Head of Strategy and Partner, Courage, Canada
Rafik Belmesk is a strategist with nearly 20 years of international experience working in markets across North America, the Asia-Pacific region, and other countries. As Head of Strategy and Partner at Courage, he is responsible for developing strategic solutions for brands such as KFC, KitKat, Nespresso, and Sephora.
Before joining Courage, Rafik worked at leading international agencies, including dentsu, Ogilvy, TAXI, VML, and Edelman. Throughout his career, he has contributed to projects for Subway, Nestlé, Skip (JustEat), Coca-Cola, vitaminwater, Unilever, Audi, and Lexus, combining deep cultural expertise with a strategic approach to brand development.
His work has been recognized with awards from major international festivals, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Clio Awards, and Effie. His professional achievements include 9 Cannes Lions, a D&AD Yellow Pencil, and numerous One Show, Clio, and Effie awards.
Rafik regularly serves on the judging panels of leading international awards, including Cannes Lions, One Show, New York Festivals, and the Effie Awards, and is among Canada’s most recognized strategists.