Borja Carril to lead The Cocktail in a new phase marked by AI

The Cocktail has appointed Borja Carril as Managing Director, entrusting him with the direction of a team of more than 800 professionals. Linked to the consultancy since 2016, Carril previously held the position of Managing Partner for Marketing, Martech & Data. The succession combines the promotion of an executive with extensive internal experience and a phase in which the company seeks to respond to technological and business changes driven by artificial intelligence.

Internal leadership within WPP's reorganization

The Cocktail is part of WPP Enterprise Solutions. The appointment is framed within the evolution of WPP's leadership model in Spain, which, according to the group, aims to reinforce the autonomy, specialization, and identity of its brands while facilitating the connection between its teams and capabilities.

The reorganization has also been reflected in the appointments of María Herranz to lead Ogilvy Spain and Marta Palencia as Managing Director of VML Spain. In the case of The Cocktail, WPP is betting on a professional who has participated in the development of business areas relevant to the firm.

Álex Mariño, CEO of WPP Creative Spain & Enterprise Solutions, explained that the group seeks leaderships close to the business, clients, talent, and the culture of each brand. He also noted that their objective is to combine companies with their own identity and proposals with greater connection between them.

From digital marketing to company leadership

Carril joined The Cocktail in 2016 as Head of Digital Marketing and contributed to creating the digital marketing area. He subsequently held the positions of Partner and Chief Growth Officer. Since 2020, he has led the Marketing, Martech & Data areas as Managing Partner, which bring together more than 275 professionals specialized in data, according to the information published about the appointment.

His experience in these disciplines links with one of the priorities of the new phase: developing technology, data, and business transformation services. For companies, the change in leadership comes at a time when AI expands the possibilities of automation and analysis, but also raises decisions about which problems to solve and what new capabilities to build.

AI, beyond efficiency

Carril has argued that the value of artificial intelligence should not be limited to performing the same tasks with fewer resources. "The great dividend of AI should not be doing the same with less, but being able to do what we do not even imagine today," he stated. The statement expresses his vision on the potential of the technology; it does not describe specific results already achieved by The Cocktail or its clients.

The executive has also proposed "conscious optimism" as a way to face uncertainty without ignoring its risks, and has emphasized that organizations must decide what and how they use these tools. In his approach, technological advancement can become new opportunities for people, but that outcome depends on the decisions of companies, brands, and teams.

Thus, the appointment brings together two lines of the announced strategy: greater autonomy for WPP companies in Spain and the search for connections between their capabilities. At The Cocktail, Carril assumes this responsibility with experience in developing digital and data areas, while AI redefines the transformation options that companies can explore.