I help brands and agencies to understand the future better. Seven years independent, working with brands and organizations that include Walmart, Amazon, LEGO, INEOS, PepsiCo, Pinterest, EA, Mars Petcare, BlackRock, Fujifilm, and the agencies that serve them. Twenty years before that as CSO and Partner at BSSP, the independent agency Adweek named Agency of the Decade. Alongside the work, I write, publish, and convene.
Working directly with brands, and with the agencies and consultancies that serve them.
Twenty years as CSO and Partner, growing Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners from 25 people to 200. Named Adweek's Agency of the Decade and Ad Age's Small Agency of the Year.
Different rooms, different jobs. Most engagements are some combination of these.
The goal is always the same: uncover the fundamental truths about the brand, the category, and the consumer. Find the single-minded strategic thought that connects what consumers want with what the company provides. Sometimes brands are out of alignment and need to be put back in. Sometimes it's about finding a sharper way to express what the brand has done all along. The approach depends on time and what knowledge already exists, from workshop sprints with key stakeholders to conversations with brand advocates. It's amazing what can be accomplished with a few key people willing to make the time.
I work with agencies at all stages of the pitch process, from developing a new business strategy to working out the final pitch deck. Sometimes that means working solo. Sometimes it means working with a strategy department or with the CSO directly. I've helped write the presentations others give, and I've been the one in the room pitching. I've also been the one who provides the initial stimulus on Day 1, bringing the agency team together to decide on the right strategic approach from the very start.
I've helped CSOs unlock their internal challenges. Organized workshops to galvanize teams. Helped leadership understand the barriers preventing the strategy department from doing its best work. And run workshops on the Future of the Strategy Department, and on going deeper on the things that matter.
A new technology, a shift in the category, a new audience emerging, an economic pattern that doesn't match the playbook anymore. The brand can feel the change but isn't sure what it means or what to do about it. The work is two parts. First, understanding what the opportunity actually is, by getting close to what's changing, listening to the people inside it, and reading the signals before they're obvious. Then, figuring out what the brand needs to do to take advantage of it. Sometimes that's a reframe of an existing position. Sometimes it's a new bet. Either way, the goal is to move while the opportunity is still real.
If any of these sound like the room you're in, the easiest way to start is a 15-Minute Google Meet.
Book a 15-Minute Google Meet →Two newsletters, Provoke and Hardwired. A series of strategic investigations. And the Inspiring Futures podcast. Each one with a specific purpose.
For over a decade, I've held formal leadership roles in the strategy community. First as Chair of the 4As Strategy Committee, where I spent five years leading the Jay Chiat Awards and the committee's industry conferences and events. More recently as the founder of StratMonday and the convener of Camp Thrive.
A 30-minute Monday meeting that serves as a gathering place for strategists to meet and learn. Recent conversations include knowledge graphs and insights into the life of strategists working client-side.
A one-day virtual working session held annually. The 2026 edition brought together 350 strategists from around the world. 21 speakers including Heidi Hackemer, Zoe Scaman (Bodacious), Gareth Kay (Coinbase), Michael Fanuele (Shake Shack), Ross Cidlowski (LEGO), Chuck Welch, Matt Hardisty and Matthew Knight. Three tracks: earning it, making the call, and making strategy work inside organizations.