Guy Champniss, Ph.D.

Behavioural Science, Sustainable Innovation & Strategic Communications

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EVP | Consultant | C-suite Advisor | Visiting Professor

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Phone:+44 7917 408686

Email: guychampniss@mac.com

Professional Profile

​Innovative, award-winning Consultant, Strategic Advisor and Senior Executive with 25+ years’ global experience in global communications, strategic marketing and applied behavioural science, across technology, energy, financial services, pharma, FMCG, academia and government. Entrepreneurial and inclusive leader, who delivers strategic research, behavioural insights, and marketing and communications to position start-ups and MNCs as market leaders in CSR, sustainability and corporate social innovation.

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• Spearheads commercial social innovation and consumer behaviour change; Networks globally, cultivates rapport and fosters trusted stakeholder relations. Defines objectives and leverages knowledge-based research to drive transformation.

• Unlocks client engagement and commercial growth opportunities; Brings holistic perspective, designs creative value propositions, drives strategic product development and embeds behavioural science at the heart of operations.

• Influences C-suite leadership; Advises, guides and shapes policy, strategy and direction with credibility and gravitas gained via complete ecosystem understanding. Harmonises people, process and systems to realise positive outcomes.

Core Skills and Competencies

Career Highlights

- Founding strategic advisor and member of founding leadership team for award-winning US-based behaviour tech' start-up, from pre-Series A to USD20mm ARR.

- Recognised in US and UK for innovation and social impact through the commercial application of behavioural science, with clients drawn from government, education, fmcg, banking, finance, pharma' and technology.

- Successfully engaged policymakers around the use of behavioural science to drive energy efficiency, directing new policy, leading to mandating of new products and services.

- Created value proposition for energy and behaviour start-up, establishing thought-leadership position across a diverse set of stakeholders, with over 50 original pieces of communication, presentations at over 20 global conference events, multiple awards and publication in a special issue of peer-reviewed Energy Efficiency. 

- Designed and launched market’s largest on-going study on consumer sentiment, brands and sustainability, leading to consulting offer and global value proposition for group (Meaningful Brands, Havas); over 30,000 consumers across nine markets.  

 - Devised and led innovative multi-market business unit, focused on developing and owning long-form creative assets for brands, increasing revenues by over 50% over 2-year period.

 - Successfully repositioned global media agency around creativity and led employee engagement process around new positioning, leading to first major creative award win.

- Award-winning educator - teaching excellence and Professor of the Year for successive years as visiting professor of behavioural science and innovation, IE University’s School of Human Sciences and Technology. 

- Published author in Harvard Business Review, WARC strategy award-winner & prize-winning PhD for impact.

- Recognised speaker and contributor at conferences and workstreams, and to media, on behaviour, consumers, energy and sustainability, including LBS, IHT, FT, Eurelectric, OECD, and WBCSD.

- Co-author (with agency global CEO) of 'Brand Valued: How socially valued brands hold the key to a sustainable future and business success' (Wiley & Sons).

Experience

Sept 2020 - present

Global Head of Behavioural Science

THE CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT GROUP (TCEG) (UK/EU/US)

Tasked with building applied behavioural science capability across the organisation to service existing clients across all existing service lines, and to secure new opportunities.

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Sept 2019 - present

Co-Founder

GREENER HOURS (UK/EU)

Co-Founder of gamified platform for consumers around variable grid carbon intensity. Completed proof of concept (December 2019). Currently preparing to raise initial funding.

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 Feb 2019 - present

Founder & Management Consultant

MELTWATER CONSULTING (UK/EU/US)

Behavioural science, strategic marketing and strategic communications advisory engagements for global client base across Pharma, Finance, Telecoms, FMCG, Education, Energy and Government. Provides thought leadership, recovers stalled projects and delivers client focused workshops that engage senior executive stakeholders and influence direction of commercially led sustainability and social impact initiatives. Selected achievements:

• Devised innovative behavioural science-led global strategic communications initiative for global pharma' company. Strategic advisor on the developent and deliver of experimental design for behaviour change across the business. 

• Advised on worldwide sustainability and behaviour programme for global FMCG company. Brought in to assess 25 international initiatives. Developed and delivered behavioural insights and models, evaluated consumer understanding and developed corporate brand narrative and communication plans.

• Developed strategic sales strategy for leading pharma company. Steered strategy formulation, developed behavioural insights, devised high-level communications and facilitated change across strategic sales and marketing process.

