Nizan Guanaes

Nizan Guanaes is one of Brazil’s leading communications entrepreneurs. He began his career in advertising as a copywriter and gained international recognition for his role in innovative ad campaigns, including “Hitler” for the newspaper Folha de São Paulo—the only Brazilian commercial chosen by Advertising Age as one of the best commercials of the 20th century.

Nizan is the founder and chairman of Grupo ABC, the 19th largest marketing communications group in the world and a Global Growth Company according to the World Economic Forum. Guanaes has achieved great success as an entrepreneur and businessman. He was named 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and 2009 Communications Entrepreneur of the Year by IstoÉ Magazine. In 2010, Nizan was named one of the five most influential Brazilians by the Financial Times and Fast Company magazine called him one of “the 100 most creative people in business.” For his award-winning career in advertising, Guanaes has been designated an Advertising Living Legend by the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.

For more than 20 years, Nizan has dedicated a large part of his time to social causes in Brazil and worldwide. He is the co-founder of the Women in the World Foundation, with Tina Brown; a member of Brazil’s main educational movement, Todos Pela Educação; and a board member of The Nature Conservancy of Latin America. Guanaes is also an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative, the World Economic Forum, Endeavor, and the Council of the Americas, and is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and president of the Association of Entrepreneurs Friends of UNESCO Brazil.

A member of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention, Nizan is a dedicated champion of the fight against HIV/AIDS and is a loyal supporter of amfAR.