Barbarian Appoints Eliza Yvette Esquivel as Chief Strategy Officer

Eliza Yvette Esquivel has joined Barbarian as chief strategy officer, working across the agency’s full client portfolio and reporting directly to CEO Steven Moy. 

Eliza’s role at Barbarian will be to refine the agency’s strategy and consulting service offerings in the wake of the digital transformation and disruption accelerated by the pandemic, and she will help clients navigate the major and permanent shifts in brand-consumer relationships. 

Steven Moy, Barbarian CEO, said: “When I first met Eliza, I immediately knew she would be my business partner to disrupt our industry and transform our clients’ digital business in weeks, not months. Eliza brings a unique blend of agency and Fortune 100 brand transformation experience, and her thinking and practical approach are what Barbarian’s clients need today.”

She moves to Barbarian from FutureBrand, where she held the same role, leading a team of strategists and writers to transform brands across several sectors including tech, healthcare, retail, biotech and clean energy.

Eliza Yvette Esquivel, chief strategy officer at Barbarian, said: “Barbarian has always been a change agent with the uncanny ability to reimagine creative technology for marketers. I can think of no better place to usher in the new era we can all sense is upon us. Everything is up for redefinition, including the way strategic excellence can foster the next generation of marketing innovation. I am delighted to join Barbarian and look forward to unleashing the full might of its talent and vast capabilities to unlock financial and societal impact for clients. 

Before FutureBrand, Eliza was a senior executive leading global brand strategy at Microsoft and Mondelez. Prior to that she spent 12 years as a brand strategist at TBWA, W+K, JWT and DDB. 

During her career, Eliza has worked on accounts including Coke, Nike, McDonald’s, Estee Lauder, Philips, Accenture, Amazon and Facebook. She was named one of Business Insider’s 30 Most Creative Women in Advertising, recognizing her work in creating a fashion line for Trident Gum that is made with radio frequency shielding fabric to stop the wearer’s phone becoming a distraction.

Eliza was also named a Latin Trendsetter by Latin Trends Magazine, was a Board Director for The Advertising Club of New York between 2014 and 2021, and has been published in Forbes, AdAge and Entrepreneur.com. 

Eliza succeeds Andrew Dawson in the Chief Strategy Officer role. Dawson, who was with Barbarian for four years, decided to leave Barbarian and take a sabbatical with his family outside of the city. "We thank Andrew's contribution to transforming Barbarian in the last 2 years," said Moy.