Our Team

We come from all over the place. We were born on 6 continents and speak 18 languages. We have been psychologists, anthropologists, architects, actors and more. So meet the team – our stories help us tell yours.

AllLondonManagementNew York
Consultant

Elspeth
Brown

An adventure seeker and adrenaline junkie, I love plunging myself into the unknown. Every trip is a fascinating journey of discovery, unearthing cultural nuances as I wander off the beaten path to experience a greater sense of a country’s unique quirks.

With a passion for understanding people I have been lucky enough to work with markets across the globe, from Egypt to China, France to USA, as well as across categories ranging from confectionery to beauty, healthcare to kids’ cereal.

Consultant

Harriet
Monkley

My experience spans from consulting in a coconut oil company in Ghana, working in travel PR, to running a street food van at the Edinburgh Fringe. With an appreciation for the weird and wonderful, I am never happier than when unearthing shiny new insight.



Highlights from my time at Butterfly include mapping the cheese landscape in the UK, exploring French attitudes towards veganism in skincare, and asking Vietnamese consumers what a clean toilet means to them.



I love developing strategy that packs a punch, and blogs exploring how society is changing and why. A sucker for disruptive new brands, I can often be found prowling the aisles of Whole Foods hunting for the next big thing.

Senior Consultant

Amit
Kumar

Why and how people communicate has always been my thing. Whether poring over a poem while studying German at university or untangling the intricacies of a contractual clause in law school, I’ve always been intrigued how people get across their ideas. To me that’s what being a brand strategist is all about. Unpacking how words, design, actions and ideas come together to create a brand with power, personality and clarity.

I’ve worked in sectors as different as mining and mobile phones, on topics as diverse as heartburn and hotels.

A city boy at heart, I’m happiest getting lost in a city, any city – wandering, ambling and flaneuring to see where the day takes me. A cafe here, a second-hand bookshop there, I’m always looking to take in the new and eyebrow-raising.

Associate Director

Philipp
Mirow

I’m a self-professed geek. I love to tap into new technologies and methodologies that allow me to better understand people, their culture, and what makes them fall in or out of love with a brand. With a background in advertising, I use my skills to take these findings and inspire powerful strategic solutions and brand stories.

Some of my Butterfly highlights have been working on developing our research tools, disruptive innovation in the shaving category, understanding behaviours of the millennial traveller and getting to bring my dog, Liquor, to work every day.

Director

Nicole
Whelan

As a classic storyteller, I love to get to the heart of the winding stories that make each person different from the next. Classic training within some of the world’s most loved brands such as Häagen-Dazs & Old El Paso has given me a solid business context to ground those stories in strategies that brands can use to unlock growth.

Things that have captured my imagination at Butterfly are author re-positioning for Pan Macmillan and bringing real stories to generational studies for Johnson & Johnson and Reckitt Benckiser, plus my commute to work is a 30 minute walk along the river path leaving me plenty of time to ponder the perfect ending.

Senior Consultant

Ben
Blackbourn

I enjoy taking a step back, looking at the big picture and asking questions like: what about a person’s upbringing influences their viewpoint today? How does this affect their behaviour? And how is this likely to evolve in the future? My favourite projects have been understanding the future of nightlife and the future of healthcare.

Founder & President

Bianca
Cawthorne

For as long as I can remember I have always had a novel on-the-go, or a film script I was imagining. Although my stories never made it to the bookstore, or scripts to screen, I have carried that love of storytelling throughout my career. The best stories rally our emotions, and this has been my professional mission; how to uncover, tap into and leverage emotion to create better brands and innovation.

I bounced from client-side to agency-side, building up my experience and honing my skills before setting up Butterfly 10 years ago. I have spearheaded our emotional approach, challenging us to look at how we can get deeper, richer insight to create better, stronger brands. It’s a labour of love that has taken me across the world – sharing vodka with locals in Siberia and going to an Emerati wedding in Dubai. Having built the London team to 40, I am now fast-tracking the growth of our NYC office.

Director

Dal
Mahil

My favourite alarm clock is a big and knotty brand challenge, it is the one thing that makes me leap out of bed every morning (as well as good coffee). I’m passionate about marrying human truths with strategic thinking and business understanding to define and crack new opportunities for our clients.

