/Who We Are

Sian Davies

Global Founder

I have over 35 years experience as a behavioural strategist and marketing consultant. I started my career in strategy consulting, specialising in marketing and growth challenges. I then joined the Henley Centre for Forecasting, part of the WPP group and prior to co-founding The Behavioural Architects, I was Global CEO of The Futures Company, a consulting centre of excellence within WPP.

I’ve always been fascinated by understanding people and why we do what we do. Behavioural Science is a game changer because it gives us enduring and powerful insights into what drives behaviour and how to influence it. In creating The Behavioural Architects, Crawford, Sarah and I set ourselves the mission of applying the latest thinking from the Behavioural Sciences to research and marketing challenges. It’s been an incredible journey since we launched in 2011 and an absolute privilege to work with many leading brands and organisations along the way. A particular highlight has been our multi award winning work with Google on Decoding Decisions - understanding decision making in today’s evolving consumer landscape.

Sarah Davies

Global Founder

I have over 30 years of experience as a behavioural strategist and consultant, and have always had a fascination with understanding behaviour. I started out as a qualitative researcher and went on to build the Strategy team at trends-based brand consultancy HeadlightVision. I then became Global MD and Head of Strategy and Innovation at WPP’s The Future’s Company.

In 2011, I co-founded The Behavioural Architects, with a mission to apply the power of Behavioural Science to client challenges. It’s been, and continues to be, a fantastic journey taking me to almost every corner of the world. On the way, I have had the privilege of working with many influential brands in the commercial and social space, including Diageo, CRUK, Google, PepsiCo, Reebok, Waitrose, Salomon and Sport England.

I believe in constantly challenging myself and that bravery and risk-taking is key to having real commercial impact and driving behaviour change. The challenge to better understand the drivers of decision making and behaviour remains as important as ever…

Crawford Hollingworth

Global Founder & Chair

I have been working for a very long time! What has driven me all my life is my background in Applied Social Psychology. I began my career at BMP DDB – the birthplace of strategic planning – when it was scooping more awards than you could shake a stick at. I cut my teeth alongside some of the sharpest minds in advertising, and went on to hone my planning skills at AMV BBDO.

Fascinated by the forces shaping society, I launched HeadlightVision with Simons Palmer Clemmow Johnson, creating global trend tools like Global StreetScapes, D-Code and Global Behavioural Energies. After selling to WPP, the business became The Futures Company, where I served as Founder and Global Exec Chairman.

As behavioural science emerged, I saw its potential to revolutionise how we understand decisions and design change. In 2011, I co-founded The Behavioural Architects with Sarah and Sian — the first consultancy built fully on BeSci thinking. Since then, we’ve shifted behaviours at scale, won awards, shared ideas worldwide… and had a lot of fun along the way.

Gill O'Hanlon

Managing Partner

A desire to understand people and what drives their behaviour has shaped my career over the last 20 years, spanning multiple categories, cultures and countries. I’m motivated by the discovery of insights, however simple, that can inspire how we think about a challenge, opening up new ideas and possibilities. With a diverse background spanning marketing, brand, communication and innovation research, I’ve had the privilege of partnering with a wide array of clients, including Diageo, Sainsbury’s, Rightmove, Nationwide, Haleon and Eli Lilly.

My passion lies in helping businesses truly understand their customers in order to develop impactful strategies that drive real results. In recent years, Behavioural Science has significantly advanced our ability to understand people, and at TBA, we’ve developed a deep understanding of how to apply this knowledge to develop creative and impactful solutions.

Ben Jones

Director & AI Product Innovation Lead

I’ve been working in insight and behavioural strategy for over 10 years, joining TBA UK in 2017 after two fantastic years with our Sydney team. With a background in history, I’ve always been curious about people - how we think, what drives us, and the stories we tell. That curiosity has shaped my career in insight, behavioural science and strategy, turning deep human understanding into ideas that drive real change.

I’ve led strategic insight projects across Europe, North America, Asia and Africa with brilliant clients including Diageo, Google, Sainsbury’s, Haleon and Lilly. I specialise in deep human research, insight storytelling and behaviour change strategy, and love collaborating closely with clients - from the first spark of an idea through to influencing decisions and shaping outcomes.

I’m also leading how we integrate AI at TBA, developing tools and approaches that scale the impact of behavioural science and help clients stay ahead as technology evolves. What drives me most is combining human insight, creativity and technology to make a genuine difference.

Rachel Abbott

Director

I’m what you might term a pragmatic social scientist. With a background in anthropology and nearly 20 years working in behavioural research, I love combining a deep understanding of what drives people to do one thing versus another with what can be practically applied to create positive change. Working at TBA since 2012, I’ve worked on projects that have gone on to underpin national strategy, major investment decisions, award-winning campaigns, service development and practical interventions.

I’ve had the opportunity to immerse myself in all sorts of behavioural insight challenges, from helping Diageo brands better connect with social drinking occasions in South America, to identifying strategic opportunities to increase sports participation among under-represented groups for Sport England and NGBs. My experience also includes leading high-profile, sensitive research involving vulnerable and marginalised audiences, e.g. for the Government Equalities Office and Swim England.

