Rafael da Costa Neves

- Leading the transformation strategy for Knorr North America, Unilever’s second-largest global brand. - Designed and executed the 2024–2028 innovation pipeline, aligning data-driven consumer insights with category expansion to accelerate growth in the US retail center-of-store segment. - Delivered a 10x multiplier on innovation-led revenue during the first two years, institutionalizing a high-performance growth framework that secured sustainable brand momentum. - Directed the digital-first launch of Knorr Premium Flavor Base, achieving Top-10 ranking on Amazon and earning the 2026 Product of the Year award, the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. - Led the integrated communications strategy for new product launches, leveraging social-first demand generation and digital-to-retail conversion across channels.

- General Manager for the first Multicultural program in US Foods, targeting 90 million consumers. - Managed full P&L ownership, driving revenue growth and maximizing profitability through cross-functional leadership and strategic cost control. - Launched Unilever’s first international food brands program across 2,500+ stores within major US retailers. Results Oriented Program: Spearheaded a high-impact growth initiative delivering 2x growth in Revenue for Knorr and redefining Joint Business Planning (JBP) standards with top-tier US retailers. - Leveraged POS store-level execution and consumer trends to accelerate entry into the $8B International Aisle segment.

- Co-led with GM the organizational design and architected the strategy for the $2B NA Foods business unit. - Led the Fuel for Growth (F4G) initiative, creating a strategic investment fund through Net Revenue Management (NRM) and Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) that enabled the highest BMI (brand marketing investment) on record behind the business and sustained the following years of growth. - Served as the M&A lead for the North America Business Unit, ensuring seamless integration into annual planning. Directed the marketing and category assessment for strategic acquisition targets, identifying high-value white space opportunities and providing the commercial roadmap that underpinned capital allocation and long-term portfolio strategy. - Led a comprehensive cross-functional audit and strategic alignment for the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), securing the #1 ranking for Unilever Foods in the US in 2023.

- Marketing lead for Foods, driving operational excellence and demand creation. - Executed the Burger Route activation, the biggest burger festival in the country, driving 1 million+ new users to restaurants and achieving a +10% sales uplift for participant restaurants. - Engineered a high-precision digital ecosystem, leveraging CRM and eCommerce data to synchronize brand awareness with transaction; achieved significant full-funnel efficiency by obsessively tracking conversion metrics and bridging the path to purchase for B2B operators (restaurants). - Architected a multi-channel business resilience framework during the 2020 global market disruption, pioneering diversified operator models and commercial routes that successfully mitigated the impact of restaurant closures and secured business continuity across the B2B portfolio.

- Launched the largest brand activation on Hellmann's in Food Service (Burger League), driving improvement in brand perception and partnership across multi-brands in Foods. - Responsible for the business performance of all categories in Food Service in Brazil (Dressings, Savory, Desserts). Activities include P&L management, sales targets, activity planning. innovation deployment. - Launched the biggest activation under the brand Hellmann's in Food Service, strategizing a partnership across multi-brands in Foods to bring superior benefits to consumers and restaurants. The Burger League improved the Hellmann's brand perception (90%) and drove product trial of the Hellmann's Ketchup (88%). - Leading the agenda of all business strategic plans and annual plans for all categories in Brazil.

- Designed the Dressings category strategy for Latam and Nola, enabling consecutive category growth for 2 years. - Category leader in Latam (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico), working on all portfolio renovation across multiple sub-categories (mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salad dressings). - Relaunched the Arisco and Hellmann’s brand in Food Service.

- Relaunched Lifebuoy's full mix (proposition, product, pack, promo), enabling the brand to achieve the highest market share historically during the period. - Responsible for the Lifebuoy skin cleansing portfolio (bars and handwash) across Africa (over 15 countries). - Leading the brand’s innovation agenda in Africa and re-launching of Lifebuoy across Africa (one of PC’s most important projects in Africa) and Co-creating all brand communications with the Global team. Lifebuoy achieved the fastest growth rate in skin cleansing in 2013.

- Launched the first Dove Masterbrand campaign in South Africa, turning Dove into the fastest growing brand in skin cleaning. - Relaunching Dove bars, variants, body wash and Men ranges. Leading the communication agenda, which has brought Dove closer to its target during the period. - Successfully launching the first Dove Masterbrand (brand mission) campaign in South Africa across multiple channels, transforming the campaign scope for South Africa as a step-up activation versus other countries.

- Co-led the design and creation of the most disruptive innovation in skin cleansing during the year. - Led disruptive innovation (including concept creation, validation, packaging development and communication), introducing the first automatic handwash dispenser under the Lifebuoy brand, a truly Global initiative involving multiple countries in Asia, Middle-East and Latam. - Co-leader of the strategy and roadmap on Lifebuoy’s PC devices platform for all future innovations.

- Co-led the successful launch of Omo Liquid Concentrated in Brazil, marking the launch in the liquid detergent format for the first time. Omo is the largest brand across all categories in the country. - Responsible for Omo’s brand performance tracking in Latam tracking on key markets. - Key member on the launch of Omo Liquid Super Concentrated in Brazil, scoping-up the mix after launch and working on the development of multiple communication campaigns for Omo Liquid.

- Led the brand's relaunch, ensuring share leadership in the segment. - Led innovation and communication development for Brilhante brand in LA. Relaunched the entire mix in 2009, repositioning the brand as whiteness expert - Brilhante re-launch achieved 50% value share growth. - Responsible for the brand’s performance in Latam on key markets, analyzing main KPIs vs. competition: market share, price index, SOV, equity and financial indicators.

FGV, founded in 1944, is a world renowned center for quality education dedicated to promoting Brazil's economic and social development. With eight schools, two research institutes, technical assistance projects and a publishing unit, FGV is ranked one of the top think tanks and top higher education institutions in the world.

ESPM, founded in 1951, is Brazil's premier center of excellence for Communication, Marketing, and Business Management. ESPM serves as a vital hub for innovation and professional leadership in the creative and corporate sectors. The institution is consistently ranked as the leading college for Marketing and Advertising in Brazil and holds prestigious international accreditations, including memberships in the AACSB and EFMD, solidifying its status as a top-tier global education provider.

Universidad Antonio de Nebrija is a premier private institution in Madrid recognized for its academic excellence and innovation. Consistently ranked as one of the top universities in Spain, Nebrija holds the prestigious 5 QS Stars, the highest international rating for teaching quality and employability. With a global outlook and strong ties to the corporate world, the institution is a member of the EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) and is celebrated for its high graduate employment rates and its role as a key hub for international business and communication studies in Europe.