Luca Vergano

Luca Vergano

Innovation Consultant at Brooklyn
New York, United States

About me

I'm a design and innovation strategist with global experience and multicultural background.

I help organizations craft meaningful and award-winning ways for people to experience their offering.

I’ve worked with organizations like Apple, IKEA, Comcast, Adidas, McDonald’s, Google, Nissan, Uber, Unilever and P&G across four continents and different cultures: Europe, Asia, Australia and United States.

Always with a strong focus on data and new technological opportunities, because as William Gibson wrote, the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.

Languages
  • Italian - Native
  • English - Native
  • French - Pro
  • Spanish - Pro
  • Hebrew - Basic

Positions

Head Of Platform Strategy (Fractional)
Brooklyn
United States
January 2024 - Present (2 months)
Phrasia is an innovative, LLM-based platform to produce insights based on real narrative meaning, not just keywords.

As a Fractional Head Of Platform Strategy, I support Phrasia by prototyping and testing new business opportunities and innovative applications - from new verticals to expansion of the ecosystem - of this incredibly powerful platform.
Head Of Platform Strategy (Fractional)
Brooklyn
United States
January 2024 - Present (2 months)
Karakoram is an award-winning Developmental Innovation consultancy that develops solutions to the world’s toughest problems.

As a Fractional Head Of Platform Strategy, my remit is to identify and evaluate new large scale opportunities for social and humanitarian innovation, develop initial relationships and pitch narratives to showcase Karakoram’s incredible innovation capabilities.
Head Of Strategy
Instrument
United States
January 2023 - December 2023 (11 months)
I supported an insanely talented group of over 60 strategists, while pushing forward all the good stuff they're great at doing.

More specifically, as the Vice President of Strategy I collaborate with the other discipline leads to develop innovative, human-centric, and profitable brand experiences for blue-chip clients like Nike, Google, Microsoft, and many others. I report directly to the CEO the development of Instrument's unique perspective on Strategy, over our approach to New Business, and over the growth and development of our large Strategy team.
Head Of Strategy
New York, United States
January 2019 - December 2022 (3 years 11 months)
Leading the strategy department for Elephant, a boutique IPG company, created to design innovative products and services, experiences, and communications for groundbreaking companies like Apple, Comcast, Morgan Stanley, Beats by Dre, and NBCU.
Planning Director
Melbourne, Australia
February 2018 - December 2018 (10 months)
Part of the team that brought home the 2019 Cannes Grand Prix for Sustainability and the D&AD White Pencil with The Lion's Share.

Leading the strategic output on Visit Victoria, Mars Petfood, and Carlton & United Breweries (Ab InBev), I contributed in creating platforms for iconic brands like Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught and Pedigree. Contributed in growing the product strategy discipline in one of the most awarded agencies in the world.
Strategy Director
Singapore, Singapore
July 2016 - December 2017 (1 year 5 months)
Heading the strategy department across the roster of great clients like Uber, Google, IKEA.Lead the pitch that made R/GA Nikon's Global Digital Agency of Records.
Director of Engagement Strategy
Singapore, Singapore
September 2015 - July 2016 (10 months)
Won the global Singapore Tourism Board pitch, bringing one of South East Asia's top three accounts into the agency. Won Caltex Lubricants pitch, expanding TBWA's remit over the account. With Integer, worked on projects for Wrigley in Greater China, strengthening the agency's shopper portfolio.
Global Strategy Director
Hong Kong, China
August 2013 - September 2015 (2 years 1 month)
Lead the global business development of P&G premium haircare brands.Sustained Greater China brand leadership by growing sales 20% (vs. 14% category avg.) by delivering an innovative digital service platform.Re-launched the brand in the U.S. and Western Europe through slow-burn digital strategy.Handling FMCG in Greater China is a massive challenge given the fluidity of the environment and its constant evolution. On top of that, a radically different digital ecosystem made the experience even richer.Also acted as a Team Mentor for the planning team, responsible for fostering growth & strategy understanding among younger talent.
European Strategy Director
Boulogne-Billancourt, France
September 2010 - August 2013 (2 years 11 months)
Lead the 2011 launch of the luxury automotive brand Infiniti for the EMEA region.Lead the establishment of the Infiniti/Red Bull Racing F1 partnership on a global level.Now focusing on establishing it through engagement strategy. (Launch campaign increased awareness up to +50%, favourable opinion to +30%, FB fans to 50K and hot leads to +41%)Building a brand from scratch is every strategist's dream. Plus, managing globally the partnership with Red Bull Racing and the F1 involvement would make a petrolhead out of Al Gore. Maybe that's pushing it a bit, but you got the gist of it.
Group Coach
75016 Paris, France
January 2013 - July 2013 (6 months)
Master 2 - Communication, Brand Management Class.Work with the different groups of students helping them focus their strategic and creative output in order to deliver a solid final thesis.
Guest Speaker
Milano, Italy
2007 - November 2012 (5 years 10 months)
Guest Speaker at the Marketing Management Master of Science. Bocconi University is among the top global universities so it's been really a honour to be called back every year, until the distance became too much.
Senior Strategist
Milan, Italy
2006 - October 2010 (4 years 9 months)
McDonald's (Head Strategist - increased trust perception by 20pp in Italy through McDonald's first engagement strategy, worked with the European team) Apple (part of team working on iPhone 3G European launch)Eni (pitching as incumbent agency after 3 yrs mandate, confirmed)Adidas (launch of Marathon Vintage, launch of Adidas Bounce - International Pitch, Rome 2009 Champions League Final - International Pitch)Learning my way through many different things: International meetings with bad international coffee, the challenges of pushing Disruption and Media Arts and the scared approach to digital on the Italian playground.
Senior Strategist
Torino, Italy
2003 - 2006 (3 years)
Suzuki (auto & moto), Unicredit Bank, Tele2 (telcom), Ferrero, New Business.Developing local strategies. Responsible for agency's culture and methodology development. Tried to open their Facebook page in 2006, but was a bit too early for Italy.
Insight & UX Guy
Ovolab
2002 - 2006 (4 years)
Software house creating Apple-related products. Co-founded with Alberto Ricci (now iPhone Evangelist at Apple). He was the coding genius, I was trying to keep pace coming up with ideas for usable and engaging softwares that could catch people's interest.

Education

Faculty Of Literature

1993 - 2002 (9 years)

Scolarship

1999 - 2000 (1 year)

B.S. in Marketing

Other professional activities

PHNX 2022

Awards Jury Member

PHNX 2024

Awards Jury Member

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