Charlie established The Foundation in 1999 with the aim of helping organisations be more sustainably successful by being customer not financially led. His original inspiration came from working on a new car company launch that did this by happy accident to great effect, breaking records for speed of growth and disrupting an inward-looking market. Recent projects include helping the Morrisons turnaround, finding their voice as foodmakers and shopkeepers with a sense of purpose and belief, helping Be the Business tackle the UK’s productivity crisis by getting small businesses into useful action, helping The National Trust find new sources of sustainable growth complementing their membership offer, and helping John Lewis flesh out a future in Home Services as a customer-centred business.  He has a book about customer-led success, The Customer Copernicus, published in 2021 explaining why something that looks attractive and obvious is rare and, even when achieved, usually temporary. This led to exploration of the shared beliefs people have in organisations about what success is and how it is achieved, and this in turn gets into the whole area of why organisations exist and the current often misunderstood debate around purpose which The Foundation now works on with a number of clients. Charlie previously worked in advertising and has a degree in Manufacturing Engineering, possibly explaining his enthusiasm for cars that look nice but don’t work.

Anna is a strategy and insight specialist with a knack for uncovering what really matters to customers and helping clients design innovative and commercial responses.

Since joining in 2014 Anna has worked with the Board at Harvey Nichols to refresh the brand and return the business to profitable growth, with Save The Children helping them to grow supporter loyalty to new levels and with Post Office Money to develop a disruptive proposition for the savings category.

Prior to the Foundation Anna led innovation at Clear. A Unilever marketing graduate Anna started out as a consumer psychologist in their R&D team where she scientifically validated the claim that Lynx deodorant make the wearer more attractive.

John is Managing Partner at The Foundation, and author of Leadership Book of the Year 2023, The Human Experience.

25 years ago, he started his career on a market stall in Essex, and since then has worked in and with companies around the world to make things better for customers. He’s been in front-line teams delivering the experience, innovation teams designing the propositions, and global HQ teams creating the strategy. He's been a bank manager during the financial crisis (not fun), launched a mobile app to millions of people (very fun), and regularly visits strangers’ houses to ask very personal questions (incredible fun).

Before joining The Foundation, John spent twelve years at HSBC, latterly as Head of Customer Innovation. His first book on the topic - The Human Experience - was published by Bloomsbury in February 2023, and his writing has been featured in The Guardian, The FT, and Management Today.

Charlie is a strategy, insight and CX expert who is very experienced at connecting customer motivations and behaviours to organisations’ choices and actions.  He has spent his career joining the worlds of customer and commercial together across sectors.

Since joining in 2011 he has helped clients such as Sky to make their CX as good as their products, and helped Asda rediscover how to make customers feel good about great value.

Before the Foundation Charlie worked in marketing ending up in the government where he specialised in behaviour change.  He then added broader commercial and delivery expertise in Capgemini.  When not working, you’ll find him with family, talking football (or any sport) and drinking red wine.

Alex is a strategic thinker known for helping leadership teams cut through complexity to create clarity, unlock growth and find long-term advantage.

Alex first worked at The Foundation as a Senior Consultant, leading growth and innovation work for brands including Jaguar Land Rover, M&S and O2. He left to work with social enterprises, helping them develop sustainable business models at GoodLab, then travelled, co-founding an outdoor lifestyle brand in Vancouver. Returning to the UK, he has enjoyed consulting independently and founded The Crux Agency where he partnered with organisations including RNIB, National Grid, and Tesco Insurance. He has now rejoined The Foundation, bringing a fresh entrepreneurial perspective and sector-spanning experience.

His work blends strategy, coaching and facilitation to challenge assumptions, overcome bias and build ideas teams believe in.

Paloma joined The Foundation after 5 years at Be the Business, an organisation improving productivity among SMEs across the UK. She led customer strategy and marketing having been part of the founding team.

Before that she was at Zipcar, pioneering new and better ways for people in cities to enjoy mobility, using digital access to share cars and vans. She has also worked in the fast-evolving telecoms world at Orange in Madrid and London.

After these three experiences, she has a strong belief in customer-led strategy, with first-hand experience of creating customer-centric solutions, valued by customers and users, leading to business growth and commercial success. She has a degree in languages and business, and alongside real-world customer pioneering, she brings an international perspective to our work.

Claudia is a strategic thinker who draws on the outside world and its impact on customers’ attitudes and behaviours, from human and cultural insight to foresight and trends.