As a seasoned moderator and facilitator, born with a dual sense of identity, I’m fascinated by culture and how it shapes consumer behaviour. You can usually find me waxing lyrical about cultural insights as well as my 3.5 years in Shanghai collaborating with international brands to launch and grow in mainland China.

Group Managing Director

Stephane
Le Moullec

I studied Philosophy because I believe that critical thinking and intellectual rigour are essential. With a PhD in Social Anthropology and years living and working in Asia and the Middle-East, I love being surprised and challenged by the diversity of values, beliefs, and rituals people follow – but also gripped by their incredible similarity.

I love seeing the diversity in the work we do for our clients and in all of the Butterflies. Watching the company grow, build partnerships and strive to constantly improve keeps me hooked.

Operations Manager

Ellie
Ford

I am truly passionate about people, organisational structures and processes. Finding authentic ways to build relationships and culture to inform the best processes gives me my buzz. With a background in Business and Law, and 9 years’ Operations and HR experience in the Brand and Innovation world, I bring my meticulous problem-solving abilities to keep our London and NYC offices running smoothly.


I am also a bit of a thrill-seeker and love to travel to far corners of the world, in hunt of the bests diving spots.

Managing Director

Alexandra
Mandl

By tapping into over 17 years in local, regional and global marketing leadership experience in blue-chip corporations such as Philip Morris, Barilla and Mars; I’ve come to have a lot of love for the value a sharp insight can bring to truly grow a brand’s equity.

As a cultural melting pot (I’m half German, half Polish), I love to bridge my past experience with a fresh perspective into how I design strategy, develop communications and launch innovations. I love the thrill of waking up to a new challenge every morning, from uncovering the future of nightlife to codifying sensorial experiences in emotional territories. I wonder what’s next!

Designer

Joy
Schlink

Coming from the very small country of Luxembourg, I always felt the urge to leave the familiar and approach things from a different perspective. Seeing new places, meeting new people and listening to what they say has shaped my design practice. Storytelling has become a great passion of mine; translating an abstract idea into a visual story that people can relate to and enjoy is at the heart of my thinking and doing.

Management Accountant

Kelly
Greyling

With a background in archaeology and anthropology, I absolutely love learning and understanding the diversity of human cultures, both past and present. My passion for this and wanting to immerse myself in different backgrounds, has led me to work in a variety of industries enabling me to develop my multitasking skills, in particular my love of numbers and all things finance. From project analysis to month end reporting, no two days are ever the same here at Butterfly! I love to travel and am happiest when surrounded by friends and family.

Accounts Payable Assistant

Ola
Kudzia

I am very good at organising myself and ticking off a to-do list, which comes to good use working in Accounts Payable, processing invoices and making sure we pay our suppliers on time.

I love making the world a better place, so organising recycling and taking care of our office plants is always high on my to do list. I highly recommend cycling to work as a way of staying fit and sane!

Consultant

Amelia
Martin-Davies

Coming from a bi-lingual, bi-cultural Anglo-French family I have a strong passion and personal understanding for cultural quirks and nuances. My background in History has given me a craving to always know more and I am often the one asking incessant questions!

I have a love affair with all things food. One of my highlights at Butterfly has been understanding global consumer relationships with take out and delivery, and I have a breadth of experience in food and beverage innovation from chocolate, to juice, to savoury snacks.

Senior Consultant

Philippa
Davis

I am passionate about understanding people and what makes them tick. Having studied Experimental Psychology at university, I was fascinated to further explore what drives decision-making, how cognitive biases influence perceptions, and how people interact with, and react to, different products and brands. Getting to dig deep into what motivates people and apply those insights to meaty challenges on a daily basis is a luxury I don’t take for granted.

One of my favorite things about Butterfly is the variety of projects we get to be involved in. I have been lucky enough to work on everything from innovation in snacking, to exploring the future of luxury socialising, to brand positioning within the finance sector.

Senior Designer

Ryan
Dethy

Communication through design has always fascinated me; the way a simple idea can power and incite curiosity, offer a new perspective, and create something completely new. This drives my passion for an ideas-first approach to design, finding excitement in visual storytelling, illustration, concept design, and creative direction.

