Global Partnerships Leader
I build the kind of partnerships people remember. The kind that move commercial needles, embed brands in culture, and make audiences feel something. Seventeen years. One gear: forward.
About
Laura Benghiat
Global Partnerships Leader
& Brand Strategist
17+ years. Shell x Ferrari. 30+ markets.
One gear: forward.
Some people talk about bridging the gap between corporate goals and audience passion. I've spent seventeen years doing it — in boardrooms, at racetracks, and across thirty markets simultaneously. The brief might say "sponsorship". What I hear is: an opportunity to make something people actually care about.
My career has been built at the high end — high stakes, high visibility, high expectations. From governing Shell's Ferrari partnership across the Formula 1 calendar to transforming the Shell Eco-Marathon into a global campaign ecosystem, I've always operated where getting it wrong isn't really an option.
What I bring to a role isn't just experience — it's judgment. The ability to walk into a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, understand what actually matters, and make things happen. High-stakes negotiations? Count me in. Translating a technically complex product into a story fans want to share? That's my edge. "Good enough" has never been in my playbook.
The best partnerships don't feel like sponsorships. They feel inevitable.
Based
Switzerland — full global mobility
Languages
English · French · German
Education
MBA, University of Economics, Bratislava
Certifications
Strategy Negotiations — INSEAD
Digital Marketing Leadership — Google
Open to
Senior global roles · Relocation considered
What I do best
Selected work — 01
When your partnership lives at 300km/h in front of a billion people, there is nowhere to hide. This was my world for four years — governing one of the most commercially significant and culturally visible sponsorships in motorsport, with full budget accountability and a mandate to make every race weekend count far beyond the circuit.
The challenge
Shell and Ferrari had built decades of shared history on track. The challenge was translating that into something commercially measurable and culturally resonant — reaching consumers at the pump, at the retailer, and in living rooms across every major F1 market.
The approach
I owned the partnership end to end — from contractual rights management and stakeholder alignment to briefing creative teams and coordinating multi-market amplification. The Ferrari track-to-road innovation story became the backbone of Shell V-Power and Shell Helix positioning globally.
The execution
Trackside experiences and Fan Zone programmes across the F1 calendar. Driver storytelling and race-day content. Hospitality that turned partners into advocates. Market amplification across 20+ countries. Every deliverable tracked. Every entitlement maximised.
"Strategy meets adrenaline. The Formula 1 calendar doesn't wait, and neither did we."
Laura Benghiat on the Shell × Ferrari programme
Selected work — 02
Taking a globally distributed events programme and turning it into a coherent, insight-driven brand platform across 30+ markets is not a small ask. Doing it while the world shut down? That required a different kind of strategy — and a willingness to throw out the old playbook entirely.
The challenge
The Shell Eco-Marathon was a multi-market events programme built around physical participation. When live events became impossible, the brief became existential: how do you preserve energy, engagement, and brand equity when proximity and competition are suddenly impossible?
The approach
I reshaped the entire platform — from events-led to content-led and community-driven. A unified global creative framework translated Shell's innovation and sustainability story into a campaign ecosystem that local markets could adapt without losing the thread.
The execution
End-to-end delivery across paid, owned, earned, experiential, and digital channels. Country-level activation through a centralised creative framework. Digital reach expanded significantly while participation KPIs held — turning a constraint into a genuine strategic leap.
"Turning a global events programme into a digital ecosystem in under a year — that's what happens when you treat a constraint as a brief."
Laura Benghiat on the Shell Eco-Marathon pivotExperience
From a PR agency in Bratislava to Shell's global headquarters, each step has added a dimension: commercially, geographically, and in terms of what I'm willing to take on.
04/2021 – 07/2025
Shell plc · Zug
Governed Shell's global Ferrari partnership with full budget accountability, direct reporting to Shell Group's most senior leadership, and end-to-end ownership of rights management, activation planning, creative briefing, and multi-market delivery across the F1 race calendar.
01/2020 – 03/2021
Shell plc · London
Reshaped a 30-market events programme into a unified digital campaign ecosystem. Designed and delivered integrated campaigns across paid, owned, earned, and experiential channels — maintaining engagement KPIs through a full virtual pivot.
05/2018 – 12/2019
Shell plc · London
Owned go-to-market strategy and product storytelling for Shell's global B2B portfolio. Delivered integrated campaigns across digital, experiential, and commercial channels.
04/2014 – 04/2018
Shell plc · London
Shaped global product positioning grounded in customer insights and competitive intelligence. Drove integrated campaigns that increased brand recognition by 4% globally.
03/2013 – 03/2014
Shell plc · Hamburg
Increased customer satisfaction by 33% through insight-driven service design. Led cross-functional rollout of new propositions across retail markets.
04/2008 – 02/2013
Shell plc · Bratislava
Built co-branding partnerships across six CEE markets. Developed and launched the V-Power Club — a direct-to-consumer premium membership programme driving growth in acquisition and premium conversion.
01/2004 – 03/2008
Edelman · Bratislava
Designed multi-market PR campaigns for global FMCG brands, securing Tier-1 media coverage and driving double-digit increases in brand awareness. Advised clients on crisis management and reputation recovery.
Recognition
A selection of awards and recognition across a career built on doing things properly.
2025
DRUM Award
Shell Helix — Brand Communication & Product Innovation
2023
DRUM Award
Shell Helix — Brand Communication & Product Innovation
Shell × Ferrari
Motorsport's most visible partnership
One of the most commercially significant and culturally visible collaborations in global sport
INSEAD
Strategy Negotiations
Executive education in advanced negotiation and stakeholder strategy
