STRAT7 Crowd DNA

People

Our team

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Lucy Fallon

Head of Agency (London)

Sarah Petrenco

Group Commercial Director

Julia Smaldone

Head of Agency (New York)

Rachel Rapp

Senior Director, Cultural Strategy (Futures, London)

Kathrina Phan

Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Thomas Hayes

Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Amy Nicholson

Director, Cultural Strategy (Futures)

Caitlin Taylor

Director; Project Production (Commercial)

Benji Long

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (Signs, London)

Helene Green

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (Amsterdam)

Sarah Selig

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Maxi Werkle

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Dan Steward

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (New York)

Athena Chen

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy

Eliza Raffle

Senior Cultural Strategist

Jennifer Robinson

Studio Lead

Sophie Clark

Senior Project Producer (London)

Thom Bremer

Senior Cultural Strategist (Amsterdam)

Luzie Richt

Senior Cultural Strategist (Amsterdam)

Isabel Stephenson

Senior Business & Strategy Consultant

Teresa Yong

Senior Cultural Strategist (APAC)

Tom Leverick

Senior Cultural Strategist

Lailah Choudhry

Senior Cultural Strategis

Chloe Swayne

Senior Designer (Socialise, London)

Dougie Chalmers

Senior Videographer

Tom Meadows

Cultural Strategist

Olivia Anderson

Cultural Strategist (Signs)

Celine Longden-Naufal

Cultural Strategist (Semiotics)

Isabelle Reman

Cultural Strategist (Amsterdam)

Zoe Papakonstantino

Cultural Strategist

Jake Renk

Cultural Strategist (New York)

Jacob Cook

Senior Project Producer (APAC)

Tommy Standish

Project Producer (New York)

Dave Armstrong

Operations & Project Coordinator (New York)

Mia Bianchino

Cultural Strategist (APAC)

Alex Smith

Director, People and Culture

Andra Deac

Financial Administrator

Lucy Fallon

Head of Agency (London)

Lucy joined Crowd DNA from The Future Laboratory where she spent the last few years helping clients to understand trends and the evolving future landscape. With a background in journalism, comms and foresight, Lucy has a deep-rooted understanding of how culture informs and influences the world of brand and business, as well as an innate curiosity about people and the world around them.

Outside work, Lucy enjoys flora, star-gazing, reading (with a particular penchant for historical fiction), and is a voracious enthusiast for TV in all forms and genres, from historical drama to crime thriller to documentary. (Is TV the most underrated form of culture?) Sadly, most of her TV watching now is Cocomelon which makes her ears bleed.

Sarah Petrenco

Group Commercial Director

After graduating in law from Durham University, Sarah got stuck in to brand and business strategy at creative consultancy Smith Dawson. There she cultivated her skills across the full spectrum of the branding process – from concept development to market implementation, and working with macro themes such as agelessness.

She brings a seriously acute analytical eye and a voracious appetite for learning to the business and strategy team; also great experience with brands looking to challenge, disrupt and innovate within their sector. Primarily fueled by coffee and chocolate, when she’s not at work you can find Sarah in the gym practising the holy trinity of lifts (she’s a powerlifter, don’t you know?).

Julia Smaldone

Head of Agency (New York)

Julia joined Crowd four years ago as an Associate Director, coming from the world of media planning and strategy. She’s been a part of the growing New York team ever since, servicing clients across industries and traveling the US for ethnography for some of the most interesting brands and projects. Julia has a strong belief that New York City is the best place to work in cultural research and is always seeking out new inspiration and lessons from the city she’s always called home. Outside of work, she’s typically training for her next marathon and questioning why she doesn’t have a different hobby.

