Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Rapha Abreu is a global design leader with 20+ years of experience shaping iconic brands through world class craft, strategic clarity, and innovation. He is currently Vice President of Global Design at The Coca Cola Company, leading design expressions across a portfolio of billion dollar brands including Coca Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, Powerade, and Smartwater. As the first Latino to hold this role, Rapha brings a barrier breaking perspective to global leadership and creative transformation. At Coca Cola, Rapha drives a comprehensive global design strategy spanning brand identity, visual language, product design, interactive and motion systems, and retail experiences. He is also leading the integration of AI enabled design innovation, building scalable, brand consistent creative intelligence that accelerates execution, strengthens governance, and elevates craft across the system. Known for blending aesthetics with functionality, he builds cohesive brand worlds that scale globally while staying culturally relevant. His leadership also advances sustainability in design, championing improved materials and technologies across the creative process. Under Rapha’s leadership, Coca Cola was recognized as a Design Company of the Year honoree in 2025 by Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards, reflecting the team’s impact at the intersection of creativity, innovation, and business performance. Previously, Rapha served as Vice President and Global Head of Design at Restaurant Brands International, where he led the globally celebrated Burger King rebrand and transformative work for Popeyes and Tim Hortons. His teams delivered new benchmarks for the QSR category through modern retail concepts, including the flagship Popeyes store in Shanghai and touchless design standards for Burger King. Rapha’s work has been recognized with multiple Gold Cannes Lions, D&AD Wood and Graphite Pencils, and Dieline Awards. The Burger King rebrand alone earned more than 50 accolades, including Fast Company’s Rebrand of the Year and Gold honors from the Art Directors Club. Beyond his executive leadership, Rapha has served as Jury President for The One Show and Brazil Design Awards, and as a judge for D&AD, Effie, Dieline, and El Dorado. He is a frequent speaker at global events including D&AD Festival, How Design Live, and Adobe MAX, and his work has been featured in Fast Company, Creative Review, and Forbes.