Since joining The Foundation in 2019, she has worked across a series of categories and challenges, from developing a new and revitalised brand positioning for The Roundhouse, to helping The Body Shop better connect their purpose with their customer experience, to challenging Vanquis Bank’s understanding of their customers and identifying value-generating opportunities to better serve them.

Prior to The Foundation, Claudia worked in the consulting division of Kantar and has a background in advertising.

Alexei is a Strategy Director at The Foundation. He has spent more than a decade applying audience insight and careful thinking to his clients’ knottiest strategic challenges, helping them draw order from complexity.

He has worked with purpose-led charities, retailers, consumer start-ups and industrial giants on everything from purpose and positioning, to portfolio and go-to-market strategy.

He studied Architecture at the University of Cambridge, which still shows up in his love of structure and craft. Outside of work, Alexei loves making things - sewing, ceramics and woodwork - and volunteers his time supporting charitable arts and culture organisations.

After gaining a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Bristol, Florrie started her career in research, before expanding her skillset and moving into the world of brand strategy and innovation at Yonder Consulting.

For her, the best strategies are driven by insights that spark ‘aha moments’ – truths about customers that feel instantly obvious yet often elude businesses. She’s passionate about unearthing these moments and contributing to meaningful change for customers and organisations.

Florrie has partnered with brands such as Total Fitness, Hays Recruitment, helping them navigate a wide range of customer and culture related challenges from strategy through to implementation.

With a background in Cultural Research, Emma is committed to grounding her work in a deep understanding of what matters to the customers we are pioneering for. Prior to joining The Foundation, Emma was a consultant for leading cultural organisations, developing strategies across brand and commercial. She’s also worked as a Producer and Strategist on place brand, urban design and master-planning projects for clients such as Argent and Landsec.

Emma recently completed her MA (Dist.) in Journalism, where she researched the relationship between Emerging Technologies and audience trust in news. She holds a First-Class degree in Geography from University College London.

Jack’s career started in finance, raising capital for some of the world’s largest private equity firms. His desire to solve complex client challenges, bringing together customers and commercials, led him to join The Foundation.

Since then, Jack has worked on a range of projects from the charity sector to financial services. He helped NHG develop a new customer experience strategy, and Globe Telecom create a compelling digital-first proposition. His role in the ECB’s review of racism in English cricket led him to present his research at the MRS &More Conference.

Jack has a strong interest in understanding human behaviour, as shown by his First-Class degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford.

Anna has always been motivated to understand human behaviour and drive meaningful change. Beginning her career as a maths teacher with Teach First and leading the school’s SEND function, she developed expertise in communication and initiating behaviour change. More recently she transitioned to a commercial setting, working at a leading research agency where she developed a strong skillset in qualitative research. Her recent projects include supporting clients such as Diageo, Aviva and ASDA to better understand the needs of their customers.

Anna holds a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Bristol and a Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematics Education from University College London.

Austin has always had a passion for understanding different cultures and people, from speaking Mandarin Chinese fluently to working in Australia’s aviation industry. Having started his career in marketing, Austin worked for the global retailer TK Maxx, where he focused on Customer Relationship Management, Corporate Responsibility, and Marketing Analytics.

Austin has always been a strong believer in putting customers first, whether it was working directly with high-value clients in the luxury retail market at Louis Vuitton, or helping non-native English passengers feel welcome at Virgin Australia. He is keen to work at The Foundation, where he can bring this customer-centric nature to the world of management consulting.

Driven to better understand the world’s largest consumer market, Austin studied China’s economic, political, and social landscape during his MSc at Oxford, which was awarded with distinction. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce (International) with distinction from the University of New South Wales.

Serena has nearly a decade of experience as an Executive Assistant and Office Manager in various sectors. From High-Net-Worth individuals to charitable organisations, she has established herself as a capable and versatile professional.

Serena holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Leeds and a CMI Level 5 in Operations Management.

Serena's exceptional work was recognised in 2023 when she was awarded Office Manager of the Year. Presently, she is thrilled to be a part of The Foundation, where she finds fulfilment in working for a purpose-driven organisation working across multiple sectors.

Lily is driven by tackling complex challenges through rigorous research and human-centred insight. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where she studied Political Science and International Relations and minored in Entrepreneurship. Her senior thesis examined how intensifying global competition for copper assets can influence political stability in producing countries.

Alongside her studies, Lily supported mission-led nonprofits through mentoring and sports coaching, helping increase participation among young people. She joined The Foundation to combine analytical thinking with empathy, and a curiosity to uncover customer challenges across sectors and deliver measurable impact.

