Meet the team
We are a team of strategists, scientists, researchers and analysts.
Obsessed with human behaviour and the growth that can come from understanding it, everyone at Behave is an expert in their field. We embrace a diverse culture of perspectives, theories, skills, and opinions, which keeps us learning and empowers us to help our clients achieve their goals.
Dr Alexandra Dobra-Kiel
Innovation & Strategy Director
Alexandra’s career (honed at Accenture, Kroll, and Deloitte) blends imagination and discipline. She advises boards and executives with strategic insights and designs proprietary innovations with demonstrable impact. A regular speaker, commentator, and author, she also helps define industry direction as a member of the UK Advertising Association’s AI Taskforce. Her international upbringing, combined with a masters at Cambridge and a PhD from Warwick, gives her a global perspective that informs her work across markets.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave brilliantly illustrates how people cling to familiar beliefs, even when confronted with compelling evidence – a lasting lesson in the mind’s resistance to change.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandradobrakiel/
Alexis Zarucha
Behavioural Scientist
Alexis is a behavioral scientist, applying his background in psychology and neuroscience to help brands make smarter, evidence-based decisions and turning rigorous research into commercial impact. Drawing on earlier experience in market research and neuroscience labs, he blends experimental design, behavioral diagnostics, and neuro-informed testing to uncover what truly drives attention, choice, and loyalty. He integrates behavioral science across projects and processes, advising clients from pitch to execution and translating robust principles into communication strategies that change minds and move markets. By distilling findings into clear Behavioral Insights, his work shapes brand positioning, creative direction, and go-to-market strategies across categories.
I love the Endowed Progress Effect—it begins with a head start: show me I’m 20% done and I’ll behave like I’m already in motion. Suddenly, “I should start” becomes “I’ve started.” That shift activates the goal gradient, reduces uncertainty, and makes the next step feel closer—reliably boosting completion and follow-through.
It’s especially powerful for loyalty cards: a visible head start (“2 of 10 stamps already”) creates ownership (endowment) and mild loss aversion—skipping feels like wasting momentum—so visits come sooner and completion rises, turning a coupon into a habit and even an identity (“I’m a regular here”).
And that’s why I love it: it’s transparent, inexpensive, and compounding—small, truthful momentum today becomes habit tomorrow. It nails the heart of behavioral science in practice: evidence distilled into a tiny design nudge that reliably changes behavior.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-zarucha-509199189
Christina Hansbauer
Senior Behavioral Strategist
Christina is a Behavioral Strategist at heart – exploring how people think, decide, and act, driven by a need to understand and to prove. With a background in Business Psychology and further training in Data Science & Analytics, she merges psychological theory with quantitative analytics to make behavior observable, interpretable, and applicable.
Her experience spans audience analytics, data strategy, and consulting. She has worked with large-scale datasets and behavioral models to understand how people engage with media, form attitudes, make choices, and relate to brands. Her work connects the psychological with the empirical – the measurable with the meaningful – to move beyond describing behavior toward understanding the “why” behind it, and making that understanding matter for strategy.
Christina approaches behavioral strategy as an exercise in precision and perspective: understanding the evidence behind human behavior without losing sight of its complexity. For her, data is not the opposite of intuition, it’s a way to listen more closely.
An effect that I find particularly fascinating, especially in the context of research, is the “mere measurement effect.”
It describes how simply asking people a question can change what they do. Studies show that when individuals are asked about their intentions – to vote, to exercise, or to recycle – they become more likely to follow through.
It’s a subtle paradox: the act of measuring behavior becomes part of shaping it. A reminder that observation and influence are rarely separate, and that every dataset contains a story about how it was created.
