Raqib Sheikh heads up the strategy team for VML’s Coca-Cola business in North America, guiding the bubbling ideas that power some of the world’s most recognized brands. Before joining VML, he was the strategy lead for Nike and Jordan Brand at R/GA, where he discovered his identity as a late-in-life sneakerhead.
A proud 2006 VCU Brandcenter grad—back when it was still called the Adcenter—Raqib has tackled strategy across agencies like JWT, Wunderman Thompson, Arnold Worldwide, McKinney, and Saatchi & Saatchi X. Over the years, he’s shaped campaigns for brands as diverse as Shell Clean Energy, Best Buy, Amazon, Tide, and the Atlanta Falcons. Think of it as a strategy bingo card he’s pretty close to filling.
In between agency stints, Raqib took a detour into product management, helping transform digital agency Modea into a top healthcare software consultancy. He figured if he could navigate branding for diapers and laundry detergent, healthcare was just the next logical challenge.
As a Muslim, immigrant, and dad of three, Raqib joined the Atlanta 4A’s board to bring fresh voices and brave ideas to the ATL ad scene. He’s on a mission to make the industry one where once untapped talent can discover creativity not just as a career – but a calling.
For a third-culture kid who grew up in the Middle East, Raqib’s love of cultural insights is fueled by never knowing which cafeteria table he should join. His first love? Asking people their thoughts on critically important issues, like ranking breakfast foods (Waffles are #1, no question) or why every strategist needs to play Sid Meier’s Civilization at least once.
