CONSULTANCY

Good ideas don’t sell themselves

If we want solutions to social and environmental crises to gain traction, we must:

💗 Play a meaningful role in people’s lives—just like strong brands do.
🐕‍🦺 Guide, don’t preach—meet people where they are.
🏄 Create engaging and enjoyable experiences that draw people in instead of shutting them out.
🧑‍🎓 Invest as much in audience growth as in product development.
🎯 Embed purpose and principles into every part of an organization.

That’s exactly what I do.

how i can help

As a freelance Brand Director in the tech-for-good space, I work with startups and scale-ups in health, fintech, social networking, climate, and renewable energy to:

• Define product vision and brand strategy—and making them actionable
• Simplify complex products through compelling storytelling
• Build brand teams and operational structures from scratch
• Translate brand strategy into growth marketing, community, and content strategies
• Lead creative work, innovation, and experimentation across teams
• Support busy leaders with thought leadership pieces for press and speaking opportunities

MY CLIENTS

I have the honor to work as a freelance Brand Director for companies like:

Internet of Elephants - using digital experiences to change the way the public engages with wildlife conservation (one of Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies)

Shujaaz - a media brand that reaches 7,5 million young people in East Africa each month

Flutterwave - a boundary-breaking fin-tech company and one of Africa's first unicorns (in collaboration with Verve)

MESH - the first social media platform built for the hustle

Equalize Health - affordable medical technology for all

SPARK - off-grid solar systems

  • "Anne opened our minds on how we approached the business. We understood our positioning in the energy space and the team is now more aligned on which stakeholders our growth will come from. It's much clearer what our essence and usp is, and how we can keep that the top priority in our communication.

    Shagun Jain – Commercial Director, Spark Energy

  • "MTIBA was growing rapidly, resulting in a complicated brand architecture. Anne helped us understand the different scenarios and the consequences that enabled us to make strategic choices, then led the creation of guidelines for practical implementation by our team and partners. Our brand has become more effective and clear in its communication, allowing us to focus on what is important: the growth of the user base and their ability to cover their family’s health care costs."

    Kees van Lede, – CEO, Carepay

  • "Under an extremely tight timeline, Anne assembled a world-class team of talent who, under her management, built a brand that accurately demonstrates our bold vision for global health equity. Anne is one of those consultants you wish could join your team permanently. She skillfully managed a diverse team of sometimes strong opinions, aligning us in a common goal and providing a result in which we all are proud of."

    Krista Donaldson – CEO, Equalize Health

  • "I didn't realize rebranding and renaming could be enjoyable until I met Anne! My previous experiences were painful, and I wasn't confident in the outcomes. Anne makes it a breeze by setting the right foundation and quickly connecting the fundamentals all the way through to the creative. I've met many brand professionals who are strong in one particular area; Anne maintains a super high level across all aspects. Not only was I delighted with the creative outputs, but I learned a lot working with Anne."

    Boston Nyer – Head of Business Operations at Givewell

  • "I've worked with renown branding agencies before, and Anne's thinking was just as good or better but with far more flexibility - crucial if you're an early stage start-up."

    Tim Chong – Co-founder and CEO at Yonder

more of my thoughts on brand building for change

Removing barriers for female entrepreneurs online - Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2024

I used AI to build a brand image library. What I found excited and frightened me - Medium, 2022

What the sale of Sugru tells us about the importance of brand and marketing - Medium, 2018

Three Dysfunctional Beliefs About Branding that urgently need a reframe - Brand The Change, 2017

Building brand as your organisation grows - Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2017

Five ways impact brands can differentiate from the competition - Brand The Change, 2016

Social good is always good branding - or is it?
Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2016

Find all other essays here.

GET TO KNOW ME BETTER

ARE WE A match?

I'm always interested in discussing ideas for collaborations. Some of my most magical projects started with a casual chat between like-minded people. Please reach out to me at anne@brandthechange.org