Rachel Rapp

Senior Director, Cultural Strategy (Futures, London)

Starting out as a copywriter, Rachel wanted to dig deeper into the insight that powers great creative, and great brands. She cut her teeth at trend forecasting agency Foresight Factory, working with clients such as News UK and Carlsberg. And since arriving at Crowd DNA, she’s helped whisky brands and banks, travel platforms and TV channels, to make more relevant, emotional connections with their customers. Finding out what moves people, and spotting the patterns in culture that speak to them, is what it’s all about. She’s also partial to dabbling in a bit of Crowd content, which allows her to continue scratching that writer’s itch. In her free time, you’ll find Rachel talking about exercise, rather than doing it, and discovering the world’s best cheeses.

Kathrina Phan

Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Kat spent her early career in social research, working on projects ranging from the exploration of diverse challenges facing young people in regional areas, to those of women in the Australian workforce, and attitudes towards and priorities for ageing. She has recently made the move to Crowd DNA to further her qualitative skillset and apply her knowledge in a new space. Growing up in Sydney as a first-generation Vietnamese-Chinese Australian, and living abroad during university, has shown her the complexities that emerge when different cultures meet, mash and/or clash. When she’s not in our Chippendale base camp, you can catch Kat trying to retain her position on her football team, unconsciously dishing out life advice to her friends or hunting for a new indoor plant.

Thomas Hayes

Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Joining Crowd DNA from FiftyFive5, Tom has over eight years experience working within research and strategy. Over the course of his career, he’s worked with a host of clients across FMCG, tech, media, banking and financial services. You can also throw in alcohol, as well as the not-for-profit sector and state and federal government. He’s led research across Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific Region. Tom is particularly passionate about research being a form of advocacy, able to galvanise and unite organisations. Outside of work, he can be found hitting drums, reading books or spending time with his cat, Barney.

Amy Nicholson

Director, Cultural Strategy (Futures)

Amy joins Crowd DNA as a trend forecaster in our Crowd Signs specialism, having spent two years honing her research skills in online communities. Prior to this, she crafted her foresight knowledge as a strategist, helping brands including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Diageo, Jameson and the BBC map their future trajectory. She gets most excited about briefs that require her to look at intersections such as fashion and technology, gaming and banking. When she’s not thinking about work, she’s thinking about her next trip to the seaside, her next craft project or her next meal.

Caitlin Taylor

Director; Project Production (Commercial)

Caitlin’s curiosity for culture began when studying history of art at the University Of Leeds. After graduating, she spent many months travelling through South and Central America, exploring her passion for Latin art and dance – while also developing a new found love for tacos. Since returning to London, she has worked in various roles, from assisting in art galleries to developing her project management skills within brand consultancies, where she has had the opportunity to produce work for brands such as Ferrero and Essity. Using both a logical and creative approach, she thrives on making things happen for herself and the team around her. Other things she makes happen include unwinding in galleries, attempting new cake recipes and tucking into cheeseboards.

Benji Long

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (Signs, London)

Benji joins us from a three year stint at mobile-first agency Fetch, where he worked as a junior strategist on brands such as Apple Music, Uber and eBay. Here he was exposed to a range of research and analysis methodologies, as well as the importance of uncovering the deeper human truths in brand communications. He later became the ‘social listening guy’, interpreting social data and memes for a living. This was supplementary to his degree in social anthropology, where Benji was first introduced to the virtues of ethnographic research and received a first for his final dissertation on the blood diamond industry during the Angolan civil war. In his spare time, he can be found playing jazz piano, perusing car boot sales and playing sport, plying his trade in the lofty heights of Sunday league football.

Helene Green

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (Amsterdam)

Harnessing the power of empathy is part of who Helene is. She strives for closeness and connection to truly get under the skin of what’s going on in people’s lives. After starting out in brand strategy and design, she stepped into insight and innovation. She found her fire for bringing consumer, shopper and patient stories to life around the world, getting stuck into opportunity building to get solutions out into the market that will make a difference. She’s worked across a truly diverse set of topics and categories, but her favourites have been within plastic pollution, bacon, breastfeeding and paediatric food allergies. She’s a curious explorer, dot connector and problem solver, wishing for a Sherlock Holmes Mind Palace, but settling for an overuse of post-it notes.