Asa graduated from the University of Cambridge with an honours degree in Natural Sciences. In his final year, he partnered with the UN Millennium Fellowship to tackle inequalities in the UK stem cell register, and wrote a dissertation reviewing emerging treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. Alongside his studies, he volunteered with a university access charity and lobbied for funding at public events.

Now at The Foundation, Asa is bringing his love of research and passion for complex human challenges to deliver real change. Using rigorous analysis and genuine empathy, he is helping organisations understand and better serve the people who matter most to them.

Out of the office, Asa enjoys playing various sports and can often be found watching a football or rugby game with some friends.

Bio TBC

James is a seasoned expert in quantitative research and market modelling, transforming complex consumer data into clear, strategic insights. With over thirty years’ experience, he has worked across a vast range of industries and geographies, applying his deep understanding of surveys and analytics to help clients make smarter, data-driven decisions.

James thrives on solving strategic challenges, whether it's segmenting markets, profiling consumers, optimising pricing, or testing new concepts. His strength lies in cutting through complexity to deliver clarity and confidence, empowering clients to define their targets, sharpen their offers and craft messages that resonate.

Before branching out on his own in 2005, James spent six years at renowned marketing consultancy Added Value (now part of Kantar Consulting) and held roles at IPSOS and TNS. His outputs are defined by a commitment to actionable insight and a belief in the power of well-grounded strategy to drive business success.

Christina is a strategist and coach who's worked with clients across every sector, as well as leading strategy functions internally. She loves getting under the skin of knotty customer and growth challenges, and finding ways to create clarity from complexity.​

She has a background spanning brand, strategy, external relations, insight and evaluation. Her experience includes the development of a Tourism Strategy for London, helping HSBC work out what innovation really means to them as a company and advising the Ministry of Justice on its employer brand.​

She holds an MA from the University of Oxford and is a certified coach.

Jay is a skilled qualitative researcher with 15 years’ experience in delivering complex, multi-market studies across the UK, EU, Asia and Latin America. Previously Head of Qualitative at MediaCom, Jay is passionate about integrating insights into planning and strategy to ensure they add tangible value.

A digital specialist, Jay is fascinated by the ethical implications of tech. She has contributed to a White Paper to support the European Commission in shaping a regulatory framework for AI and spoken about digital literacy at the AQR Worldwide Qualitative Conference in Budapest.

Nora has spent over 25 years working and advising within customer experience, insight, service and proposition development. She has delivered customer-centric solutions which have resulted in successful business change across multiple sectors including health and social care, finance, tech, hospitality and retail.

At The Foundation, Nora has supported the team across a number of projects including customer strategy, customer journey mapping and CX measurement.

Nora consults and supports organisations in culture change programmes, brand positioning, customer strategy and customer research and insight.

Bio TBC

I care about nature and am a strategist, innovator and entrepreneur.

I am lucky enough to be Chair @Finance.Earth (making finance work for nature and a climate-positive world for all), Chair @Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Chair @Agricarbon (reliable, affordable, high fidelity quantification of soil carbon). Previously, I served a full term as a Trustee for the RSPB, co-founded #VoiceForThePlanet and was an early co-convenor of #TheRaceIsOn to secure a nature-positive world by 2030. I was awarded an MBE for volunteer services to the natural environment in 2023.

I have been an innovator and entrepreneur, including co-founding Zopa, the world’s first peer to peer lender (now a unicorn) and as strategy Director at Egg, the UK’s first digital bank. As a foresight, strategy and innovation consultant I have led work around the world for organisations including Amazon, Tesco, AB Sugar, McCain, M&S, Mastercard, Save the Children, Which? and WWF.

I hold a (very out of date) MBA from INSEAD and a 1st class honours degree from University College, London. I am a birdwatcher and was fortunate enough to be part of a 3-person team who re-discovered three species of bird considered by many to be extinct.

Rupert has developed his career by helping customers at the intersection of strategy, learning and change.  He has worked across sectors and geographies including finance, insurance, pharma, tech and retail to deliver solutions that deliver competitive advantage through learning.

With The Foundation, he has supported Harvey Nichols with their new fashion academy to shift how their fashion advisors helped customers, with Sky to help relink their learning with the needs of customers and with a range of other customers including Centrica, Just Giving, London & Partners, EEF to put customers back at the centre of their work.

Rupert also works with companies including Airbus, BT, M&S, Deloitte, ARM QBE and Howden to deliver high quality learning and talent solutions that deliver change.