• Grew understanding of financial behaviours and decision-making for major pension fund body. Developed behavioural insights from multi-faceted primary research, and delivered results and recommendations to client, which in turn will shape policy development.

 Mar 2019-present

Consultant & Strategic Advisor

ENERVEE (US)

Provides strategic advice across behavioural strategy, product development, consumer decision-making and corporate communications, aligned with US regulator and residential energy market changes.

• Currently evaluating total costs to deliver energy savings, and new savings measurement methodologies. Supported and advised on two major US studies that validated effectiveness of Enervee over alternatives (best in market). Leading behaviour modelling with university research teams.

2017-present

Adjunct Professor

IE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF HUMAN SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY (SPAIN)

Teach capstone programmes to Masters cohorts on applied behavioural science, decision-making and innovation within the School of Human Sciences and Technology. Cohorts drawn from 20+ countries. Won Professor of the Year 2018 and 2019, and Teaching Excellence Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

2015-2019

VP Global Communications, Strategic Marketing & Applied Behavioural Science

ENERVEE (US)

Led consumer research, outreach and behavioural science programmes, advised on product design and development, and conceived and executed marketing, communications and PR strategy.

• Positioned Enervee as sustainable energy leader. Integrated behavioural science at heart of company evolution and established richer product value proposition; achieved engagement with 90M end-users and realised 3M efficient purchases.

• Influenced regulators, clients and policymakers. Presented research-led behaviour change impact that led to platform being mandated in California and subsequently onboarded by largest utility companies in US.

• Delivered Thought Leadership. Built market’s most sophisticated consumer behaviour model, authored 50+ papers and spoke at global conferences. Won GTM and AESP Innovation awards and published in peer-reviewed Energy Efficiency. 

• Increased brand awareness and reputation. Provided media interviews, created newsletters, journals and blogs reaching 4,000 subscribers and presented at events such as Eurelectric, EUW, OECD, BECC, Behave, EEDAL and AESP.

• Secured $12M potential revenues. Presented solution and secured intent from energy companies in UK, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium; on-boarded EDF and EON before decision to halt European expansion. 

• Mitigated business and commercial risk. Created, developed and safeguarded unique brand assets, IP and product architecture; secured legal trademark protection. 

2010-2015

Strategic Advisor to Founder

ENERVEE (US)

Worked with founder to develop conceptual idea into strategic, viable value proposition. Researched consumer energy market and defined sustainable operating model to positively change behaviour in energy efficiency.

• Established digital B2B2C product proposition. Designed and conducted behavioural science experiments, identified decision-making effects and defined and developed user experience, user interface (UX/UI) and customer journey. 

• Played instrumental part in $5M Series A investment funding. Developed communications plans, wrote narratives and supported creation and presentation of pitch decks to multiple private equity and venture capital investors.

2009-2012

Strategic Advisor to CEO & Business Insights Consultant

HAVAS (GLOBAL)

Reported to CEO and provided business and market insight, advice and thought leadership across business, client, communications and marketing strategy, affecting 100 markets and 25,000 people.

• Positioned Havas as credible market leader in social responsibility and sustainability. Created Meaningful Brands research and outreach project as a global value proposition for group, which developed into stand-alone revenue-generating consulting offer.

• Designed and managed largest global research study encompassing 30,000 respondents across 12 countries, assessing 100 brands to capture consumer trends, analysis brand loyalty and rank sustainability position.

• Wrote strategic speeches and communication briefs for CEO; Google Zeitgeist, WEF & FT. Presented at global conferences and events including WBCSD, WSJ and IHT.

• Established strategic partnership with World Business Council for Sustainable Development which included leading engagements on behavioural strategy in China and Korea; facilitated annual WBCSD conference and interviewed Unilever CEO in front of a 1500 audience.

• Instrumental in securing Hyundai global contract; Contributed to pitch strategy and delivery, and presented Havas’s Meaningful Brand research and sustainability differentiation point to Executive Hyundai leadership. 

• Identified prospects and opened doors to $MM awards. Created PR tool and communications plans and presented brand insight to clients across Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, UK and the US.

2007-2009

Global Managing Director/CEO,

Havas Entertainment

HAVAS (GLOBAL)​

Appointed as MD to define strategy and execute transformational roadmap to drive synergies, harmonise product suite and establish standardised propositions across all global markets. Directed cross-functional worldwide team of 100.

• Increased revenues by 57% in highly risk-averse sector. Conceptualised strategic branded initiative to achieve market differentiation and engage clients to own IP and develop advertising content. Proposed solution to executive board, gained buy-in, presented to 400-strong audience at country manager event and launched across ten markets. 

