Layal Baaklini

AMEA Category Director @Bacardi · Creativity Coach · BrandStrategist · Story Alchemist​

My career’s essence lives at the intersection of creativity, Humancentricity & value creation. That “zipper effect” has quietly shapedeverything I’ve done, bridging imagination and strategy, bold ideas andbusiness results.​

Over the past 20 years, I’ve built a global career spanning more than 90countries, helping brands grow while staying future-ready. Today,as Category Director at Bacardi, the world’s leading family-owned spiritscompany, I lead a portfolio of premium dark spirit brands across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and India. ​

Yet beyond numbers and markets, I’ve seen firsthand how creativitytransforms people, businesses, and ideas. It’s not a luxury or a job title;it’s a human force we all share.​

My purpose is to instill creative confidence around me to achieve theextraordinary by humanizing creativity and making it approachable, alive,and wildly useful. Whether you’re building a brand, shifting a mindset, orchasing a bold idea, creativity is what keeps us moving forward.​

I bring this philosophy to life through @thecurioustypewriter on Instagram,where each nudge is typed on a 1960s typewriter. Messy, soulful, andexactly how creativity should feel. Through playful prompts and reflections,I’m building a space where people can rekindle their imagination, feelinspired, and rediscover their creative courage.​