The same principle can be easily applied to marketing and media research. Every survey, click, or response not only reflects behavior but can subtly alter it – awareness prompts intention, and intention prompts action. It’s a quiet example of how behavioral evidence and communication design intertwine. By asking, we start to move people.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-hansbauer-893860146/
Claire Baker
Research Director
With over 15 years of experience in market research, analytics, and media measurement, Claire is an insights expert driven by curiosity and a passion for understanding consumer behaviour. She specialises in both qualitative and quantitative research, leading projects across diverse industries like consumer goods, finance, and travel. Skilled in traditional research methods and advanced analytics, Claire excels at turning data into actionable strategies by uncovering meaningful patterns and trends.
Niklas Laninge applied behavioural science in his grocery store in Stockholm with a clever twist on framing. Rather than simply listing the benefits of organic bananas, he labelled them as "Organic Bananas," while the alternative was marked as "Bananas Sprayed with Pesticides." This tactic proved so effective that soon, organic bananas became the only option he needed to stock.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-baker-262b5752/
Clotilde Pinchet
BeSci Graduate
Clotilde joined Behave in June 2025, bringing academic expertise in psychology and behavioural science. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and an MSc in the Psychology of Economic Life from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Alongside her studies, she has collaborated with two international research teams on projects spanning financial wellbeing and health behaviours such as responses to Ozempic. She also placed third at the United Nations FAO Nudgeathon, competing against student teams from LSE, Cambridge, and UCL.
During WWII, Kurt Lewin found that group discussions among housewives led to much higher adoption of offal compared to simply giving information about its benefits. When people take part in a group discussion and help form a shared decision, they feel ownership over it and strive to adhere to that representation. This explains why the change produced within a group is also more stable over time: if I feel part of the change, I defend it as if it were a part of myself.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clotilde-pinchet-8565b0328/
Dan Bello
Strategist
Dan combines a strong background in OOH media planning with several years of experience in insight-led brand strategy and innovation. His strategic approach is grounded in understanding human behaviour, ensuring the development of effective and impactful solutions. Since joining Behave in July 2024, Dan has used his experience with high-profile clients in FMCG, retail, and tech to deliver innovative strategies that elevate brands.
In 1996, Guinness transformed a flaw—their slow pour—into a strength with the tagline "Good things come to those who wait." This prime example of the pratfall effect embraced wait time as a unique brand attribute, enhancing both the experience and the drink itself.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bello/
Daniel Hegman
Consultant
Daniel joined Behave in 2022, bringing over 5 years of experience in consumer insights with an MSc in Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences from UCL. He has a strong track record of leading insights and advisory projects across sectors such as automobile, finance, FMCG, and entertainment. As a team leader, Daniel drives innovation by developing new products and refining existing ones, helping to fuel strategic growth within the consultancy.
In the 18th century, Frederick the Great of Prussia cleverly marketed the potato, a new crop from America, to combat famine. To overcome resistance from peasants who saw little value in the vegetable, he employed the scarcity principle. By limiting access and creating “royal” potato fields with lax security, he ignited curiosity and prompted theft. Before long, peasants began to grow potatoes themselves, transforming the once-rejected crop into a staple.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielhegman/
Darek Szul
Insights Account Director
Darek brings over a decade of experience to the team. His strongest skill is analytical thinking, which is invaluable for uncovering patterns in diverse data sets. A qualified mathematician with extensive media experience, Darek offers a unique, outside-the-box approach to data analysis. He has worked extensively in the finance and FMCG sectors on advertising effectiveness and has also conducted multiple audience segmentations in the motoring, travel, and appliances sectors.
In the healthy food market, marketers often use the framing effect by emphasising benefits like "90% fat-free" instead of "10% fat." This positive framing influences consumer perception, making the products appear healthier and more appealing.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dariusz-szul-75bb3329
Ella Britton
Strategy Director
Ella is a highly skilled Strategy Director with over eight years of experience in creative and media strategy across both client and agency sides. Since joining Behave from the BBC in 2021, she’s led strategy for clients across diverse sectors, bringing a unique blend of creativity and behavioural insight to every campaign. Known for her strategic vision, Ella has spoken at top industry events and shared her expertise in leading publications.
