Recommendations

Making clients happy is what I am about. See what 70+ clients say about if I have succeed for them.

Per Hjuler Senior Vice President at The LEGO Group

Being responsible for front end innovation at LEGO it was important to me not only to identify qualified external innovation agencies but also to select the right sparring partners within those companies. All of that came together with What If where Graham Bishop has been a trusted and highly professional sparring partner since we first started working together in 2006….more

February 8, 2009, Per was Graham’s client

Howard Smith: Operations Director, Crossrail, Transport for London

Hidden Gorilla were tremendous to work with and – even more importantly – gave us completely new perspectives in our work on customer experience

October 5, 2014, Howard was Graham’s client

Luke Mansfield :Vice President Innovation at PepsiCo

Graham & the Hidden Gorilla team delivered a workshop for me in April 2011. There are a bunch of companies out there who can tell you all about consumers, but none has such a deep insight as Graham into the all-important ‘Shopper’ mindset. It’s in retail where the rubber really hits the road.

Graham did a great job of opening the eyes of our commercial teams as to…more

May 9, 2011, Luke was Graham’s client

Zoe Howorth: Ex GB Marketing Director: The Coca-Cola Company

Graham led a project to find several creative solutions to a big asset we were evaluating at Coca-Cola – he really challenged our assumptions and thinking and got us to a tighter place up front. He then led us through several rounds of idea generation.

On a personal level Graham is motivated, generous with is time and great fun to work with

March 24, 2010, Zoe was Graham’s client

Mike Ganderton: Head of Experience, The LEGO House

i have worked with Graham on many occasions and on several very different projects. he is a true innovator, a challenger, a provocoteur, and a mine for some of the most amazing insights and case studies one could imagine. if you need to ship in some outside in thinking at both stategic or operational level or simply want to boost a creative process i can highly recommend…more

October 2, 2015, Mike was Graham’s client

Stuart Shaw: Head of Retail & FMCG at Vodafone Global Enterprise

Once again, Graham and his team delivered the goods… Graham knows a thing or two about inspiring and unlocking great creative ideas that are rooted in a deep understanding of shoppers, consumers, brands and shops…. With buckets full of energy and a healthy disregard for the status quo Graham helps bring out the clues to reveal the value that can be created which may…more

July 30, 2012, Stuart was Graham’s client

Douglas Penstone-Smith: Director of Retail Experience at LEGO Group

It is rare that you come across someone who shows the level of dedication, passion and excitement in a project that was demonstrated by Graham and his team.
I have had the pleasure of working with Graham (and the Hidden Gorilla team) on two projects over the past few years, where their expertise and enthusiasm has helped us elevate two highly successful retail platforms….more

February 26, 2014, Douglas was Graham’s client

Justin Tripp: SVP – D2C and Omnichannel at True Religion Brand Jeans

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Graham on many projects whilst at LEGO Company. Graham’s approach has always been refreshing and effective, he brings energy, enthusiasm, a wealth of experience and an approach that isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo.
Graham is a dedicated, passionate ambassador for experience and I would recommend anyone who is interested in…more

February 20, 2015, Justin was Graham’s client

Henrik Nonnemann: Vice President for front-end innovation at the LEGO Group

Graham and team organized and facilitated world class speed-dating and work-shop sessions with new and inspiring Silicon Valley start-up companies.
We gained new valuable insights, inspiration, as well as new potential partners to help us delivering on our every year more ambitious innovation objectives.
It was out-standing and full of good energy

Henrik Nonnemann…more

January 4, 2013, Henrik was Graham’s client

Brad Jennings: Director of Brand & Corporate Responsibility at Prudential, UK

I enjoy spending time with Graham; he’s down-to-earth, easy to get on with and fun to work with.

Graham constantly ‘invents’ better experiences for customers – anything from employee interaction initiatives to store layout and design. If you spend 10mins with him you’ll have a pocket full of new ideas!

