Rafael Sabbagh

Rafael (who goes by Rafa) loves chatting with people about Agile! He has an AI-powered online forum where he converses with like-minded people worldwide about Scrum, Kanban, the CSM exam, career paths, and more!

Rafa has dedicated his career to spearheading Agile and digital transformations for companies ranging from startups to multinationals. He’s personally trained over 10,000 Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Agile Coaches. Rafa is skilled at explaining complex concepts in simple and understandable ways using analogies.

My favorite aspect (of being a trainer) is learning from the students’ experiences. I learn when I’m challenged with questions that are hard to answer and I have to think in a different way and explain it back to students. I believe this creates new connections in my brain and simulates me to develop new ideas.

His expertise extends beyond the classroom. In 2013, Rafa authored the first book about Scrum in Portuguese. He’s been a prominent figure at international events, sharing his knowledge and insights with diverse audiences, including several Global Scrum Gatherings and major Agile conferences worldwide.

Rafa has a prominent global presence. While he currently resides in Madrid, Spain, he’s conducted coaching and training in more than 20 countries, including the USA, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, India, Hong Kong, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and the U.K. He’s fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

When not in the classroom, Rafa enjoys traveling to new places with his family, cooking, listening to music, watching movies, and cheering for Real Madrid’s soccer team.

Specialty Industries

• Financial
• Higher Education
• Software Development

Education

• Master’s Degree, Administration - Agile IT Project Management, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
• MBA, Business Administration, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
• Bachelor’s Degree, Computer Engineering, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro

Certifications

• Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Scrum Alliance
• Accredited Kanban Trainer (AKT), Kanban University
• Certified Scrum@Scale Practitioner, Scrum, Inc.
• LeSS Friendly Scrum Trainer, The LeSS Company