Founders Strengthens Its Regional Teams with Five New Hires

Founders, the independent agency founded by Tanya De Poli and Checha Agost Carreño, continues to expand its teams with the addition of Guadalupe Galvagni, Nicole Cejas Lacombe, Sara Castañeda, Luiza Nonato, and Tavoy Barret, who are joining the agency’s creative, strategy, social, and account management departments.

The new hires arrive at a time of growth for Founders, which continues to strengthen its international presence through its offices and teams in New York, Miami, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Mexico City, and Kingston, with an operating model designed to connect talent, cultures, and capabilities across different markets.

Galvagni and Cejas Lacombe are joining as Senior Creatives. The creative duo joins Founders after building their careers at agencies such as McCann, Leo Burnett, Wunderman Thompson, and Grey, where they worked with brands including Coca-Cola, Corona, Venus Gillette, Avon, Walmart, Advil, Tums, and Lalcec. Their arrival is intended to strengthen the agency’s creative team and bring new perspectives to its work for global and regional brands.

“After nearly nine years at network agencies, we decided to take the leap into the independent agency world. We wanted to get back to what we love most and what we believe is more important than ever in an industry increasingly driven by automation: the craft of ideas. Founders felt like the perfect agency for this next step. Not only because of the track records of its leaders, but also because it is one of the few agencies that would rather ask for ‘forgiveness’ than ‘permission’,” said Galvagni and Cejas Lacombe.

Meanwhile, Sara Castañeda is joining the Colombian team as Account Director, where she will focus on business development and strengthening relationships with the agency’s clients.

“I’m very happy to join Founders*, an agency that allows me to continue growing in the entertainment space, keep building regional markets, and focus on contributing to meaningful, creative brands,”* Sara commented.

“At Founders, we look for people who aren’t satisfied with the first idea. People with curiosity, drive, and a desire to do things that truly matter. Nicky and Galva have all of that, along with a track record as a creative duo that we’re confident will bring tremendous value to the creative team,” said Checha Agost Carreño, Co-Founder & CCO of Founders.

The appointments follow a period of growth for the agency, which continues to expand its work with brands such as Netflix, Spotify, Paramount+, Change The Ref, and Heineken, while also welcoming new clients, including Starbucks LATAM & Caribbean.

“We’re at a very important moment for Founders*, growing with new clients, new markets, and new challenges. But for us, growth always starts with bringing the right people on board.* Sara, Luiza, and Tavoy bring very different experiences, cultures, and perspectives, and that’s exactly what we want to keep building: an increasingly global team, united by the same desire to do great work and take ideas even further,” shared Tanya De Poli, Co-Founder & CEO of Founders.

For Founders, adding talent across different disciplines and markets reflects a single ambition: to build a global agency by connecting different cultures, areas of expertise, and points of view, with teams capable of developing ideas that travel across markets without losing local relevance.

With these five new hires, Founders continues to strengthen its regional operations and prepare its teams for what lies ahead.