October 2008
Siegel+Gale, one of the world's premier strategic branding firms, announced the appointment of Lee Rafkin as Global Director of Simplification.
"Simplification is the founding philosophy of Siegel+Gale - and a powerful strategic tool in differentiating and transforming brands," says Alan Siegel, Chairman and CEO.
"Lee Rafkin has more than 20 years of global experience as both a marketer and a brand strategist. He will lead the Simplification practice across all of Siegel+Gale's disciplines and offices, and will expand the scope of the practice from designing functional communications to optimizing customer experience in all channels."
Prior to joining Siegel+Gale, Mr. Rafkin was Founder and President of Rafkin & Company, a strategic brand consultancy he founded in 2002, and worked with such blue-chip clients as AOL, Discovery Networks, Reuters, The Tribune Company, SPEED Channel, and shopping-center developer Mills Corporation.
Previously, he was an Executive Director at FutureBrand, where he led the Latin America region and was the global client executive for AOL International. He has extensive global branding experience working in China, Europe, and Latin America.
"We live in a complex world full of information overload. Brands that simplify their customer experience in all touchpoints are more likely to win in today's marketplace," says Mr. Rafkin.
"There is no firm better positioned to deliver simplified customer experiences than Siegel+Gale, the pioneer of Simplification. I'm thrilled to join the team, and I look forward to growing this essential practice area."
Mr. Rafkin began his career in investment banking at Merrill Lynch. In 1991, he moved to the packaged goods industry as a Brand Manager at Pillsbury and Nabisco.
In 1996, he joined Nickelodeon, where he was Director of Marketing for the consumer products and licensing division. In 1999, he co-founded Savos, Inc., a wireless Internet startup, and served as its Chief Marketing Officer until the company was sold.
He joined the global brand consulting firm FutureBrand as Executive Director in 2001, where he helped acquire a branding firm and establish a brand consulting practice in Brazil, and led engagements in China and throughout Latin America.
For the past six years, Mr. Rafkin has led his own strategic brand consultancy, where he worked at the senior level with clients in media, entertainment, news and information, health care, financial services, consumer products, and real estate.
Mr. Rafkin graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in International Relations, magna cum laude, and holds an M.B.A. in Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management. He lives with his family in South Orange, N.J.
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