Field Project Manager

Sinead
Egan

I love all things Field! With many years’ experience of Field Project Management under my belt, I’ve got a vast amount of knowledge in organising domestic and international projects for a wide variety of brands, ranging from the Arts & Entertainment world, Health & Beauty, Tech and NGOs. I love working alongside the strategy teams, helping with absolutely all of their Field needs, getting my teeth stuck into huge multi-market costs to finding needles in a haystack of super consumers for interesting and diverse projects.

With a background in the Arts, I thrive on being immersed in different cultures, visiting new places, meeting new people and discovering new creative ideas.

Associate Consultant

Thais
Pina

My background in Architecture, Design Thinking and Business reflects my passion for the powerful combination of empathy, strategy and creativity. I’m driven by innovation that improves people’s lives and my favourite questions usually start with “What if…”.

Originally from Brazil, I’ve worked on global projects in different sectors, from Healthcare to Finance, F&B and Hospitality and I must confess l fell in love with all of them. Each project is an adventure for me. Deep diving into the lives of consumers aged 65+, creating a brand from scratch for the Russian market, and uncovering insights to improve the packaging of one of the most iconic products of my childhood are just a few of my thinking-with-feeling love stories at Butterfly. And speaking of stories, writing is my favourite hobby.

Finance Director

Kim
Stokes

Coming from a corporate background in audit and group reporting, it is absolutely fair to say that I indulge in the dynamic day-to-day activities of finance here at Butterfly! Give me anything that I can throw into an Excel sheet and with the simple application of pivot tables and formulas I am the happiest Head of Finance alive!

I am a foodie at heart, love anything health and fitness, and my everyday mantra is balance – something else I have in common with the father of accounting!

Head of Design

Tim
Harris

I lend my hand to many creative disciplines; from print to branding, and even a stab at menswear design. This broadened perspective, along with a meticulous approach, has allowed me to understand a variety of different brands’ and people’s needs. Unearthing a deeper conceptual understanding and applying it across the range of challenges we’re set.

Senior Consultant

Tyler
Young

I first realized that I had a great passion and knack for building creative solutions to problems after starting my own company to invent the mixtape of the future (a venture that didn’t quite become the million-dollar-idea I had hoped it would be). This personal revelation set me on a path to tackle strategic challenges across a series of categories, including advertising, consumer insights, brand strategy, and innovation. Throughout it all, I have applied my entrepreneurial and consumer-first way of thinking, while weaving in some creative flair garnered by my background as a Studio Art Major.

Consultant

Holly
Sandberg

With boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, there is nothing I love more than dynamic explorations of the bigger picture, before diving into the nitty gritty to piece together a gripping narrative.

I’ve worked on everything from luxury travel to men’s deodorant, but my true passion lies in beverages. Having undertaken a year of sobriety, I’m the resident expert for all things low and no alcohol.

In my spare time I continue my love affair with understanding people through strategy and creativity by teaching myself astrology. You can find me on any given Friday doing birth chart readings for Butterflies at the pub!

Associate Consultant

Conor
Hartigan

Born in Saudi Arabia, educated in Rio de Janeiro and spending the remainder of my childhood in the northeast of England, I had quite the mix of surroundings during my upbringing. It made for an interesting story to tell but, more than this, a real interest in people and cultures, and how one can come to define the other.

Coupled with experience in both sales and marketing, I’ve built an understanding for both sides of the coin while developing a real passion for unpicking the emotional drivers that motivate people’s day to day decisions, and the significance these have to play in the bigger picture. Getting the opportunity to empathically narrate this journey within a beautiful story is my favourite part of the job by far.

What unites us

Championing curiosity

We’re insight-explorers of the most brave and curious kind, leaving no stone, rock or pebble unturned to get the feels behind a brand.

Inspiring imagination

We inspire imagination to stride past the obvious and get to answers that shake up, disrupt, and flourish.

Creating
together

We think many perspectives gets to the best perspective. So we’re proud to bring together, create together and succeed together

Embracing
agility

Every twist, turn, swerve or hurdle is met with agility, adaptability, and an attitude that shouts can-do and will-do at each step.

Job Opportunities

We are looking for sharp minds who can bridge the gap between thinking and feeling. Curious people who get a real buzz from unearthing deep insights into vibrant and diverse cultures, making them the cornerstones of what we do.

