Sanrizz International Creative Director
As International Creative Director of Sanrizz, Leonardo Rizzo is the man responsible for maintaining the Image And brand principles of the hairdressing group founded by his father Tony.
Born into a hairdressing dynasty, Leonardo fell in love with the craft as a young boy – he fondly recalls passing pins to his father backstage at the Alternative Hair Show aged just 8. “I believe that observing the fast-paced world of hairdressing from such a young age instilled within me a passion and hunger for creativity, as well as a means to express it” says Leonardo.
Determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, at the age of 15 Leonardo began working as an assistant in the Knightsbridge salon. But hairdressing wasn’t Leonardo’s only study; whilst training, he simultaneously undertook a four year degree in business and Spanish at Queen Mary’s University in London, fitting in hairdressing at weekends and during the holidays. Blessed with a natural ear for languages, Leonardo is fluent in italian and spanish, with french not far behind. It’s a skill that’s particularly useful for his increasing presence on the international stage.
In 2003, Leonardo opened Sanrizz Guildford, where he is still based three to four days a week, managing his burgeoning team. He also hosts private appointments at the company’s flagship Knightsbridge salon for his celebrity and media clients. An accomplished cutter, Leonardo is also renowned for his Avant Garde work and has twice finalized for this specialist category at the British hairdressing Awards. Most recently, in 2018, he was shortlisted for the prestigious southern hairdresser of the year award at the same event.
Leonardo’s role today as both a Wella global guest Artist and Sanrizz global Ambassador makes him responsible for education, imagery and international work – from photo shoots in London, Hamburg and Berlin to stage shows, seminars and hands-on teaching in China, Japan, Russia, USA and Europe. He’s also a regular presenter on the Wella Trendvision Insights tour and a finals judge for the Wella Trendvision Awards.
When it comes to long term goals, Leonardo is typically ambitious yet humble: “to be recognised in our industry as someone who stands out would be nice,” he says, “but to be known as a man who made a difference would be even better.”