ABOUT ME
I bring brands into alignment — through strategy that builds clarity and trust.
I work at the intersection of identity, positioning, and leadership — shaping how brands are understood and where they stand. Not louder. Just clearer.
This page holds my story, my values, and a few personal details behind the work.
01 - STORY
How it began
My work rarely starts with a finished campaign. It usually starts with a simple question: what does this brand actually stand for, and does the market see it that way?
Growing up between two cultures — Austrian and Filipino — taught me early how to read a room, translate between worlds, and find what's distinct rather than default. That instinct still shapes how I approach brands today. Over 13+ years in marketing leadership and brand strategy, across 5 companies that trusted me with their positioning — from banking to mobility to fitness tech — I've built, rebranded, and repositioned at nearly every stage of growth, sometimes as part of a team, sometimes leading my own studio, ARU STUDIO. Either way, the same thinking applies: strategy that's honest first, and clear because of it.
Strategy
Idenitity
Leadership
Clarity
What guides the work
Clarity over noise
Strategy should be understood immediately, not decoded. I believe good positioning gets sharper, not louder — and that clarity is a form of respect for the people reading it.
Alignment from the inside out
I don't polish a brand from the outside. I work from what's actually true first, then build everything else so it holds together — which is also how trust gets built, slowly and without shortcuts.
Depth over surface
I'm drawn to what's underneath: the story behind the story, the "why" behind the positioning. Surface-level thinking is easy to spot, and it doesn't last.
"Good brand work shouldn't feel like a façade — it should feel like a truth you can trust."
Benjamin Ballicas, on brand work
03 - PERSONAL
A closer look
01 / WORKING STYLE
Direct, strategic, and allergic to fluff — I'd rather ask one hard question than write ten polished slides.
02 / BACKGROUND
Austrian-Filipino, raised in a small village near Vienna. Never fully one thing or the other — which turned out to be the point.
03 / BASED IN
Hamburg, after Vienna, Berlin and a brief, pivotal stretch in Toronto.
04 / FAMILY
Married to Katharina. Father of two — the reason most of my "why" makes sense.
05 / GREW UP PLAYING
Football, then handball — team sport is still where I think best.
06 / MOVES TODAY
Fitness and golf. One for the nervous system, one for focus.
07 / DRAWN TO
Psychology, philosophy, and anything that explains why people do what they actually do.
08 / CAN'T STAND
Fakeness, wasted potential, and brands that perform instead of exist.
09 / QUIETLY BELIEVES
Am Ende zählt für mich, ob eine Seite klarer, mutiger und näher an der Person dahinter wirkt.
If a brand needs clarity, alignment, or someone who'll actually tell you the truth — let's talk.
I'm open to strategy work, leadership roles, and honest collaborations.