For 10 years now we have been helping businesses create brands, products and experiences that people can believe in. With offices in London and New York, we have built a reputation for being experts in both emerging and developed markets. We work with leading brands and businesses across consumer goods, fintech, healthcare, and hospitality.

London

After navigating the challenges brought by the pandemic in 2020, we are now experiencing a new stage of growth. We’re strengthening our team in London and are now looking to welcome a strong Associate Director to help build and develop Butterfly on a global scale.

As we are currently working virtually, you can be based in London or elsewhere in the UK. The pandemic has offered us the opportunity to challenge where and how we work and you will be part of shaping that future way of working.

Your role would include:

  • Accountability for delivering international brand strategy and innovation projects, working collaboratively with your strategy, creative and research team members.
  • Leading meetings with senior client teams and facilitating creative workshops.
  • Accountability for client development and business development – identifying new opportunities for Butterfly, converting at pitch level, promoting the business through marketing and PR activities.
  • Creating/developing new tools and methodologies
  • Management and development of a team of strategists and researchers

Desired Skills and Experience:

  • You have been working successfully for leading international brand & innovation consultancies and/or in the marketing and innovation function on the client side
  • You have a strong credentials in the FMCG sector.
  • You are an international brand specialist with the ability to understand and utilize cultural nuances and insights.
  • You are a strong strategic thinker with a real flair for creativity.
  • You are very commercially aware; you have real experience in insight driven product/service innovation and have an excellent track record of consistently delivering exceptional work on client projects.
  • Well connected, you like the buzz of new business activities, love pitching – and winning projects as well as developing strong client relationships.
  • You love international work and like to travel (again!).
  • You now want to take your career to the next level and make a real impact in a growing company that you will really help to shape.
  • Being bilingual (or more!) would be an advantage.
Apply for this role

Do you have boundless curiosity? Do you want to inspire imagination? Would you like to get stuck into live projects from day one, with some of the world’s best-known brands across consumer goods, finance and healthcare? Do you want to gain insight into consumers in markets across the globe; from China to Chile, and Turkey to Taiwan?

If the answer is yes, you could be our new Butterfly Intern. We’re on the lookout for talented, creative individuals for our paid internship programme, lasting 3-6 months. We are very proud that 7 current Butterflies have come up through our intern scheme, and we pride ourselves on helping you learn and grow.

Your role would include:

  • Showing your smart strategic thinking in helping us with insights debriefs and concept-writing
  • Helping to prepare creative stimulus for innovation workshops
  • Creating engaging content for our blog and new business initiatives
  • Desk research for proposals and projects
  • Inspiring the strategy teams with relevant industry news
  • And much more…

What makes a Butterfly:

  • You’ve got a global outlook, and get a buzz out of uncovering cultural nuance
  • You are fully proficient or fluent in a second language, and have lived or studied abroad
  • You’ve got an inquisitive mind that loves to ask ‘Why?’
  • You’re a problem solver with a ‘can-do’ attitude
  • You think outside the box and don’t get hung up on convention
  • You’re passionate about brands and love to hunt out new ones
  • You’re switched-on to the trends shaking up society
  • English doesn’t need to be your first language, but you need to have excellent written and communication skills in English

If you’re up for the challenge, please apply by sending your CV, and 250 words on a brand or cultural shift that fascinates you.

Please note, we can only accept applications from graduates, and from those who have the right to live and work in the UK.

Apply for this role

We’re looking for a multi-disciplinary designer. Someone who can provide design solutions across print, motion and digital.

The role is multifaceted – split between client-facing project work and internal brand guardianship.  You will be flexible, leading and supporting our strategists on a wide range of projects (we work with everything from make-up to baby milk). You will also help manage the day-to-day of the studio as well as developing and evolving all internal initiatives with a watchful eye as our brand guardian. Across all your work you’ll sweat the small stuff but always have the bigger picture in mind.

More than that, you have creativity to burn, a positive problem-solving attitude, and an impressive work ethic. We’re looking for someone to push boundaries – to challenge us and the client brief to new creative directions, fresher perspectives and better creative solutions.

