President, World Markets,
Ask globally-minded Shaffia Sanchez about innovation, and she’ll tell you enthusiastically, “International is wide open to innovative thinking. International is young and hungry for all types of new challenges.”
As President of MAGNA GLOBAL at IPG Mediabrands’ World Markets cluster, she is charged with leading and directing the company’s overall buying and commercial trading operations, including the deployment of programmatic buying in more than 40 markets across all continents. In this role, she works closely with Andrea Suarez, CEO of World Markets to ensure a strategic global investment approach.
When discussing programmatic buying, she emphasizes that “The media industry has changed, and it will never be the same. At Mediabrands, we found a balance between technology and humanity in our programmatic thinking. Our talented team is concerned about understanding a brand’s ambitions in order to better design a unique strategy for programmatic success.”
According to Shaffia, “This industry is extremely dynamic. We have new media, new tools every day, new brands, products, etc. Therefore we must remain innovative at all times. Innovation for me means finding ways and tools that make us faster, more assertive, reliable, transparent and fun.”
She adds, “Change is not an option, I believe the future is always better! In the end is all about your attitude.”
Shaffia first joined IPG Mediabrands as EVP, Managing Director, MAGNA GLOBAL, Latam to drive MAGNA GLOBAL’s investment strategy and media performance across the Latin American region.
Sanchez was born in Colombia, and spent her childhood and teenage years in between the United States, France and Germany. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and Communications from La Sabana University in Bogotá, Colombia, and quickly started her career as a broadcast journalist in Colombia’s leading TV network, RCN Television.
After four years in RCN, Shaffia changed career paths, moving to the marketing fields and went to work for global pharmaceutical corporation GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). She started her career at GSK in Bogotá, Colombia and was quickly transferred to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as Media Manager. Shaffia later moved to Mexico City in 2002 to lead the international agencies division as Media Agencies Director for International. In 2005, Shaffia took on the role of Media Director, Latin America, which allowed her to return to the United States to manage the Latin American region from GSK’s Washington D.C. offices.
Shaffia’s 15 years of marketing experience and insider’s understanding of the challenges clients face today represents a valuable asset to MAGNA GLOBAL and the IPG Mediabrands family of agencies. In addition to investment strategy for clients in World Markets, Shaffia is also charged with delivering consistent performance with media partners, as well as working closely with MAGNA GLOBAL’s Intelligence division to maximize efficiencies and ensure IPG Mediabrands’ clients are accessing the most powerful insights and analysis to drive strategic investment for their brands.
Again, an internationalist at heart, she says, “I have worked in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, England, Canada and USA. I went to school in France and Germany. Living in so many countries gives me the diversity and “Globality” that fuels innovation. I am currently working with Asia and Central Eastern Europe, and I am delighted to see new things, and also notice the ways we remain similar.”
Shaffia is also writing a book on negotiating with different cultures. She describes it best from her own experience: “The book will outline when a ‘yes’ means a ‘no,’ when silence talks more than a thousand words, where a woman cannot lead, or where local is the only option.”