Our Values

Authenticity, Entrepreneurship, Partnership and Positivity

Authenticity

We like to tell it how it is, we like to speak our mind and we love being able to be ourselves at all times. This mindset is critical to getting innovation done and having fun doing it. You'll be encouraged to get involved!

Entrepreneurship

It’s all based on asking clients one question; what do you need? The many answers to that question lead us into new spaces.

Partnership

Blue Yonder is a hub, the point where many others meet. Agencies, platforms, coders, app designers, artists, animators…

Positivity

When you try new things, they don't always work. But that's how we learn. We're not saying everyone must always have a huge smile (although that's nice!). What we really value is the ability to learn and grow, and overcome challenges as they come up. Innovation is not a straight, flat road. It's about how we respond when it gets bumpy.

We need people who like meeting new people and figuring out ways to collaborate.

Our story

Blue Yonder began life in the late 90’s when Unilever’s favoured delivery company went bust. Our founder, Jonathan, was a driver for that firm.

Entrepreneurial by nature, he asked if he could do the driving – then he did it better and faster. Over the next 20 years he worked his way up the value chain, building one of the UK’s leading R&D insight companies. Now our Chief Innovation Officer, Jonathan continues to follow his first love; ideas and doing things faster and better.

His entrepreneurial mindset remains critical to our culture. Platforms, tools, innovations aside, it’s the mindset that makes us different.

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Blue Yonder

Meet The Senior Team

Richard Heath

Managing Director

Joined Blue Yonder in 2018 after 20 years leading insight work with some of the world’s most famous marketing teams. Richard is a Brand and Communication Insight specialist. He’s worked with C Suite teams around the world to find growth, and help leaders make stronger, insight driven, decisions.

Jonathan Million

CIO & Founder

Founded Blue Yonder in 2004, the business grew because Jonathan cared about client needs and looked for solutions to make their lives easier, that is still the focus of each day at Blue Yonder and it’s his job to ensure the entire team feel they can try something new to make something better. Jonathan is a technical expert and part time inventor!

Hannah Rogers

Head, New Business

Having spent 15 years working with leading Global Brands at Director and VP level, Hannah’s speciality is finding solutions to meet client needs – even if it has never been done before; she’s dedicated to making the impossible possible, and answering ‘unknown unknowns’. A passionate conference speaker, Hannah is a firm believer that ‘insight’ really means ‘finding a way to win’…and is dedicated to doing just that.

Anna Heath

Head, Client Solutions

Anna joined Blue Yonder in 2019 having held category leadership roles at Unilever and senior leadership positions at Kantar, both in London and Asia.

Anna is an expert at creating insight that drives global brands forwards. Her client side experience is invaluable in her role leading Blue Yonder’s new innovations. She sees the unmet needs and works with her team to bring solutions to market.

Kate Binner

Head, Sense:lab

Kate joined Blue Yonder in 2017 and has over 20 years of product testing experience working with some of the world’s most famous brands.  Understanding what people think of products whether that be the smell, taste, feel, sound, efficacy or handling and what can be done to better them to find our clients the ‘edge’ is Kate’s passion, often using very complex project designs and protocols.

Michael Calvert

Lead Data Scientist, Oracle

Joined Blue Yonder in 2017 after completing a Masters in Economics at The University of Leeds. Michael Calvert leads the Data Science department, and has worked on 100s of projects around the globe – with a particular focus in data quality control and advanced analytics.

Karen Schofield

Head, BlueYonder:Qual

Karen’s specialism is developing innovative approaches to understand the psychology of why we behave the way we do – and how to influence it. She’s spent almost 20 years working with clients, consumers and colleagues around the globe, is a trainer with the MRS, and is a Keynote speaker on resilience, happiness and positive psychology. She also takes to the stage outside of work as part of her local theatre group, where she’s both a regular performer and a committee member.

Mark Smethurst

Fieldwork Operations Lead

Joined Blue Yonder in 2019 with 20 years of research operations experience. He’s a fieldwork specialist, having managed face-to-face, CATI, and online data collection processes throughout thousands of research studies during his career. Mark particularly enjoys building and developing leading research operations teams to deliver first class fieldwork.

Mat Sloan

Head, Brand:lab

Mat has helped 70+ brands find smarter ways to grow through superior brand, comms and consumer understanding. He is an expert in helping his clients navigate the primary research data revolution, delivering fresh thinking, new connections, ideas for growth and the confidence to act. Mat’s track record of leading insight work with major global FMCG brands, emerging challengers such as Deliveroo and experience working at some of the UK’s most enterprising research-tech agencies gives him a unique, highly sought-after perspective.

Ready to talk?

Tell us about your goals. Whatever the stage, whatever the horizon, let’s find a way to get your business an edge.

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Join our team

If this sounds like the place for you, send us your CV. We’re always on the look out for like-minded people.