The Von Restorff effect, or Isolation Effect, suggests that the most distinctive item among similar ones is the easiest to remember. Liquid Death embodies this principle by disrupting the water industry with branding that resembles beer or energy drinks, which no other water brand has gone so far to do - an unconventional strategy that effectively draws attention
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellabritton/
Emma Tyrrell
Behavioural Research Executive
Emma joined Behave in 2022 and holds a Master’s degree in Behavioural Science and Economics from the University of Bath. With a background in market research, she has managed projects for clients in the FMCG and finance sectors. At Behave, Emma provides behavioural science insights and research support for consultancy projects, demonstrating a strong interest in UX design. She employs advanced research methods and tools to inform media strategy.
A hotel leveraged social norms to promote energy conservation and environmental sustainability. By telling guests, "75% of guests who stayed in this room reused their towels," rather than simply saying, "Help the environment by reusing your towel," they significantly increased towel reuse.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-tyrrell-87a15b17b/
George Michael
Effectiveness & Modelling Account Director
George joined Behave at the start of 2023, bringing over 3 years of experience in data analytics along with a strong mathematical academic background. He has since tackled a range of complex measurement and modelling projects for high-profile clients across various sectors, helping them monitor and enhance the effectiveness of their advertising spend.
In a 2008 ad for Transport for London, viewers were asked to count the number of basketball passes in a short clip while a person in a bear costume danced across the court. Most viewers completely missed the bear because their focus was on counting the passes, illustrating how attention bias can lead us to overlook things we aren't actively looking for.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-michael-67a238a8/
Giorgia Cannizzo
Behavioural Analyst
Giorgia joined Behave in 2024, bringing over 3 years of experience in media and marketing agencies with a specialisation in behavioural science, where she has led strategies and campaigns across global markets and industries. As an expert in influencer marketing, Giorgia has been recognised as the “Best Content and Behavioural Science Analyst” for her exceptional ability to integrate behavioural science into strategies, creative concepts, and analyses.
The IKEA Effect is a psychological principle that indicates people place higher value on products they have helped create. IKEA capitalises on this by offering flat-pack furniture that customers assemble themselves, fostering a deeper emotional connection to the items. This sense of ownership enhances the perceived value of the furniture and boosts customer loyalty and engagement.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/giorgia-cannizzo-783136151/
Jess Huntrods
Marketing & New Business Manager
As the Marketing and New Business Manager at Behave, Jess brings over six years of diverse experience in social media, web, and content marketing. She leverages her expertise to drive business growth and attract new prospects for the group. Alongside her core responsibilities, Jess actively contributes to several ESG initiatives, playing a key role in the Wellbeing and Green teams.
Newcastle University conducted research demonstrating the deterrent effect of images of staring eyes. Over a two-year period, they combined these images with an anti-theft message, resulting in a significant decline in bike thefts on campus.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-huntrods-a33028b9/
Jessica Peet
Associate Strategist
Jessica joined Behave in 2021 and holds a psychology degree, alongside a deep passion for deciphering consumer behaviour. At Behave, she leverages advanced research methodologies and tools to generate actionable insights that inform comprehensive media strategies. Jessica also provides expert research support across diverse consultancy projects, driving impactful results for our clients.
The Pratfall Effect shows that admitting flaws can make brands appear more relatable and likable. Volkswagen’s iconic 1959 Beetle campaign by Doyle Dane Bernbach exemplified this by celebrating the car's quirks. By using lines like "If you run out of gas, it’s easy to push" and "Ugly is only skin deep," VW turned its imperfections into charm, significantly increasing its appeal.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-peet-38b078196/
Kate Orosz
Research Account Director
Kate brings over 6 years of research and consulting experience, primarily in pharma and biotech, with additional work in education, finance, and real estate. She specialises in strategic research approaches to inform market positioning, brand development, and audience understanding. With a background in psychology, she excels at translating complex numbers into human insights, helping clients make informed, actionable, and audience-focused decisions.
