THE TRANSFORMATION ARCHITECTS
Rewrite the rules of your industry
​

You are an executive, board member or investor.
You have the appetite, resources and mandate to shake up your industry.

You're not into Silicon Valley style gambling.
You believe in deliberate, radical customer-centricity.
In fearlessly going where the world needs you.


In creating new profit by enriching lives.
Talk to us
We are The Transformation Architects
We intervene where business gets in the way of human flourishing.
​Profitably. At scale. Across generations.
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Less Darwin,
​More Da Vinci

We're told to adapt.
​Digitalise. Agentify. Accelerate.
Always accelerate.


But speed and efficiency are just table stakes.
To thrive, we need to help humans become who they want to be.

Be modern day Da Vinci's that combine AI, ingenuity and boldness.
Create moments of beauty, happiness, wellbeing.
Enrich lives. 
​​Profitably. At scale. Across generations.


In 2024 we assembled to do just that.
Intervene where industry practice is out of sync with human needs. 

​
Today, we seek to partner with a few leaders a year who are ready to create new profit, and outpace their competitors by enriching lives.

Meet the team

Industry rewrites require many perspectives:​ science, insight, experience design, art, tech and strategy. 
This multi-disciplinary approach integrates them all.


​Click on our picture for full bios.
Alain Thys - Founder
Katherine Templar-Lewis - Human Scientist
Henry Coutinho-Mason - Reluctant Futurist
Joe Pine - Author, Speaker, Management Advisor
Alessia Clusini - Digital Ethnographer
Dr. Paul Zak - Professor, Neuroscientist
Michael T. Lai - Transformation Consultant
Jen Rice - Transformation Strategist & Coach
Pigalle Tavakkoli - Experience Designer
Dorothy Di Stefano - Art Curator & Creative Strategist
Sheena Patel – Experience Designer, Creative Director, Producer

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Joe Pine−Experience Economy Pioneer
 
A leading voice in business, Joe is best known as the co-author of The Experience Economy, a book that redefined how companies create value. A sought-after speaker and advisor, Joe has addressed the World Economic Forum, TED, and SXSW. He is currently working on his next book, The Transformation Economy.

Name

COO
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International event company

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Katherine Templar-Lewis−Human Scientist & Behavioural Expert
A neuroscientist and behavioral strategist, Katherine specialises in neuroaesthetics, trust, connection, and positive behaviour change. She is the Chief Science Officer for the world's largest experiment in uncertainty, and helps brands like Chanel, Bentley, Nike, and Apple design transformative experiences.​ 

Owner
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Interior design 

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​Pigalle Tavakkoli−Experience Design Strategist
Founder of the School of Experience Design, Pigalle helps teams create emotionally charged, high-impact experiences and transformative interactions that drive loyalty and behaviour change. She has worked for The Guardian, Unilever, L’Oréal, and Ketchum, and taught experience design at leading universities across Europe.

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​Paul Zak−Neuroscientist & Trust Expert
A pioneer in neuroeconomics and neuromarketing, Paul’s research on trust, immersion, and human behaviour has shaped how businesses design engaging and impactful experiences. Ranked among the top 0.3% most cited scientists, his latest book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary, explores what makes experiences truly memorable and measurable.

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​Dorothy Di Stefano−Art Curator & Creative Strategist
A global leader in immersive and interactive art, Dorothy blends cutting-edge technology, artistry, and interactivity to create experiences that captivate, challenge, and transform. Named one of Blooloop’s 50 Immersive Influencers and #1 Female Art & Culture Creator on LinkedIn (2023), she is a sought-after speaker and a driving force in the evolution of narrative-based art.

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​Henry Coutinho-Mason−Reluctant Futurist
A leading authority on consumer trends and future innovation, Henry helps businesses decode today’s signals to anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities. As former Managing Director of TrendWatching, he shaped the insights used by 100,000+ B2C professionals worldwide. Author of The Future Normal and Trend-Driven Innovation, Henry has delivered 150+ keynotes in 30+ countries.

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Michael Lai−Transformation consultant & Experience Strategist
An expert in experience-driven transformation, Michael helps organisations turn bold visions into scalable business realities. As the author of X Thinking, he connects best practices from East to West, shaping the future of global customer experience. With expertise across various industries, Michael has worked with Adidas, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and Jaguar Land Rover. 

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​Jen Rice−Transformation Strategist & Coach
Jen helps organisations transform from the inside out, ensuring that new strategies and experiences are not just designed—but truly believed in. A former CX Principal at Forrester, Jen has shaped transformation strategies for Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, and Principal Financial. She ensures that culture, brand, and customer experience align to drive real impact at scale.

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​Alain Thys−Customer Transformation Architect
A pioneer in customer-centricity and corporate transformation, Alain's work has impacted 30+ brands and half a billion customers, leading  international projects for Generali, Vodafone, Philips, Lexus, and Toyota. As author of So You Want To Be Customer-Centric? and The Transformation Code, he continues to push the boundaries of what great looks like.

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Alessia Clusini−Digital Ethnographer & Customer Insights Expert
A multi-award-winning digital ethnographer, Alessia specialises in uncovering deep audience insights. She has pioneered AI-driven research methodologies, blending social sciences with technology to decode human behaviour. Alessia has worked with Burning Man, BBC, Google, Prada, Microsoft, and Rolling Stone, shaping the future of audience intelligence.

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Sheena Patel−Experience Designer & Creative Director
A world-class immersive experience designer, Sheena translates storytelling and interactive techniques from entertainment, escape rooms, and immersive theatre into corporate reality. Ensuring strategies aren’t just understood—but deeply embodied. She has worked on immersives like Sherlock and Peaky Blinders as well as with brands like Disney, Nike, Unilever, and Diageo.

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Projects

Transformation starts with a new story that resonates with humans at a deeper level.
Which is then supported by the infrastructure to match.
​
Explore our past projects to see how we do that.
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Ars Moriendi

Crematorium group Pontes wanted to do more than improve on existing practices. They wanted to reduce complicated grief.

It triggered a bigger vision: one that 66% of customers prefer and for which a third are willing to pay up to €750 more. 
DISCOVER MORE
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Workplacemaking

62% of employees are disengaged, costing $8.9 trillion in lost productivity world-wide.  

After prototyping a new global head office for an international service firm, we developed a framework to redefine the concept of workplace.
read the paper
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In pre-production

We're looking for strategic, knowledge and investment partners for projects in urban regeneration, luxury fashion, entertainment technology and artificial intelligence/robotics.

If you are ready to shake up these industries, we'd love to hear from you.
let's discuss
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Ready to rewrite some rules?

Are you ready to claim the next profit opportunity by enriching lives?
​Then arrange a virtual coffee with our founder, Alain Thys, to discuss.
GET IN TOUCH
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