Rafe Offer

Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of global music start-up Sofar Sounds

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Rafe Offer's Biography

Serial entrepreneur and celebrated authority in brand management and innovation, Rafe Offer is the Founder-Chair of Sofar Sounds, a cutting-edge music company and worldwide promoter of new bands. Prior to founding Sofar, Rafe held senior roles with some of the world’s largest companies including Global Marketing Director for Disney and Coca-Cola, and Director of Innovation at Diageo. Celebrated as a brand and innovation expert, Rafe’s time at Disney saw him pioneer and lead the team connecting Disney characters to teens and adults, including the creation of the having fun never goes out of style campaign. His 4-year tenure as Global Marketing Director, saw sales of adult merchandise grow from $50m to $800m worldwide. Following a further highly successful spell as Global Marketing Director at Coca-Cola, where he was responsible for a staggering $1.2 billion of global sales, he was appointed Director of Innovation at Diageo. Tasked with creating their entrepreneurial business unit, his core responsibility lay in finding new revenue sources while strengthening the core drinks business and brands. Combining his passion for live music, an entrepreneurial spirit and expertise in brand management and innovation, in 2009 Rafe founded Sofar Sounds. As founder, he created a global music phenomenon touted by the Guardian as a quiet revolution and New York Magazine as one of the top new brands in America. Three successful rounds of fund raising (of $40 million) with top tier venture capitalists has seen Sofar grow from an event in a London living room into the world’s largest international network of live music events. Since handing over the day to day running of Sofar and becoming Founder-Chair, Rafe has continued his quest to create meaningful start-ups. With a mission to empower voices through better conversation, Rafe established this & that, a community and tech start-up dedicated to the research, understanding and facilitation of dialogue. He also sits on the board of Twenty Recruitment, one of the world’s fastest growing recruitment companies. Rafe is a Chair of the board of Facing History UK, a charity dedicated to teaching the lessons of history to help end racism and on the board of the Live Music Society, a charity supporting venues from closing due to COVID-19.

SPEAKING VIDEOS
PHOTOS

Building a global brand, locally | Rafe Offer | TEDxLSE

Making music history… one living room at a time | Rafe Offer | TEDxLondonBusinessSchool

Rafe Offer (Sofar Sounds): Rock(s) & Roll: four Pillars That Helped Sofar Sounds Survive and Thrive

SPEAKER TOPICS

After Dinner Speakers

Change Management Speakers

Conference Speakers

Culture Speakers

Design Thinking Speakers

Digital Transformation Speakers

Disruptive Innovation Speakers

Inspiring Speakers

Leadership Speakers

Moderators

Music Speakers

Artificial Intelligence Speakers

Start-Ups & Entrepreneurship Speakers

Storytelling Speakers

Virtual Keynotes

Vision & Strategy Speakers

Sustainability Speakers

Business Speakers

Marketing Speakers

Health Speakers

Workplace Culture Speakers

Rafe Offer Keynote Topics

Creating, Developing and Improving Your Company Culture

Rafe draws on his experience at Disney, Coca-Cola, Diageo, and Sofar Sounds to show how culture is the engine of long-term success. He explains how values, leadership, and trust shape organizations from the inside out.

This keynote inspires leaders to prioritize culture as a driver of performance and innovation. Audiences leave with practical ideas to nurture environments where people feel engaged, motivated, and aligned with a shared purpose.

The Essential Ingredients Behind Maintaining Successful and Progressive Customer Service

Our speaker reveals the foundations of customer service excellence, from listening deeply to anticipating needs before they arise. Rafe demonstrates how organizations can evolve their service models to build loyalty in a fast-changing world.

This talk equips teams with strategies to go beyond transactions and create meaningful connections. Attendees walk away with a clear understanding of how progressive customer service fuels sustainable growth.

How to Create and Maintain a World-Class Experience

Rafe explores what it takes to deliver an experience that customers never forget. From branding to innovation, he shows how to consistently exceed expectations and inspire deep emotional engagement.

This keynote motivates organizations to think beyond products and focus on memorable experiences. Participants gain insights to craft journeys that turn customers into passionate advocates.

Managing Growth: From Start-Up to Mid-Market to Global Brand

In this session, Rafe shares lessons from scaling Sofar Sounds into a global phenomenon. He unpacks the challenges of managing growth at each stage—from the creativity of a start-up to the structure of a global brand.

Audiences gain practical strategies for navigating expansion while staying true to core values. This talk provides inspiration and guidance for leaders seeking to grow with vision, resilience, and authenticity.

Rafe Offer's Biography

Celebrated as a brand and innovation expert, Rafe’s time at Disney saw him pioneer and lead the team connecting Disney characters to teens and adults, including the creation of the having fun never goes out of style campaign. His 4-year tenure as Global Marketing Director, saw sales of adult merchandise grow from $50m to $800m worldwide.

Following a further highly successful spell as Global Marketing Director at Coca-Cola, where he was responsible for a staggering $1.2 billion of global sales, he was appointed Director of Innovation at Diageo. Tasked with creating their entrepreneurial business unit, his core responsibility lay in finding new revenue sources while strengthening the core drinks business and brands.

Combining his passion for live music, an entrepreneurial spirit and expertise in brand management and innovation, in 2009 Rafe founded Sofar Sounds. As founder, he created a global music phenomenon touted by the Guardian as a quiet revolution and New York Magazine as one of the top new brands in America. Three successful rounds of fund raising (of $40 million) with top tier venture capitalists has seen Sofar grow from an event in a London living room into the world’s largest international network of live music events.

Since handing over the day to day running of Sofar and becoming Founder-Chair, Rafe has continued his quest to create meaningful start-ups. With a mission to empower voices through better conversation, Rafe established this & that, a community and tech start-up dedicated to the research, understanding and facilitation of dialogue. He also sits on the board of Twenty Recruitment, one of the world’s fastest growing recruitment companies.

Rafe is a Chair of the board of Facing History UK, a charity dedicated to teaching the lessons of history to help end racism and on the board of the Live Music Society, a charity supporting venues from closing due to COVID-19.