[ Strategic Marketing Consultant & Business Advisor · Founder, OZ Studio ]
Simona Adriana Hancu.
Helping brands scale through strategy, digital innovation, and operational excellence.
Senior strategic marketing executive and entrepreneur with 20 years of leadership experience across FMCG, telecom, gaming, adtech, and advertising industries. Proven track record building and scaling marketing organisations, orchestrating integrated global campaigns, and driving measurable growth for Fortune 500 and high-growth brands across 9+ international markets.
Founded, scaled to €1M+ turnover, and successfully exited a 20-person full-service digital agency (Pattern // Mind Treat Studios, 2016–2024), managing end-to-end P&L, client portfolio development, and multidisciplinary team leadership. Portfolio spans 840+ projects, 120+ brands, 80+ clients, and 108 industry awards including Cannes Lions nominations and Effie Awards.
Combines strategic vision, creative storytelling, and data-powered marketing with deep operational expertise in hub-model delivery, multi-market coordination, and senior stakeholder management. Strong background in digital technologies, gaming marketing, and creative technology integration. Early adopter of AI-driven workflows, actively integrating generative AI tools into production, product development, and agency operations.
20+Years of leadership·9+International markets·108Industry awards·840+Projects delivered·120+Brands·80+Clients·€1M+Turnover scaled·20Team size at peak·4Cannes Lions nominations·4Effie Awards·20+Years of leadership·9+International markets·108Industry awards·840+Projects delivered·120+Brands·80+Clients·€1M+Turnover scaled·20Team size at peak·
[ § 01 / Professional Experience ]
Five roles, twenty years.
Click any role to expand the full track record.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
2016 — 2024
Pattern // Mind Treat Studios — Full-service digital & creative agency · Bucharest & San Francisco · €1M+ turnover · Team of 20 · Successful exit 2024
Built, scaled, and exited a multidisciplinary agency delivering integrated digital marketing, creative production, digital technologies (VR, AR, mobile apps, web games, Kinect activations), and brand strategy for global clients. Full P&L ownership, commercial governance, and C-level client relationship management across all verticals.
Scale: 840+ projects delivered across 120+ brands for 80+ clients, generating 108 industry awards
Global client portfolio: Samsung Developers US, Porsche CEE, Riot Games, Twitch, Amazon, GoPro, Coca-Cola, Carrefour, BCR, MedLife, British American Tobacco, Machine Zone, Heineken, PepsiCo, HP, Philip Morris International
Gaming vertical: End-to-end UA campaigns, game launches (Tap Busters, Link Twin, Rumble Heroes, Gray Dawn), influencer activations, App Store optimisation, and investor pitch decks across US/EU markets
Digital technologies practice: mobile apps, web games, VR/AR experiences, Kinect activations, Unity development, and IoT/wearable product builds (Lumafit)
HTC Corporation — Consumer technology · Direct reporting to EMEA Marketing Leadership
Owned regional go-to-market strategy across three Central European markets — Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria — with full autonomy on budget, agency selection, and activation planning.
Owned regional go-to-market strategy across three countries with full autonomy on budget allocation, agency management, and activation planning
Led the Eastern European launch of HTC Vive VR platform through integrated digital and traditional marketing approach
Developed region-specific activation frameworks for global and EMEA brand partnerships
Coordinated local marketing teams and agency networks across all three markets
Marketing Director
2012 — 2015
Vincon Romania — €160M revenue business · €1–4M annual marketing budget · Team of 10 · Direct report to President
Full ownership of strategic marketing planning, brand portfolio management, trade marketing, and pricing policy across the company's full wine portfolio.
Full ownership of strategic marketing planning, brand portfolio management, trade marketing, and pricing policy
Led complete strategic repositioning across 5 subcategories and 15+ brands, including launch of Profudevin & Vinosfera platforms
Spearheaded digital transformation: SEO/SEM strategy, social media presence, and e-commerce readiness
Marketing Director — Romania, Hungary & Bulgaria
2008 — 2012
Bunge — Global FMCG · Full P&L accountability · €5M annual budget · Reporting to VP Food Director & Europe Marketing Director
Directed centralised marketing strategy and agency ecosystem across three Central European countries with full operational autonomy.
Directed centralised marketing strategy and agency ecosystem across three countries with full operational autonomy over ATL, BTL, trade marketing, PR, research, and innovation
Quantified impact: 9.5 percentage point volume market share growth across core branded portfolio
Executed complete rebranding of flagship brands Unisol and Floriol; led product innovation pipeline across all three markets
Operated as centralised marketing hub leader for South-Eastern Europe, managing strategy, local team coordination, and agency networks across Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Croatia, Moldova, Greece, Bosnia, Serbia, and Albania.
Full autonomy over ATL, BTL, trade marketing, and consumer research across all nine markets
Coordinated local agency ecosystems in each market, ensuring consistent brand execution while enabling localisation
Delivered sustained growth across canned, frozen, and foodservice categories through product launches and localisation strategies
[ § 02 / AI & Innovation ]
Early adopter, daily practitioner.
Building AI agents, deploying automated workflows.
Early adopter and daily practitioner of generative AI, actively integrating AI-powered tools into agency operations, creative production, and product development. Building AI agents, developing web applications through vibe coding, and deploying automated workflows across client engagements.
Master in Communication & Human Resources — University of Bucharest
Bachelor's Degree in Psychology & Educational Sciences — University of Bucharest
Executive programmes: Pi School Creative Incubator · Leadership Emeritus · Marketing Masterclasses (Philip Kotler, Martin Lindstrom, Christophe Morin)
Languages & Technical Environment
Languages: Romanian (native) · English (full professional proficiency) · French (professional working proficiency) · Italian (conversational)
Digital & MarTech: CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, social media ecosystems, data analytics & BI reporting. Working knowledge of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe platforms, and PowerBI.
Project Management: Asana, Jira, Trello, Slack, Monday.com, MS Teams
AI toolkit: Claude, ChatGPT, Lovable, OpenClaw, Kling, Midjourney
Where do you want to start?
From positioning to launch, growth to exit — pick where it makes sense to start.