Featured Experts

The practitioners, advisors and scholars whose ideas, experience and approach stand out in place branding. Every featured expert has been nominated by their peers, and each has a dedicated TPBO profile: explore their work, their thinking and how to engage them.

Adriana Acosta

Essential Costa Rica

Country brand and market positioning

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Malcolm Allan

Co-Founder, The Place Brand Academy

Place stewardship and brand governance

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Todd Babiak

CEO, Brand Gold Coast

Storytelling in place branding

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Education New Zealand

Nation brand and international education

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Steve Duncan

Managing Director, C Studios

Place marketing for FDI and talent

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Magdalena Florek

Magdalena Florek

Independent Scholar and Advisor

Place branding research and advice

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Robert Govers

Advisor, Author, Imaginative Communities

Place reputation and image

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David Haigh

Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance

Brand and nation brand valuation

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Konrad Jagodzinski

Konrad Jagodzinski

Director of Place Branding, Brand Finance

Soft power and nation brands

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Natasha Norman

Co-Founder and Director, INSTID

Place identity and storytelling

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Sithembile Ntombela

Sithembile Ntombela

Brand South Africa

Nation brand, speaker and facilitator

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Michael Persson Gripkow

Michael Persson Gripkow

Place Branding Strategist and Speaker

Destination strategy and nation branding

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Director of Place Branding and Operations, Brand Tasmania

Place brand strategy and delivery

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Olga Rauhut Kompaniets

Olga Rauhut Kompaniets

Senior Lecturer, Halmstad University

Place branding, sustainability, food and wine

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Sara Seif Ibrahim

Sara Seif Ibrahim

Researcher and Consultant

Cultural place branding, Arab and Mediterranean regions

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Hjörtur Smárason

Hjörtur Smárason

Strategic Advisor and Speaker

Place branding, sustainable tourism, crisis communication

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Stuart Speirs

Silver Lining Strategy

Event strategy and place branding

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Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

Branding Strategist, IdeaWorks

Place branding, tourism, investment promotion

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Giannina Warren

Giannina Warren

Associate Professor, RMIT University Vietnam

Place branding training, The Place Brand Academy

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Become a featured expert

Featured expert profiles are open to professionals who have been nominated by a peer. A profile presents your work, thinking and services to an international audience of city, region and country leaders, alongside the peers who shape the field.