Chief Innovation Officer
System1 owes much to the talented and creative super-brain that is Orlando (he’s endearingly modest though and a real gent, so he’d never have written that himself).
Orlando is a genuine industry thought leader – setting the pace and tone for the industry. He runs masterclasses and is an inspiring, frequent and eloquent conference and podcast speaker. But Orlando isn’t just our very own celebrity - he’s been the visionary academic and innovation lead behind our meticulously researched testing methodologies since 2005.
Orlando enjoys the energy of being around interesting and intelligent people. He frequently collaborates with eminent experts outside of the company to discuss and debate ideas and be inspired for his own reading and research. He’s on a constant quest to keep System1 at the forefront of research innovation.
Orlando forensically observes links between advertising, psychology and the creative arts. He draws conclusions in his published works that have completely shaken up traditional approaches to research, marketing and advertising. Orlando’s books: Lemon (IPA, 2019), Look Out (IPA, 2021), and System1, Unlocking Profitable Growth (co-author 2017), have further established him as a true expert in his field.
Orlando believes people may think he’s a bit eccentric and unique (but aren’t we all?!). When he started presenting at conferences, Orlando would joke with his father that he suddenly found himself “backing reluctantly into the limelight”. Orlando certainly shines bright with many stars to his name: awards from the ARF (Great Minds Distinction Award), the AMA (4 under 40), Jay Chiat (Gold Award for Research Innovation), ISBA (Ad Effectiveness Award), MRS (Best Paper and Research Effectiveness Awards) and ESOMAR (Best Methodology). He’s also an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), a member of their Effectiveness Leadership Group, and has led their Creativity and Effectiveness research over multiple years.
It won’t come as a surprise (if you’ve read his books) to learn that Orlando is passionate about art and music. He’s also highly skilled in both. He plays his own compositions on the piano, and you’ll find his watercolour paintings on his personal blog. He also enjoys good food and wine in stimulating company, as well as watching historical drama films.