Loss aversion, a cognitive bias where the pain of potential losses outweighs the pleasure of equivalent gains, is often exhibited in clinical settings. This bias often leads physicians to prefer familiar, established treatments, even when newer drugs are more effective, highlighting how emotional responses to potential losses influence medical decisions.
linkedin.com/in/kat-orosz
Lucas Brown
Chief Strategy Officer & Founder
As a founding partner of Behave, Lucas brings over 30 years of expertise in media strategy, data science, and behavioural planning to drive brand growth. His leadership extends to the IPA’s Advisory Board, where he actively contributes to industry advancements. Lucas also co-authored the pioneering Advertising Effectiveness qualification, which has helped set new standards in the field.
The Economist's price framing heuristic illustrates how the way choices are presented can influence consumer decisions. By offering Online-Only for $59, Print-Only for $125, and Print + Online for $125, the Print-Only option acted as a decoy, making the Print + Online deal more attractive and increasing its selection by 162%.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasrebrown/
Madeleine Ware
Head of Marketing & New Business
Maddy is the Head of Marketing and New Business at Behave, where she leads strategic initiatives to drive growth and boost the company’s visibility in the market. With a proven track record in marketing strategy, brand development, and client acquisition, Maddy combines creative vision with data-driven insights to deliver impactful campaigns.
Spotify, among other brands, cleverly leverages the endowment effect by offering free trials of its premium service. This tactic makes users more likely to become paying subscribers after experiencing its benefits and developing a sense of ownership.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleineware/
Dr Minh Thuy Nguyen
Director Behavioural Consulting
Minh bridges behavioral science, data analytics, and marketing strategy—turning human insight into business impact. Shaped by a decade and deep cross-cultural experience, she brings three perspectives to every project: the curious mind of a behavioral scientist, the technical precision of a data expert, and the empathetic lens of a market researcher.
She decodes audiences and delivers behavioral insights that drive smarter decisions for global brands across med tech, FMCG, finance, consumer electronics, household appliances, tourism, automotive, and energy—consulting on data strategy, research, and analytics that move the needle.
What gets her out of bed? Finding invisible patterns in human behavior and turning them into strategy. Minh lives at the intersection of data, behavior, and creativity.
The "IKEA Effect" describes a simple truth: build it yourself, and you'll love it more, even if your handywork is objectively inferior to the professionally-made alternative. IKEA brilliantly transformed a cost-cutting measure (no assembly labour) into a psychological feature, making customers feel accomplished and emotionally bonded to their furniture. The effect reveals something profound about human psychology: we don't just value things because they're good; things become good because we value them. Our effort doesn't just build furniture, it builds meaning.
www.linkedin.com/in/minhthuynguyen23
Pedro Martins
Chief Growth Officer
As an agency leader, Pedro is responsible for driving growth. A trained media planner, marketeer and business developer, he has experience as a group account director, managing partner, media planner, and behavioural specialist. Highly motivated and entrepreneurial, Pedro has successfully led client teams, organic income growth, and new business initiatives. He has worked with startups and scale-ups across various sectors, including tech, FMCG, e-commerce, health and fitness, travel, VR/Metaverse, automotive, and entertainment.
The filter bubble illustrates how we favour information that confirms our beliefs, dismissing opposing viewpoints. This can easily be observed in politics, with Donald Trump supporters serving as a clear example. Many focus only on content that aligns with their views, creating a self-reinforcing echo chamber - highlighting how these bubbles can significantly shape, and even distort, our perception of reality.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedro-martins-99686a17/
Ryan Collins
International Strategy Director
Ryan joined Behave in 2021, bringing a decade of expertise in both domestic and international strategy. With a diverse portfolio that spans FMCG, travel, leisure and hospitality, retail, and finance, he excels at creating and leading award-winning strategic initiatives for a variety of clients. Ryan's career began at MediaCom and continued at London & Partners, where he played a key role in promoting London globally and driving the city’s post-pandemic recovery.
