After 5 years of entrepreneurial experience, Francesco Guerrera returns to the role of creative executive director of a large agency. His clear objective is to grow an agency that has enormous potential and a fantastic background in data. In September Francesco Guerrera will take on the role of Group Executive Creative Director of Acqua Group.

His experience with Le Balene, historic independent Milanese agency, has therefore come to an end but Guerrera’s successes (Pirelli, Persol, Sunglass Hut, IAB, Generali) and awards remain – he won 1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronzes at the ADCI AWARDS. But his special successes, as is his wont, are his unconventional projects: 6 exhibitions, 1 book (The Design of Words) and a documentary (The Big Hit, directed by Sandro Baldoni) that won a prestigious Nastro d’Argento “Silver Ribbon” award. All this was merged in a project of his, Acqua su Marte (Water on Mars): creativity, production and creativity culture fused with great talents such as Emiliano Ponzi (Illustrator), Alessandro Facchini (CGI Artist), Andrea Castelletti (Packaging Designer) and many others in a creative space in the Navigli district of Milan.

The story of Le Balene came to a natural end: with Marco Andolfato and Sandro Baldoni, he grew as a manager in an experience that enriched him above all personally. Now the challenge that awaits him is among the most stimulating of his career: Davide Arduini and Andrea Cimenti have dared him, as part of an expansion plan that will see Acqua Group involved in other surprises in the coming weeks, to take the company towards a new vision that focuses not only on creativity but above all on the culture of innovation through an increasingly creative use of data. In this scenario, Guerrera will head, together with the current Group Executive Creative Director Massimo Del Monaco, a solid department with many skills in Retail, Events and Social, with a mandate to grow not only the turnover but especially the standing of Acqua Group, particularly in creative culture, across media and platforms.

Francesco Guerrera was born in 1977, and graduated in Communication Sciences from the University of Palermo, beginning his Milanese experience in Saatchi&Saatchi, which he considers his Alma Mater. He was on the team of various agencies not least DDB and Havas, and the first Creative Director at Armando Testa where he won his first Leone d’Oro (“Golden Lion”), then ECD in TBWA Italy until the experience with Acqua su Marte and Le Balene. He is the Founder of IF! Italians Festival, and since its inception he is responsible for the branding and communication of the festival. He has picked up the skills to become also an Art Director and maker; he loves dirty hands and a clean mind. Calligrapher of international fame, in 2013 he became the only Italian member of the Calligraphy Masters Team. Photographer, director, he loves cross-media and the fusion of creative cultures with digital influences but with a strong focus on handcraft.