Graham works hard to get to the heart of ‘the problem’. His…more

November 30, 2009, Brad was Graham’s client

Nick Howitt: Marketing Director at Frontline

Graham is just on the right side of nuts. He is highly creative & really makes you think … and he does all this with a wealth of experience, knowledge AND practicality of what can and cannot happen. He is exactly the person you need if now is not working and you need a big step change. He gets top recommendation from me every time and its a great experience and…more

February 12, 2011, Nick was Graham’s client

Henri Bruxelles: Regional Vice President Danone Waters Latin America

Graham is probably one of the most , if not the most , expert on shopper understanding and behaviour in europe. His understanding goes much beyond what you usely hear and see on Shopper and he is exploring key areas linking behaviour at stores with brain science .
I have known him in London 5 years ago where he already had this deep knowldege of Shopper and Customers. I…more

May 28, 2010, Henri was Graham’s client

Mike Brown:  Retail formats, macro space, range, merchandising and programme management

I worked with Graham and the Hidden Gorilla team to bring an idea for a retail offer to life. Rarely do you see such fantastic customer insight and ideas for practical delivery in one small team. They understood the challenge very quickly and brought superb retail knowledge, passion and energy to the project. Also had great fun on the journey and learnt a new skill or two!…more

January 30, 2014, Mike was Graham’s client

Carolina Costa: Managing Director at Orange Innovation & Networks UK

Graham brings an unique combination of industry expertise gained through the various senior positions he has had in both industry and consulting and a contagious creative spirit. He helped Orange to develop new solutions by helping us to ‘think out of the box’ and the team even managed to enjoy the process!

June 23, 2010, Carolina was Graham’s client

Jo Mcfarland: Head of Non Asia Sourcing and Commercial Development at Home Retail Group PLC

Graham is a highly experienced marketing guru who helped us gain valuable insight into the way the customer shops with us; he helped us use this new found knowledge to get to some fantastic ideas to drive real change for the future to step change our product category. Graham is highly personable, open minded, collaborative, fun to work with and really made us challenge the…more

May 5, 2010, Jo was Graham’s client

Matt Kelly: Chief Content Officer at Archant

Graham is an original, which in a world chock-full of bullshit, lookalikes and wannabees, should be enough.
But Graham goes further; he’s a creative maestro, bringing an extraordinary diversity of real-life experience to bear as he drills deeper and deeper into you, your business, your thoughts, your ideas and your ambition.
Then, just as you’re wondering where the…more

November 2, 2011, Matt was Graham’s client

David Hollander: Ex UK MD Dyson

Graham is passionate about his client, his process and the delivery of his project. He delivered beyond his promise and is continuing to contribute after the project has finished. His commitment to his craft is second to none.

May 25, 2010, David was Graham’s client

Yatty Wu: ★ Tech Evangelist ★ Retail Consultant ★ Social, Mobile, Cloud & Data Innovation

Graham came personally recommended and he lived up to the high expectations we set for our project. He quickly re-energised an initially sceptical audience to think differently and we all came out of the process impressed with both the process and the outputs.

Always challenging, never boring and most importantly great fun to work with!

November 27, 2015, Yatty was Graham’s client

Erik Hansen: Direction & Invention Officer at LEGO System A/S

Every time I have worked with Graham I have walked away with more than expected. If you go into a meeting with him thinking you have understood a given challenge or opportunity, you are very likely to leave it with more questions than you came in with and with a challenged and expanded view of the subject at hand. Graham has a way of helping you see things differently and…more

December 7, 2010, Erik was Graham’s client

Morten Juel Willemann: Vice President, Corporate Quality at LEGO Group

I find it hugely inspiring to work with Graham and his team. It is unlike working with any other consultant and actually a rather stressfull process, but at the end of the day it delivers something that we otherwise wouldn’t even have come close to. Graham has a strong opinion, he is challenging and provides razor sharp and insightful inputs to a strategic discussion. I…more

February 27, 2012, Morten Juel was Graham’s client

Clare Dunbar: VP Marketing, US

Graham is incredibly passionate about consumer behaviour. He is inspirational in his quest to understand how people think and find the cues to what their shopper behaviour will transpire to be. He has built a strong team around him, sio Hidden Gorilla set up and facilitate great research projects which make you think (and see) differently. I would recommend Graham, and his…more

December 22, 2010, Clare was Graham’s client

David Wotherspoon: Global shopper expert oral health at GlaxoSmithKline

Graham came to speak to 145 senior people from across our region and had them completely captivated for four hours. His mission was to change their thought processes about in store and this was definitely achieved! Graham’s passion about customer experiences, his in depth learning on the subject and his curiosity about our business were what stood out! These qualities make…more

April 5, 2011, David was Graham’s client

Felicity Hodkinson: Sainsbury’s Good Food Project Lead

Working with Hidden Gorilla helped to anchor our strategic thinking firmly to what matters to customers and inspired the team to think beyond current boundaries. Their approach to building customer insight was thorough & bought it to life. Most importantly, we quickly built a strong relationship which enabled us to have challenging conversations without losing sight of…more

November 14, 2012, Felicity was Graham’s client

Emre Kasikci: Commercial Director at Danone Turkey

It was great to have Graham with us during our Workshop on Kids&Moms last year.. He inspired us with his mind opening and provocative approach.. He is a true expert in shopper understanding..

