After building his career in executive positions for several years, Rafe’s first major role was as the Brand Manager at The Walt Disney Company in 1993. In this role, he developed and initiated the marketing campaign "having fun never goes out of style", with triggered Disney’s sales to grow from $50 million to $800 million. In response, Disney appointed him Director of Global Marketing for Disney Consumer Products. Rafe led worldwide marketing campaigns to the value of $12 billion, using strategic vision to nurture Disney’s evolution to the company it is today.
In 1997, Rafe took the role of Group Brand Manager at The Coca-Cola Company. Thanks to his experience at Disney, he founded a Strategic Innovation Management committee, to develop unique packaging and sales equipment from extensive research and marketing. With Rafe’s influence, the company enjoyed $55 million of extra profits. Only two years later, in 1999, he was offered the role of Global Marketing Director, a position that allowed him to lead product development and marketing campaigns for Coca-Cola stores, events and merchandising. In this role, Rafe generated global sales of $1.2 billion.
Rafe also founded a personal brand, Sofar Sounds, that offers a platform for unique and upcoming music artists. Described by New York Magazine as “one of the top new brands in America”, the company markets and promotes gigs in intimate stages across the globe. This global movement hosted shows in over 300 cities, with the aim of rekindling the spark in live music. The Guardian stated that Sofar Sounds was a “quiet revolution”, due to its unique take on music.
As a business speaker, Rafe incorporates his experience in both global business and his personal enterprise, Sofar Sounds, in his public speeches, to inspire audiences to pursue their own business dreams. With a passion for understanding the customers needs, his enigmatic and charismatic presenting style has made him a popular choice on the speaking circuit.