Sarah Selig

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Avid ocean swimmer. Kindle lover. Caramel slice fiend. Sarah was lucky enough to be born and raised in Sydney. To fulfil a life dream – and maybe a quarter life crisis – she moved to New York in 2022. With the Big Apple conquered, Sarah’s landed in London for her next chapter. Sarah joins Crowd DNA after almost 5 years at KPMG in their customer, brand, and marketing team. Outside the 9-5, you’ll find Sarah in the water (preferably the ocean but in London that’s a hard ask!). She loves mentoring others, listening to entrepreneurial podcasts, and going for her weekly grocery shop. Sarah ran her first (and last) marathon last year in Chicago!

Maxi Werkle

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (APAC)

Coming from a creative background, Maxi kicked off her career working as an art director on the agency side for brands such as White Claw, Prime Video, Spotify, and Dr Martens. With a globetrotting childhood, she grew up all over Europe, followed by a few years in the US, before settling in sunny Sydney. Different cultures and beliefs have therefore been deeply embedded into the way she thinks and works. Today, she fuses her creative lens with all things culture and strategy. An early bird, you’ll find her on sunny morning walks at the beach or teaching a 6AM Pilates class before work.

Dan Steward

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy (New York)

Dan’s pathway into culture and insights was primarily through music. An obsession with the different musical movements and zeitgeists stretches back into his teenage years. This then led to an interest in tribalism and all things pop cultural, be it films, fashion, literature, sport, food, and all their intersections. From there came a degree in politics from the University Of Edinburgh (don’t ask him about Brexit though), during which he wrote a dissertation on animated Disney films. In his spare time, you can find Dan writing music, buying trousers, managing his fantasy football team and creating unnecessarily niche Spotify playlists (currently on the go: staring out of the train window).

Athena Chen

Associate Director, Cultural Strategy

Athena’s interest and expertise in trend forecasting has a foundation in business and culture studies, followed by journalism and agency roles. Ever curious, Athena is deeply inspired by art and design, and passionate about collecting zines and indie publications that reflect deep human emotions and introspection. In her spare time, she is a multi-lingual arts writer and translator to facilitate intercultural exchange. As co-founder of the Chinese-language art zine Hagai, she documents cultural movements and activism across Asia to foster diverse perspectives on society and global identities.

Eliza Raffle

Senior Cultural Strategist

Having split her childhood between the US and UK, Eliza has long recognised the importance and nuance of culture. Through her history BA and Msc in International Relations, she explored the influence of culture on behaviour and identity formation. Eliza has recently been enjoying the return to IRL fieldwork, which has so far taken her across the UK and US, willing to speak to anyone and everyone to get under the skin of what makes people tick. Meanwhile, in her free time, Eliza applies her qual and quant expertise to her rigorous analysis of strava runs and fantasy football. True to her Bristol roots, Eliza is happiest at a music festival with a cider in hand.

Jennifer Robinson

Studio Lead

Jennifer Robinson has arrived at Crowd DNA from senior roles at national newspapers. Most recently she was editor across six weekend supplements for The Mirror, The Express and The People, and celebrity title OK!. Before the internet made her job easier (no more dusty ‘cuttings’ folders), she wrote for style magazines and undertook trends research for MTV. She brings to Crowd her faith that the best way to get an exclusive story – or data, or insight (or anything, really) – can be simple. Just ask the question. And make sure you press record. When not thinking about the times she didn’t press the right button on her dictaphone, Jennifer is trying to not think about dead bodies when swimming in the Thames and teaching yoga.

Sophie Clark

Senior Project Producer (London)

Armed with a psychology degree (she attended university on an academic scholarship), Sophie started her career in insights as a qualitative strategist in Newcastle. There she specialised in media research and working with leading brands such as ITV, HSBC and TikTok. Sophie has published work with the IPA about the application of behavioural economic theories to reduce meat consumption in the UK. She was also a finalist for the AQR’s Parker Prize for emerging talent – shortlisted for her entrepreneurial mindset and enthusiasm. Sophie’s curiosity for people goes beyond her work. Expect to find her in a crowded nightclub or at home, keeping up with her favourite social media influencers.

