GUT Appoints Natalia Dávila as its First Head of Strategy in the U.S.
Creative independent agency GUT has appointed Natalia Dávila as its first Head of Strategy in the U.S. Dávila joins the agency after consulting in brand strategy and creative advertising for clients including Apple, Toyota and Bacardí.
In her new role, Dávila will co-lead a team of 15 multidisciplinary strategists across the agency in both Miami and Los Angeles, working alongside Pedro Porto, Chief Content Officer for North America, and Christian Pierre, Chief Intelligence Officer and Partner. She will report to U.S. CEO Sandra Alfaro.
“This has been a year of incredible growth, new milestones, and, above all, unparalleled creative work for GUT in the U.S. market,” said Alfaro. “By bringing on Natalia to lead strategy for the U.S., we are completing our senior leadership team here and are really putting ourselves in a position to propel our clients forward to the next level in 2024.”
Natalia has led strategy on award-winning creative campaigns, brand platforms, and product innovation. Her diverse background in brand, comms and media has shaped her approach to marketing, blending analytical and creative thinking to build results-driven communications grounded in human truths. She has a passion for building and nurturing teams, and believes that as marketers we have the power - and responsibility - to shape how people see themselves and the world around them. Additional clients Natalia has worked with throughout her career include Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW Group, NAACP Atlanta, Molson Coors, Lavazza, Embraer, Vonage, letgo, MetLife and Varo Bank.
“Natalia's background as a hybrid brand and communications planner is combined with crucial experience in traditional agencies, creative boutiques and tech companies. Her strategic repertoire will help GUT take next steps toward building its strategic reputation in the U.S. market and fuel our growth even further,” said Fernando Ribeiro, Global CSO and Partner. “We're thrilled to have her join us and believe she's the perfect fit to head our strategy disciplines in the U.S."
Dávila’s career began at Crispin Porter Bogusky, where she started in media before moving into brand strategy. Later, she established the strategy department at experiential agency TEAM Enterprises before moving to independent agency 22Squared, where she helped launch the inclusion consultancy Embrace. Dávila holds a degree in art and chemistry from the University of North Carolina. This artistic and scientific background informs her unique and innovative approach to strategy.
“Our goal is to elevate the strategy at Gut to be on par with the creative we are delivering by bringing a more integrated, a more global and a more gutsy approach to strategy in the U.S.” Dávila said. “This Miami-born agency is leading the industry and shaping culture not just at a local level, but also at a national and global scale. Our location and diversity informs our point of view on the U.S. market—we are representative of the next generation of consumers here.”
This announcement comes on the heels of GUT appointing Sandra Alfaro as its first U.S. CEO in September, as well as the Network’s expansion to Amsterdam earlier this year, its first office in Europe. The agency network was also named Adweek’s 2023 Breakthrough Agency of the Year, and GUT Buenos Aires was named Adweek’s 2023 International Agency of the Year. At Cannes 2023, GUT won a record-breaking 35 Lions, including 3 Grand Prix, and was named Cannes’ #1 Independent Network of the Year and LATAM Regional Network of the Year, and its GUT Buenos Aires office was honored as both Independent Agency of the Year and Agency of the Year.