• Established Havas Entertainment as most sophisticated content offer in market; leveraged network to build stand-alone development and production capability to take concepts directly to network commissioning editors.

• Liaised with global clients to establish product placement strategies; developed strategic relationships and partnerships with US specialist services firms, EU broadcasters and studios to obtain ‘first-look’ deals.

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2004-2007

Global Director, Strategic Marketing

HAVAS MEDIA (GLOBAL)

Headhunted by CEO to reposition global marketing and international network to identify opportunities to capitalise on strengths and eradicate weaknesses to ultimately drive revenue growth and profitability. Managed cross-functional, globally located team of 120+ and controlled €MM budget.

• Became fastest-growing global media network and secured first major international award, Cannes Lions. Developed and delivered ‘creative-based client success’ corporate narrative and proposition and embedded concept into country leadership teams. Ran two-year global programme to change-manage culture and skill base, aligned with strategy. 

2002-2004

Career Break - MBA

IE BUSINESS SCHOOL (SPAIN)

International MBA with top 10 business school, worldwide (QS, 8=, 2019). Graduated top 10% cohort.

1992-2002

Producer, Series Producer, Executive Producer

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BBC, ITV, CHANNEL 4, INDEPENDENTS (UK)

Pitched creative ideas to leading broadcasters BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Secured funding, devised formats and produced / directed multiple factual, hard-hitting and award-winning primetime entertainment programmes. Managed diverse teams of 60+, controlled £MM budgets and led development projects with US studios and networks including CBS.

Education

Ph.D.

CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT (UK)

- Applied Experimental Social Psychology

- Title: All for One and One for All: Encouraging Prosocial Behaviours Through Brand-Convened Consumer Groups.

- Supervisor: Prof. Hugh Wilson (Warwick Business School)

- Director's Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis

- Outputs presented at ANZMAC, WMC, EMAC, AMA. Published in Technological Forecasting & Social Change, and Harvard Business Review.

INTERNATIONAL MBA 

IE BUSINESS SCHOOL (SPAIN)

- Top 10 business school (8, Global, QS Rankings, 2019)

- Graduated top 3 in cohort

MASTERS & POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (UK)

Sustainability Leadership (PGCert)

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STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (US)

Environmental Strategies

B.Sc.ECON.

UNIVERSITY (UCC; UK)

Economics and Sociology

Expertise

Global Communications

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With a strong and diverse creative background - originally in broadcast media - I am able to understand, shape and meet communication challenges and opportunities from a unique perspective. Programming I developed and delivered received two prestigious Royal Television Society Awards, and this creative thinking led to a number of innovations when with Havas: the successful global repositioning of the media network around creativity, a new business unit delivering long-form content for clients, and an industry-first multi-market study looking at consumers, brands and sustainability (Meaningful Brands). With Enervee, I developed and protected a series of creative and brand assets for the company: the IDEAL platform and the 'choice engine' concept. Building thought leadership positions for both multinationals and start-ups, I'm able to blend creativity with rigour to generate innovative and evidence-backed strategic communication solutions.

Applied Behavioural Science

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My work in applied behavioural science has been proven to deliver tangible and significant results, and is award-winning. My PhD thesis received an award for innovation an impact, and went on to be published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including Harvard Business Review. With Enervee, my research led the company to receive two high profile awards for innovation and impact, and was key to developing products which are market-leading and policy-informing. This research has been published in Energy Efficiency as breakthrough innovation. I produced over 50 pieces of original content for Enervee, positioning the company as a thought leader in energy and behaviour, with clients and regulators. My academic training and experience in behavioural science also enables me to introduce a level of rigour and rational thinking to any challenge or opportunity, and to build strong and trusted relationships with clients.

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Corporate Social Innovation

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Over the last 15+ years, I have created and  led a diverse range of commercial sustainability initiatives across multiple sectors. I originated the market's largest on-going consumer study looking at sustainability and brands, which went on form the basis of a marketing services group's global positioning, and which created a global consulting proposition which I led. I've worked closely at the intersection of business and policy - both with the WBCSD and, more recently, energy market regulators (US &UK), and have been recognised for my contributions to innovation in energy efficiency programmes in the US. Alongside post-graduate programmes in sustainability and environmental strategy with Stanford and  Cambridge, I hold an award-winning PhD in applied social psychology. I'm written a book on brand strategy and sustainability, have been published in Harvard Business Review, and frequently speak at events on business, behaviour and sustainability.