Thom Bremer

Senior Cultural Strategist (Amsterdam)

Armed with a BSc in industrial design engineering and an MSc in strategic product design from the Technical University of Delft, Thom combines design methods and insights in his cultural analysis. Before joining Crowd DNA, Thom worked as a strategic consultant and qualitative researcher at Ipsos Strategy 3. Outside of work, Thom immerses himself in the Amsterdam nightlife and explores clubs wherever he travels. Additionally, he loves skateboarding and taking pictures with his father’s “crappy” old camera.

Luzie Richt

Senior Cultural Strategist (Amsterdam)

Growing up in newly reunited Berlin, Luzie absorbed her multicultural surroundings and gained a fascination for cultural analysis early on. Leaving the comforts of her hometown, she lived in rural Arkansas, USA, glossy Zurich, and Switzerland before settling in Amsterdam to pursue her studies, and working at the Van Gogh Museum on campaigns to bridge the cultural literacy gap for young people. Jump-starting her career in advertising agencies Wieden+Kennedy and 72andSunny, Luzie then set her mind on strategic insights. In her free time, you can find Luzie catching up on reading for her feminist book club or immersing herself in alternate universes playing Dungeons & Dragons with her friends.

Isabel Stephenson

Senior Business & Strategy Consultant

 Isabel’s fascination with ethnographic work and insight flourished when completing her social anthropology degree at the London School Of Economics. She began her career in finance, primarily working with HNWIs in wealth management. In her role as business and strategy consultant at Crowd she combines her client management skills and analytical eye. Elsewhere, Isabel enjoys podcasts and celebrity memoirs, is a margarita connoisseur, an enthusiastic – and often injured – runner, and has a passion for all things interior design.

Teresa Yong

Senior Cultural Strategist (APAC)

People watching has always been one of Teresa’s favourite pastimes. But her interest in humans (and vegetables) took a serious turn after a three months stint at a Japanese farm, which (together with other great life events) led her to study social anthropology at the University Of Manchester. During which, she became rather obsessed with topics like identity-making and the evolution of rituals, eventually writing an ‘at-home’ ethnography exploring the Singaporean diaspora’s ritualisation of hawker food. Graduating with more questions than before, she found a career in cultural insights with Crowd DNA, where she gets to continue the never-ending voyage into the rabbit hole of human culture. When not doing that, you can find Teresa coaxing her edible plants to grow, eating spilled cake batter when no one is looking, or just sitting… lying down… recovering from her monthly floorball game.

Tom Leverick

Senior Cultural Strategist

Having studied archaeology at UCL, Tom’s interest in culture began with exploring human history and societal structures through a material lens. He went on to work in tech, spent time teaching history and coaching football in South Korea (where he is one for one in managerial trophies…) and wrote market reports for proptech start-ups. Next, he returned to UCL for an MSc in innovation and sustainable development, where he encountered Crowd DNA. Leading a university project collaboration with Crowd sparked his drive for strategic insights, and he got in touch for an opportunity in the Culture Club internship programme – which swiftly led to a permanent role in the strategic insights team. On the side, Tom is a keen Sunday league footballer, enjoys wandering London’s newest art exhibitions and exploring the city’s diverse music scene.

Lailah Choudhry

Senior Cultural Strategist

Lailah is obsessed with words, language and cross-cultural hybridity. After an English degree at the University of Nottingham and a Masters in Applied Linguistics at UCL, Lailah trained in Commercial Semiotics learning to translate cultural research into strategy for global clients. With experience across categories like FMCG, fashion, tech, beauty and more, her favourite projects are the ones that deliver real social impact. East London born and raised, she has a special love for street-level antics – fusion rap subcultures, urban community building and how space/place forms sociolinguistic identity. Outside of work, you can find her spitting poetry bars and dissecting lyrics, chatting to bossman at the chicken shop or taking low quality pics of the moon.