At work and in life, I’m highly motivated to upskill others in understanding people’s behaviour and learn myself from different perspectives and areas of specialism.

Dipesh Mistry

Director

I've spent over 10 years in the research industry, and it all started with studying Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience for my degrees. That's where I developed a passion for behavioural science and researching how we think and behave.

Since then, I've had the chance to work on a broad range of quantitative research projects, from classic methods to more cutting-edge techniques. My work has taken me across multiple client sectors working with the likes of Google, YouTube, Universal Music, The FA, and Jaguar Land Rover.

For the past five years at TBA, I've primarily been working with Google, leading the Decoding Decisions programme, which won an award for New Consumer Insights in 2023. I also enjoy talking about research, and you can often find me presenting at various research conferences.

I'm a naturally curious person, always keen to learn more about human behaviour and thinking.

Louise Littleton

Director

I bring over a decade of research experience, fuelled by a love for understanding people and translating their lived experiences into meaningful stories. Growing up as a ‘Third Culture Kid’, I have lived everywhere from Russia to India, which gave me a perspective that continues to shape how I work today: with openness, curiosity, and a genuine desire to understand.

I began my career at a boutique trends and culture consultancy, leading global ethnographic studies on how youth populations interact with the world around them. After a chapter in Australia with a strategic consultancy, I joined TBA in 2018.

Over the past seven years at TBA, I’ve been honing my Behavioural Science expertise to uncover how people make decisions, with a particular focus on brand strategy and consumer journey research for clients including Harrods, Disney, Universal Music, Google, Salomon, YouTube and Diageo.

Mike Daniels

Founder

As a Global Partner of The Behavioural Architects, I founded the Australian business in 2012, following a career as a strategist in leading advertising agencies across the UK, USA, and Australia. Since then, my work has taken me to many countries and cultures across Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe, giving me a truly global perspective on changing behaviour.

I am passionate about applying behavioural science to create meaningful impact. While knowledge of the field is vital, I believe the real challenge lies in translating it into practical solutions - something The Behavioural Architects has become renowned for. My thinking is shaped by ecological psychology and general systems theory, both of which emphasise that behaviour must be understood in the context of the environments and factors that surround and shape it.

Over the past decade, I have worked across the private and public sectors on projects spanning customer experience, brand strategy, communications, innovation, community engagement, and policy. I also speak regularly at conferences, sharing insights on behavioural science in action.

Sam Paul

Managing Director

I am a Behavioural Scientist and Managing Director at The Behavioural Architects Australia.

With over 17 years of experience, I have partnered with leading commercial and government organisations to design ethical, cost-effective, and unobtrusive strategies that shape customer experience, brand positioning, communications, innovation, employee engagement, and policy; always with the goal of creating measurable impact and sustainable behaviour change.

Drawing on expertise in Behavioural Science and Market Research, I apply the latest evidence from psychology to design quantitative experiments, randomised controlled trials and behavioural forecasting models; helping organisations more accurately predict what people will do, not just what they say they will do.

As a recognised educator, presenter, and thought leader, I have been awarded for both project impact and conference presentations. My accolades include Best Presentation at the Human Insights Conference, a People’s Choice Award at a different conference, the MRS Grand Prix Award for Social Impact, the MRS Sustainability Research Award, and Best Paper at ESOMAR.

Shane Sinnott

Chief Customer Officer

As Chief Customer Officer at The Behavioural Architects, I partner with organisations to unlock the behavioural insights that drive real change. Over the past 25 years, I’ve held senior leadership roles across leading creative agencies DDB, TBWA and 303MullenLowe, and senior client-side Director roles leading marketing, campaigns, brand and sponsorship at the Cancer Institute NSW, Bank of Queensland, Ella Baché and News Corp, before joining TBA in 2021.

At TBA, I’ve had the privilege of working with extraordinary clients including Uber - Eats, Mobility and Uber One across both global and domestic projects, Transport for NSW (including the long-running Travel Choices program), Department of Transport Victoria, SunRice, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). Many of these are long-term partnerships spanning more than 5 years, something I’m incredibly proud of as it speaks to the trust we build and the results we deliver.

I get most excited when behavioural science moves beyond theory to transform strategy, campaigns, communication and customer experiences, from shifting travel behaviours and building more sustainable choices, to improving public safety and growing iconic brands. I’m passionate about making behavioural change accessible, practical and impactful, and about building teams and client relationships that are collaborative, creative and kind-hearted.

Belinda Aanensen

Partner

I fell in love with research when I was required to enrol in a research methods course as part of my Psychology degree. I’m curious about pretty much everything, and it was music to my ears to hear that I could ask questions for a living by pursuing a research career.

I now have over 18+ years of experience in market and social research, using a variety of qual and quant techniques to support clients across sectors to achieve success. I joined The Behavioural Architects leadership team in 2025 as a Partner.

I’ve been lucky enough to win a few awards for my work, including Research Effectiveness Awards for Public Policy / Social Impact (for a study into the far-reaching impacts of fatal road crimes on NSW communities) as well as Consumer Insights (helping Bonds unlock growth in the bra category – and helping improve the bra shopping and wearing experience for women across Australia).