January 6, 2011, Emre was Graham’s client

Simon Doolan:Senior Buying Manager – Premium Beauty category at Boots UK

I recently worked with Graham to formulate our purpose and strategy for the Commercial Academy in Boots. Through Graham’s expertise and unique ways of working we were able to construct our reason for being in just one day and now enables me to engage others in the business on our future direction.

March 16, 2010, Simon was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Andy Davies Ex Commercial Director at Merlin Group

Graham is a truly innovative thinker. This thinking is inevitably based on robust and rigorous consumer analysis – distilled down to actionable insights. He is very unconventional but in a tough old world of bland processes we need more people like Graham to provoke original thought.

October 28, 2010, Andy worked directly with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Iben Arvad Hansen:Vice President, HR at the LEGO Group

Working with Graham is an energy booster; he is very inisghtfull, and has a wonderfull creative mind. His perspectives, passion and not least his willingness to share and inspire is very unique. If you spend time with Graham you will always come out a different place then when you went in.

February 25, 2010, Iben Arvad was Graham’s client

Siemon Scamell-Katz: Ex Chairman of IDG Magasin

Innovative and exciting to work with, Graham brings an extensive and pragmatic understanding of retail to the party and is the best in the business I know for thinking and strategy about the retail experience.

November 19, 2009, Siemon was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Dave Raywood: Managing director, Happli at Trinity Mirror Regionals plc

So what’s Graham like? Well, there’s a touch of the mad professor, a touch of the kindly uncle and then lorry loads of curiosity, creativity, experience, practical knowledge, passion and sheer intellectual power.

What’s it like working with Graham and the Hidden Gorilla team? Exciting, inspiring, challenging, fun, surprising, rewarding and satisfying. But definitely…more

November 24, 2011, Dave was Graham’s client

Delphine Chatelin: R&D Director Danone Dairy France at Danone Dairy

October 19, 2010, Delphine was Graham’s client

Delphine VARENNE: Head of Pricing and Channel Strategy

It was great to have Graham with us during our Retail Workshop on Ultra Premium. His flexible, open minded and provocative approach helped the group to work together to come up with big ideas which are applicable on short term. His knowledge of shopper behaviours and expectations is really helpful.” November 7, 2011

November 14, 2011, Delphine was Graham’s client

Will Akerman: Founder and MD at MyKindaFuture – We Are Hiring!

Wondering what’s in a Hidden Gorilla? A straight-forward recipe; 5-teacups of Endless energy, 700-grammes of contagious passion, four heaped tablespoons of innovation and a generous pinch of obsession. Beat well; bring to the boil, and you’ve got Hidden Gorilla Graham Bishop. Amazing guy who’s helped us harness the power of the crowd, challenged our assumptions and made us…more

August 29, 2011, Will was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Roland Harwood: Co-Founder & Managing Partner at 100%Open

Graham is one of the most relentlessly passionate and creative people I have ever met. We’ve now had the opportunity to work with him on a couple of projects and each time his insights are second to none. I’d highly recommend Graham to anyone who is looking for a fresh, honest and innovative perspective.

March 12, 2011, Roland was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Gordon Stevenson: Head of Digital at Newsquest Scotland & Ireland

Graham and the Hidden Gorilla team apply a level of professionalism to the task at hand with a vigour and enthusiasm which is hard to fault. relentless attention to detail and a 360 degree approach ensures the best possible outcome in terms of search and discovery of new product. I would wholly recommend Graeme and the larger Hidden Gorilla team for any R&D project of…more

November 4, 2011, Gordon was Graham’s client

Christian hasselbring: Partner at HasselbringNeumann Unternehmensberatung GbR – Business Development at LaterPay GmbH

Working with Graham Bishop at AOL and Gruner + Jahr was and is a great experience: He´s passionate about finding new ways to make business by creating ideas, concepts and products based on a deep understanding of users needs.