Chloe Swayne

Senior Designer (Socialise, London)

Chloe has been drawing and creating for as long as they can remember. Studying BA graphic communication at Bath Spa University, they developed projects in reportage illustration, branding and publication design. They have since started their own Risograph printing press (Google it!) and has freelanced in all capacities from an illustrator to an assistant muralist. At Crowd DNA, they bring their printmaking experience, alongside a raft of broader design skills, to our Socialise creative team. In other news, they freely admit enjoying watching reality dating shows; and, when they’re all watched, spends time drawing and going out for food.

Dougie Chalmers

Senior Videographer

Dougie developed a moving-image based practice while studying for a fine art BA at Central Saint Martins. This lead him to work exhaustively as a freelance self-shooter, editor and designer in the years following his graduation, coming to specialise in creating bespoke short videos for various clients, as well as beginning a career in the camera department for commercials and music videos, before joining Crowd DNA. Outside of the workplace, you’ll find him organising art and music events in venues around north and east London, and working on his own film projects. If not that, he loves a wee pint of Guinness at his local.

Tom Meadows

Cultural Strategist

Studying film at Warwick, Tom became fascinated with how different cultures can be represented, explored and empowered through mass media and the arts. During his time there, he spent a year split between the University Of Amsterdam and the University Of Copenhagen, where he both studied (political aesthetics, sustainable innovation, and cultural communication) and curated events alongside some of the most established cultural institutions (Rijksmuseum and Louisiana MOMA). Now, at Crowd DNA, Tom loves getting stuck into complex strategic briefs for our tech and media clients, with a keen eye on the future of online spaces and communities. Outside of work, he tries to get to the ocean as often as he can (when the surf is good), cycles, and tries to find the perfect vintage French workwear (pointers always appreciated)

Olivia Anderson

Cultural Strategist (Signs)

Growing up in Amsterdam, Olivia came to understand the importance of culture from a very early age. She studied English literature at Royal Holloway, exploring notions of otherness in her dissertation, while writing about music for the student newspaper. Internships in branding and semiotics led her to stop pulling pints and start pushing herself, joining Crowd DNA where she can give her curious, creative brain free rein. When not working, Olivia dedicates herself to the pursuit of the perfect cocktail (she mixes a mean old-fashioned). And she is most likely to be found grooving in the city.

Celine Longden-Naufal

Cultural Strategist (Semiotics)

Since completing a BSc in biological, social and medical anthropology, and a MSc in anthropology, environment and development, Céline was bombarded with positive affirmations such as: “Anthropology?! Good luck with the job search.” And: “Is that to do with dinosaurs?“ After a year of travelling around Europe and Southeast Asia, then munching her way through the banana bread phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, Céline was an ethnographic research consultant at Pukka Herbs, where she primarily focused on public perceptions towards herbal medicine in the UK. Wanting to apply her passion for anthropology and culture in a commercial environment, Céline joined Crowd DNA, where she is honing her semiotic skills. Outside of work, you’ll find her studying menus ahead of time and dramatically power walking to Hans Zimmer soundtracks.

Isabelle Reman

Cultural Strategist (Amsterdam)

Isabelle’s curiosity for research and cultural insights began after she listened to a lecturer from The Foresight Factory while studying content development at Stockholm’s creative business school, Hyper Island. She decided to test the field by joining the advertising agency Nord DDB as a planner intern, working with clients such as the Swedish Armed Forces, the NGO SOS Children’s Villages and the mobile carrier Telenor. Wanting to dig deeper, she joined Crowd DNA’s Culture Club scheme in Stockholm. Outside of work, she likes to sew her own clothes, or lift weights at the gym.

Zoe Papakonstantino

Cultural Strategist

Zoe is inspired by the way marketing refracts culture, and shapes the world we live in. With past experience in digital marketing, community management, and account management, she joined Crowd to hone her skills in strategy and research. She has since supported projects in the socialise and signs specialisms in various work streams spanning design, production, and semiotic analysis & strategy. On the weekends you’ll find her on her way to a yoga class, ordering an iced latte in the dead of winter, or vintage hunting in East London.