Nespresso transformed consumer perception by changing the comparison set for its capsules. Rather than comparing them to cheaper supermarket coffee, Nespresso framed its prices against those of coffee shops. At £0.70–£1 per capsule, home-brewed coffee was positioned as an affordable luxury compared to a £4 coffee shop purchase, significantly boosting sales and saving the company billions.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-collins-b031056a/
Sofia Soto
Behavioral AI Consultant
Sofia is an AI Consultant at Mediaplus, working at the intersection of behavioral science, AI strategy, and creative campaigns.
With a background in Communication Science and Economics, she entered the industry captivated by Cannes Lions-winning work, then came the generative AI revolution, and marketing's new question: How do we use AI to drive better campaigns and measurable impact?
Now pursuing Digital Innovation and Business Transformation, Sofia helps marketing teams cut through AI hype, translating new tools into practical applications for media strategy and campaign optimization. Her work lives at the edge of what's technically possible and what's behaviorally sound.
Where data meets human behavior, and great creative still stops the scroll.
Duolingo's streak feature is behavioral science at its best: visible, measurable, and extremely effective. With a simple daily counter, the app turned vague learning goals into something concrete you can actually build, and here's the game changer: something you're now afraid to lose. The longer your streak grows, the more you've invested (sunk cost), the more it feels like yours (endowment effect), and the harder losing it would hurt (loss aversion). What started as a retention trick became part of user's identity, they're not just Duolingo users, they're "on a 200-day streak." It is brilliant how It is brilliant how Duolingo creates value itself: streaks don't matter because they're meaningful, they become meaningful because we protect them.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiabssoto/
Tom Laranjo
Chief Executive Officer
As the CEO of Behave, Tom has over 20 years of agency experience, collaborating with some of the world’s most renowned brands in various roles. He has led the development of Mediaplus UK Group’s behavioural planning proposition, combining a deep understanding of consumer behaviour with strategic marketing choices to drive impactful consumer decisions and achieve exceptional business performance.
Hans Rosling's The Fear Instinct highlights how fear can distort our perception of risk. Rosling urges us to "calm down before carrying on," reminding us that true risk isn't solely measured by our fear, but rather by the interplay of danger and exposure. It's a valuable lesson in rational thinking when emotions threaten to cloud our judgment.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-laranjo-9163723/
William Hanmer-Lloyd
Head of Behave
Will is a seasoned expert in advertising and behavioural economics, with extensive experience in integrating insights into effective marketing strategies. He began his career at the IPA, where he pioneered the integration of behavioural economics into advertising, before leading Insight and Effectiveness at Blue449. Will also played a key role in developing Mediaplus UK's distinctive behavioural planning approach and now heads Behave, overseeing strategy, research, effectiveness, and marketing consultancy.
Norwich City’s innovative approach to psychological tactics involved painting the away dressing room in “deep pink,” a colour known to reduce testosterone levels and induce a sense of calm.By strategically selecting pink, the team leveraged its psychological impact, not only for its hue but also for its association with childhood experiences, subtly influencing behavior and mood.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-hanmer-lloyd-5b089219/
Will Reddihough
Digital Strategy Director
Will joined Behave in 2021, bringing over 13 years of experience in digital advertising, including account management, digital transformation, innovation, and strategy. He leverages his extensive digital knowledge and behavioural strategic approach to help clients exceed their objectives and achieve remarkable results. With expertise across various sectors including automotive, FMCG, retail, media, finance, and gaming, Will has crafted award-winning campaigns for global brands.
The Missing Type campaign, a powerful public health initiative, effectively utilized the generation effect by removing the letters A, O, and B from prominent London landmarks. This striking visual metaphor underscored the critical shortage of blood donors, successfully raising awareness and inspiring action.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-r-178aa55a/