RAPT Creative, the agency that opened its doors just eight months before the global Covid-19 lockdown but has bucked the trend to grow dramatically and now employs 46 people and list 17 brands as clients, has appointed Marco Santarelli as Partner – Creative and Strategy.

Santarelli joins from GRID Worldwide, where he worked for seven years. Born and raised in Johannesburg, he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration, BCom Marketing and BA Communications before joining Joe Public. From there he moved to Mortimer Harvey, then onto Ireland Davenport, and followed Vodacom to Ogilvy before joining GRID.

During that time, he worked on numerous brands including Absa Bank, Telkom Group, Sasol, Sanlam, Santam, Betking, Pernod Ricard, Nissan, DSTV, SuperSport, Alexander Forbes, Singapore Airlines, Stanlib, Liberty, Net1, Atlasmara, Freshpack, University of Johannesburg, Michelin, Marble, Saint, Vodacom, British Airways, Avios, Jägermeister, Clover, eBucks, Cobra, Foodcorp (Bobtail, Yum Yum, Piemans, Supreme and Nola), Incolabs, Nike and FIFA.

Making the announcement, RAPT Creative CEO, Garreth van Vuuren, said: “RAPT is a hungry, independent agency with ‘Top 5 in SA’ ambitions.

“At RAPT, a place where we have rewritten the playbook from Day 1 to achieve phenomenal growth, we recognise Marco’s ambition, it’s like looking in a mirror. We know he shares the same values as we do. We appreciate his drive to break creative and business barriers, and his desire to do so while acknowledging the people around him and helping each one of the RAPT team reach their full potential.

“Marco is committed to helping the senior management team he’s joining take the agency to new heights and we couldn’t be more ready for him.”

For his part, Santarelli left GRID Worldwide because he was seeking a platform to elevate his career and his personal journey, to make his mark on the industry.

“Five years from now, I would like to see an agency that continues to evolve to not only take advantage of new business opportunities but betters itself and the lives of those who worked for it every step of the journey,” he said.

“I want to be part of a leadership team that has empowered the agency to continue to grow from strength-to-strength so that the RAPT Creative brand and the brands that it works are successful on the global stage and are globally recognised for their creativity as well as their contribution to the communities in which they live.

“Our vision is for RAPT to be a home where the industry’s future generation of heavy-hitters continue to work and contribute. A place that fights for creativity to stay alive.”