We’re strengthening our team in Southern Europe to lead the evolution of brand communication across the region.
Victor García del Barrio joins us as Country Manager for Iberia, overseeing our business in Spain and Portugal. At the same time, Amaia Álvarez takes on the role of Managing Director, Southern Europe, leading our operations in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Romania. This change will enable us to share capabilities, knowledge, and talent across markets, while maintaining a deep understanding of each local culture.
Víctor brings more than two decades of experience in business development and client relationships. Most recently, he led PS21, having previously headed Padre Group and held senior positions at September and Brandigital (WPP). Throughout his career, he has worked with companies including PepsiCo, Línea Directa, Movistar, KFC and Suntory.
At SAMY, he will build on our work as a strategic partner to L’Oréal, Leroy Merlin, AliExpress and Repsol, alongside Unilever, which recently joined our client portfolio. His arrival reflects our commitment to Iberia and to an integrated offering that has grown beyond influencer marketing to support brands across the social landscape.
“My goal is to help strengthen SAMY’s growth and leadership as a partner for brands that understand that relevance and culture are built in the social space today,” says Víctor.
Southern Europe Team Structure
Amaia’s move recognises her contribution to the growth of our Iberian business. She will be joined at regional level by Nieves Durán, Head of Strategy and Research; Arturo Benlloch, Executive Creative Director; and Francisco Porras, Operations Director. This structure helps us share capabilities, knowledge, and talent across countries.
“More and more brands need to operate with an integrated vision across multiple markets without losing the ability to connect meaningfully with local audiences,” says Amaia. “Our new Southern Europe structure enables us to meet that need.”
1200+ SAMYs around the world, 20 offices, 55 markets
These changes come at a time of strong growth for SAMY. Over the past three years, we have tripled our sales globally and in Iberia, reinforcing the importance of Spain and Portugal within our international business. Today, more than 1,200 people work across our 20 offices, with a presence in 55 markets.
Our expansion reflects how far we’ve come. What began with influencer marketing at its core has evolved into a global social-first agency bringing together data intelligence, strategy, creativity, influencer marketing, social media, paid media, and social commerce.
Together, these capabilities help us support brands across the entire social ecosystem.
