Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed Steve Vranakis, until recently the executive creative director of Google Creative Lab, as the “Chief Creative Officer” of Greece on Wednesday.
Vranakis departed Google at the beginning of the month and has relocated to Greece for the newly-created role. He will serve as a special advisor to Mitsotakis and collaborate with the government to help “rebrand” the country, which has experienced a financial crisis for much of the past decade.
I’m incredibly honoured to be back home in Greece working alongside the amazing talent that the Prime Minister has brought together. Putting creativity, innovation and sustainability at the heart of what we do. Thank you for the opportunity. #greece pic.twitter.com/bDBlMmSguN
— Steve Vranakis (@stevevran) October 16, 2019
The former Google executive will oversee marketing campaigns abroad and also develop domestic programs aimed at changing Greece’s narrative and helping the country rebuild again after its recession.
Vranakis had worked at Google Creative Lab since 2011. His projects include the “Assembly of Youth” installation, which gave disadvantaged young people a voice at the United Nations, and the “Refugee Info Hub,” a mobile information platform for Syrian refugees.
Before Google, he spent eight years at London’s creative advertising agency VCCP, overseeing campaigns for O2, Coca-Cola and Comparethemarket.com.
Vranakis, who comes from a Greek family, grew up in Vancouver, Canada, before moving to London to work there for a number of years.