Hyperquake, a Cincinnati-based independent creative strategy and branding agency, has appointed Jose "Pepe" Gorbea as VP of International Growth & Development. Based in Barcelona, Gorbea brings nearly three decades of experience from senior roles at HP, Bimbo, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, and Mondelez. Gorbea previously worked with Hyperquake as a client on projects including humanising Manpower's brand. CEO Colin Crotty cited the agency's year-over-year growth of over 40% as making Gorbea's global representation critical for continued expansion. An alumnus of Google's Marketing Academy with postgraduate credentials from Stanford's School of Business, Gorbea currently teaches at ESADE School of Business. He was introduced to Crotty by Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing Officer at Procter & Gamble.

Hyperquake welcomes barcelona-based Jose "Pepe" Gorbea as VP of International Growth and Development. Updated on August 12, 2026 What happens when a purpose-driven global marketer decides the future of brand humanization requires a new kind of creative partner? Today, Hyperquake is welcoming Jose 'Pepe' Gorbea as VP of International Growth & Development. With nearly three decades of experience in applied creativity, marketing, sustainability, technology, and innovation, Gorbea is a passionate leader and an inspirational speaker, marketing professor, and expert in revitalizing brands through purpose. After beginning with HP as Graphics Head of Brands Innovation in 2017, then serving as the brand's Global Head of Brands, Agencies and Sustainability Innovation since 2021, Gorbea's transition from fast-moving consumer goods into tech sparked a business-to-business marketing evolution, proving that consumer-centric campaigns deliver outstanding results. Having led brand strategy, innovation, and transformation at HP, Bimbo, Kraft Foods, Nestle, and Mondelez across the globe, Gorbea is the creator of a patented, consumer-centric framework around co-creation for brands seeking to effectively drive positive sustainable behavior change. From iconic confectionery brands to smaller farming communities, Gorbea's strategic counsel has been the foundation for branding success all over the world. For him, bringing the voice of the consumer and their communities to life through the power of co-creation has helped enable his clients to produce Best-in-Class Marketing from the likes of Hershey's #HerShe, Nescafe's "New Year's Resolutions," Dettol's "Covid Warriors," Manpower's "Give a Voice to your Future," and Smirnoff's "Love Wins," to name but a few. "Pepe and Hyperquake have been working together for some time," Crotty began. "As a Hyperquake client, he quickly recognized the true value of our platform, as well as the unmet need in the market to bring what we do to life across the globe." Crotty continued: "As a critical thinker and problem solver, Pepe has an innate ability to build strategic solutions for the world's biggest brands and businesses. A good business strategy only gets you as far as the culture that supports it. Pepe embodies our culture: Humility, intelligence, grit and respect are who Pepe is. He is a natural fit as we solve some of our clients' most difficult challenges." With its client base expanding rapidly and its year-over-year growth over 40%, according to Crotty, having Gorbea represent the company globally is critical for its continued growth aspirations. An alumnus of Google's Marketing Academy and a postgraduate from Stanford's School of Business on Building Innovative Leaders, Gorbea is a premier member of D&AD's Impact Council as well as a judge for WARC's Marketing Effectiveness Awards. He currently teaches at the prestigious ESADE School of Business in the StoryMaking 4 Good program, which he co-founded as a purpose-led start-up. Based in Barcelona, his journey to reinvent marketing for a better future continues. "Joining Hyperquake is a full circle moment for me," Gorbea explained. "Since I began working early in my career and discovered the power of human-centered creativity, it has always attracted me to do business while doing good for our community." Notably, Crotty and Gorbea were originally introduced by Jim Stengel, the acclaimed host and publisher of The CMO Podcast and former Global Marketing Officer at Procter & Gamble. "Meeting Colin through Jim showed me the potential that great leaders have in building long lasting partnerships that matter, with a clear sense of purpose, business ambition, and most importantly putting humans at the center," Gorbea added. "When I asked Hyperquake to join me in delivering a very special project to humanize Manpower as a brand, they answered the call in a way that not only delivered results but supported me in my vision to transform their marketing culture. Manpower has now rolled out a new and much better way of telling stories through the people they employ across four markets, soon to be rolled out globally. Working together on this project showed me the strong people and business culture Hyperquake has; as an independent agency, it removes a lot of corporate politics that can often get in the way of delivering outstanding creativity that positively changes human behavior." Confirming that Manpower was just the beginning of establishing foundations for future customers wanting to embark on brand humanization journeys in this AI-dominated era, Gorbea went on: "Based on our shared experiences, partnering on this journey will accelerate the scalability of what I teach in the classroom by working with top companies and business leaders side-by-side to positively transform marketing cultures and deliver lasting business impact."