His skills and methods are remarkable when it comes to the ignition of real brain-storms and then to focus these energy to the point where it…more

November 9, 2009, christian was Graham’s client

Brian Walmsley: Head of Innovation & Digital, EMEA at McCormick & Company

Hidden Gorilla are a powerful & distinctive business partner. Graham & Laura ran a vital workshop for the J&J UK Customer & Category team – showing expertise, insight & flexibility in getting to an exceptional outcome. We are a better team thanks to their expertise & drive.

February 16, 2012, Brian was Graham’s client

Kate Leckie: Head of Research at Kinneir Dufort

We’ve recently worked with Graham on a project to understand consumer behaviour within our category. The approach was fresh, original and above all engaging, involving all the key stakeholders every step of the way so that everyone was bought in to the outputs. A memorable experience for everyone that has changed our perceptions and challenged the status quo.

May 13, 2010, Kate was Graham’s client

David Simoes-Brown 100%Open. Open up!

Graham is one of those rare people who is both an irrepressible ideas machine and a buttoned-down analytical type. This much is apparent within minutes of meeting him. In working with him on LEGO other qualities have emerged such as knowing when to support a client and when to raise appropriate challenges. Moreover, he’s alway asking ‘is this good enough?’ which is an…more

April 11, 2011, David was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Niels Henning Rasmussen: Project Director LEGO

I would like to recommend Graham for his unique skills in working with teams on a complex and difficult task. Graham has a huge and ever present toolbox that at all times secures progress.
By using – Creative Problem Solving Tools – and securing that all on the team are motivated, Graham guides you to perspectives and solutions that traditionally would have been very…more

March 10, 2010, Niels Henning was Graham’s client

Chris Baréz-Brown:  Author, Speaker, Capability Maker, Improving Business Folk’s Creative Leadership

Graham has a brain the size of a planet. I am always in awe of his insight and his intuitive mastery of what makes customers tick.

If you need to get to the nub of your business fast and understand what to do next, he’s your man.

He always makes me feel confident. One of the worlds smartest customer folk is in the room with me and that’s gotta be good when…more

November 9, 2009, Chris was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

Graham Harding: Founder Director at The Value Engineers

I’ve worked with Graham in the past on a range of projects. Endlessly curious, deeply engaged in his work, unfailingly original in his thinking. Great guy!

February 8, 2009, Graham was with another company when working with Graham at Hidden Gorilla Ltd

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Karen Gray: Director of Brand & Marketing Communications

I have worked with Graham on more than one occasion and he is truly inspirational. He really understands how to build a great customer experience.

Spend just one morning with him in your stores and you’ll come away with so many ideas; he really does see the things that other people miss.

December 14, 2009, Karen was Graham’s client

Warren Scarr: Ex Mkt Director of Marketing B&Q

Graham is an original thinker with a fantastic instinct for creating true customer insight and using that to provoke fresh ideas and ways of thinking.

February 19, 2009, Warren was Graham’s client

Kevin Hall: Stores Director – High Street at WHSmith

When working with Graham on numerous projects his creativity, original thinking, enthusiasm and inspiration were legendry!

December 5, 2007, Kevin worked directly with Graham at What If

James Hall: PARK – guiding design leaders

Myself and our design team had awesome fun working with Graham and the What If bunch! Graham’s infectious enthusiasm, far reaching knowledge and professional drive helped us enormously. If you are looking for innovative support on a number of parameters or just need to talk to someone (chuckle), Graham should be your first contact. Highly recommended…

November 29, 2007, James was Graham’s client

Katy Gotch: Head of Group Strategy at Home Retail Group PLC

Graham has endless energy and imagination. His enthusiasm and intellect make any conversation an adventure full of new ideas. I recommend you spend time with Graham as he will show you a new way to look and think about whatever you are considering.

May 4, 2012, Katy was with another company when working with Graham at What If

Sam McMorran: Creative Director at Imagination China

I briefly worked alongside Graham whilst I was working on a high profile, UK banking strategy. In the short time we worked together, he showed a great sensitivity to retail anthropology, demonstrating this with insightful new concepts, thrusting the potential for the clients offer. I hope to work with him in the future.

February 10, 2011, Sam was with another company when working with Graham at What If

Roger McDonald: Director at Rail Insights Ltd

Graham has a refreshing open and innovative approach to the way that he goes about business. He is passionate about customer service and has a knack of seeing the real issues amongst the complexity of a customer service offer. He has found ways to give some sparkle to traditional industries and retail companies, to help them grow and be better places for their customers…more