Jake Renk

Cultural Strategist (New York)

Jake learned to swear at a foundry on the west banks of the Mississippi. Jake learned when not to swear at home, his Mom does not even close to share his love for shop-talk. He floated from the foundry to university to working on cabins in Wisconsin to Crowd in New York. Consistent across all locations is a love for tennis, Tom Waits, and all kinds of performance (from homilies to the QVC). He likes lots more stuff but he figures that no one wants to read more than three things and that these three things should give a tip on what his taste is.

Jacob Cook

Senior Project Producer (APAC)

Jacob is a Senior Project Producer at Crowd DNA, with experience across both the London and APAC offices. He brings expertise in various research methods from his time at Flamingo and specialises in recruiting unique participants such as experts, leading-edge consumers, and influencers for projects in industries like fashion, sportswear, and tech. A standout moment in 2023 was producing a high-impact campaign for the rebrand of Emporium for Vicinity Shopping Centres. The goal was to revitalise the brand as the ‘House of Melbourne’ through a 12-month OOH, social, and PR campaign. Working closely with insights, socialise, and creative teams, the project delivered three 30-second videos, a 60-second hero film, 50 images, and a library of content that authentically captured Melbourne’s essence. Jacob thrives on collaboration, ensuring each project delivers best-in-class results through a considered approach to client management, project execution, and participant recruitment.

Tommy Standish

Project Producer (New York)

Originally from Boston, Tommy headed south to New Orleans, where he studied business and sociology at Tulane University, before making his way to New York City. He joins the project production team at Crowd after spending three years at the research services company Guidepoint. There, Tommy honed his project management skills and is able to bring an analytical eye and operational savviness to the team. When not working, he can be found adding to his sneaker collection, wandering about the streets of New York, and tackling the morning crossword.

Dave Armstrong

Operations & Project Coordinator (New York)

Originally from Ireland, Dave has been an NYC transplant for 12 years. His background is varied – with previous roles in planning and procurement, project management, technical support, and post-production role. Dave brings this wide range of skills and organization to our NY office, with the main focus on supporting the team members to achieve maximum efficiency with the launch of new projects, while also collaborating with the HR and finance teams in London. When not at work he will most likely be seen hanging out with his dog Molly. He’s an avid disco DJ, and has been known to do the occasional drag performance.

Mia Bianchino

Cultural Strategist (APAC)

Born, raised and still enjoying her coastal roots as a Sydney-sider, Mia is driven by a curiosity for uncovering the unspoken realities of diverse societies and cultures. Kick starting her research journey writing a thesis about the micro-cultures within Australia’s parliaments, Mia began her career as a social researcher. Usually fuelled by a rigorous tea schedule, you’ll often find Mia enjoying a bush walk, run or ocean swim in her down time. Except, of course, for when she’s gorging on an almond croissant!

Alex Smith

Director, People and Culture

Alex joined Crowd DNA from the world of media. After falling into HR as a teenager, sifting CVs and scanning paperwork, she worked her way up in her most recent role, where she single-handedly created, then developed and managed, the HR function. A confident all-rounder, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge from all sides of the human resource function, alongside a passion for moving quickly and getting things done. When she’s not getting stuck into the ever-changing world of HR, you’ll find her desperately wrestling with the decision to go to the gym or just order a Nando’s before having a quiet night in – or, on the rare occasion, visiting her local pub.

Andra Deac

Financial Administrator

From Romania, Andra originally came to the UK to continue her studies in the financial sector (she has a degree in accounting and finance). She’s been living in London for six years now and has been at Crowd DNA since the start of 2022. When she’s not wrestling with our numbers, she’s playing let’s-pretend games with her two-year-old daughter, skiing, on the look-out for new places to travel or new things to cook.

People

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