Your role would include:

  • Taking accountability for project work across internal and external projects –
  • Being comfortable presenting and defending your work internally and to clients
  • Brand guardianship – Guarding our unique brand and developing our visual language across print and motion
  • Working just as well in a team and by yourself (currently remotely)
  • You should have excellent communication skills and get real enjoyment building strong relationships across the business
  • You have the ability to plan your time and meet deadlines in a high-pressure environment

Desired Skills and Experience:

  • 3-4 years’ experience in similar roles
  • A confident understanding of preparing artwork for print is vital
  • The ability to take packaging from concept through to shelf-ready artwork
  • We’re after20/20 vision when it comes to brand; it’s consistency and guardianship
  • An in-depth understanding of layout and structure across multiple formats
  • Extensive knowledge and a professional level technical ability in Adobe Creative Cloud. Namely InDesign, Illustrator & Photoshop
  • A keen eye for film and motion with proven knowledge of Premier and After Effects
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office – PPT & Word
  • HTML knowledge and experience is a big bonus
Apply for this role

New York

As we are currently working virtually, you can be based in NYC or elsewhere in the US.  The pandemic has offered us the opportunity to challenge where and how we work – we might return to a model of an office in NYC or create a completely different model.  You will be part of shaping what that model is for you and the team.

After navigating the challenges brought by the pandemic in 2020, we are now experiencing a new stage of growth. We’re strengthening the team based here in NYC to better serve our current US-based clients and to attract new ones. We are now looking for an Associate Consultant to join our team and help support and drive our growth in the US. 

Your role would include:

  • Assisting in the design & delivery of brand strategy and innovation projects by working collaboratively with your colleagues in strategy and design based in the US and the UK.
  • Helping to run and analyse consumer research, working at an international level across numerous markets
  • Attending client meetings and (virtual and hopefully soon face to face) workshops
  • Supporting client and business development
  • Promoting the business through marketing and Social media engagement
  • Bringing a fresh point of view to our client’s challenges and helping ensure Butterfly are always ahead of the curve in terms of knowledge, expertise and insight

Desired Skills and Experience:

  • You have experience supporting brand and innovation projects, in an innovation consultancy and/or in the marketing and innovation function on the client side for 6+ months
  • You are passionate about international brands and can understand cultural nuance and insight
  • You are a strong strategic thinker with a flair for creativity
  • You like the buzz of new business activities and developing strong relationships
  • You love international work
  • Being bilingual (or more!) would be an advantage
  • You now want to take your career to the next level and make a real impact in a growing company
Apply for this role

After navigating the challenges brought by the pandemic in 2020, we are now experiencing a new stage of growth and we’re strengthening the team based here in NYC to better serve our current US-based clients and to attract new ones. We are now looking to welcome a driven and inspirational strong Associate Director to join our team and play a pivotal role in helping to shape the future of the company.

As we are currently working virtually, you can be based in NYC or elsewhere on the East Coast. The pandemic has offered us the opportunity to challenge where and how we work and you will be part of shaping that future way of working.

Your role would include:

  • Accountability for delivering international brand strategy and innovation projects for dynamic, global, market-leading clients by working collaboratively with your strategy, creative and research team members
  • Leading meetings with senior client teams and facilitating creative workshops.
  • Using your slick networking skills on client and business development by identifying new opportunities, converting at pitch level and promoting the business through marketing and PR activities
  • Creating/developing new tools and methodologies.
  • Managing and developing several junior strategy and insight colleagues
  • Helping to develop the junior team, coaching them to deliver exceptional strategic project work, and achieving their potential

Desired Skills and Experience:

  • You have a proven track record of leading brand and innovation projects in a brand strategy/innovation consultancy and/or in the marketing or innovation function on the client side.
  • Ideally you come with strong experience across Latin American markets or communities
  • You are an international brand specialist with the ability to understand and leverage cultural nuance and insight
  • You are a strong strategic thinker with a flair for creativity
  • You are commercially aware with strong experience in insight-driven product/service innovation and have an excellent track record of delivering projects that exceed client expectations
  • Well connected, you like the buzz of new business activities, love pitching – and winning – projects as well as developing strong client relationships
  • You love international work and would like to travel (again!)
  • You now want to take your career to the next level and make a real impact in a growing company that you will help to shape
  • Native or fluency in Spanish would be an advantage
Apply for this role