Capital Group | Universidad de Cantabria | Consell Insular d'Eivissa |
| Cámara Industrial Argentina de la Indumentaria | Institute for the Creative Economy . Kosice | Renewal SA (Government of South Australia) | Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF) | |
| Charleston Trust | IPR Praha | Russian State Academy for State at the Russian President | Universitat de Vic (UVIC) | |
| Comune di Siena | Kirovograd Regional Government | Sabino Arana Fundazioa | UNDP | |
| Conseil Régional du Turisme de Marrakech | Manual Thinking | Saint Petersburg Economic Forum | Vietnam Tourism | |
| Diputació de Barcelona | Mattera Hub | Saransk Hospitality Forum | Visit Kosice | |
| ECORYS Polska | MLA + | SATIO. Minsk | World Communication Forum Davos |
Speaking
I actively participate in different international events and forums as speaker or moderator.
Signature Keynotes:
- VALUE-BASED PLACE BRANDING
Is place branding, as we have traditionally understood it, still enough?
Places are complex living systems. Identity, reputation, experience, culture, governance and transformation are deeply interconnected — shaping not only how places are perceived, but how they work and evolve.
Drawing on more than forty years of international practice, I explore a value-based approach to place branding: understanding what value a place needs to create, for whom, and how branding can contribute to that value through strategy, experience and action.
- FROM PLACE VISION TO LIVED EXPERIENCE
How does a place turn its identity and ambition into an experience people can actually live?
For urban districts, destinations and major developments, a compelling vision is only the beginning. The challenge is to connect spaces, activities, services and partnerships into a coherent and distinctive experience for those who live, work and visit there.
Drawing on four decades of international practice, I explore how Place Experience Strategy can translate identity and positioning into everyday experience — defining what value to create for different audiences, guiding decisions and assessing whether the experience delivers on the place’s promise.
- MANAGING DESIRABILITY
What happens when a place's success becomes one of its greatest challenges?
For some of the world's most desirable places, the challenge is shifting from generating attraction to managing its consequences — from pressure on housing and public space to identity, local life and belonging.
Drawing on first-hand experience, I explore how successful places can manage desirability while continuing to create sustained value for their economies and the place itself - without eroding the qualities that made them desirable in the first place.
Main areas of work and expertise
- PLACE IDENTITY & DIRECTION
Understanding the place, its identity, values, aspirations and future direction. - PLACE BRANDING & REPUTATION
Building distinctive identities, narratives, positioning and reputation.
- PLACE EXPERIENCE STRATEGY
Translating identity and positioning into coherent, distinctive experiences across spaces, activities and services for those who live, work and visit. - ADVISORY & ORCHESTRATION
Helping institutions navigate complexity, align stakeholders and turn strategy into action.
Contact
Please get in touch with me