§ 01 — Founder · 17 years · 5 industries
Diana
Spiridon.
I tell the truth, lead the shaping work, and leave the team stronger than I found it. I don't sell a way of working I wouldn't run myself.
Senior-led, every engagement. Specialists brought in when the brief calls for them. Small practice, on purpose.
Book a discovery call →
I tell the truth, lead the shaping work, and leave the team stronger than I found it. I don't sell a way of working I wouldn't run myself.
Started in banking. Seventeen years and five industries later, still building ventures, propositions and innovation functions — hands-on, every time.
The pattern is the same everywhere I've worked: the assumptions that built the business are the ones now capping it. Most organisations are built to manage risk. Few are built to manage uncertainty. My work sits in the second category.
Romanian-born, London-shaped. Dual MBA — UCLA Anderson and RSM Erasmus. Working across the UK and Europe. One operator on the brief from first call to handover — with the curated network providing depth when the work calls for it.
“She has an uncanny ability to take a fuzzy and complex challenge, break it down, test its assumptions and bring the real opportunity into focus.”
Head of Ventures, Citi Ventures“A bold thinker and a catalyst for transformation.”
Innovation Director, Telefónica / Virgin Media O2“A high-quality strategist — analytical, pragmatic, and deeply committed to getting things done.”
Director of Strategy, Arqiva“Diana immediately understood the brief and became part of the team — creating a collaborative atmosphere and doing a lot of the heavy lifting to achieve the goal.”
Director, Shell Energy“Brought such energy and a completely new perspective.”
Senior Director, Innovate UKArqiva broadcast revenue line — lead strategist on the move from legacy to digital.
Innovate UK national innovation portfolio — strategy informing the spend.
Innovate UK start-up programmes — designed and launched (Growth Catalyst, CleanTech, AI/HealthTech).
Virgin Media O2 consumer innovation function — built from zero, SwitchUp commercialised.
Lead strategist on Arqiva's broadcast transformation across a £600m+ revenue line. Strategy informing Innovate UK's £10bn national innovation portfolio.
Incubation lead on NOW TV, SkyMobile and SkyKids at Sky. Entrepreneur in Residence at Citi Ventures D10X, co-founding five FinTech ventures — three to funded MVP. New health services at NN.
Built Virgin Media O2's consumer innovation function from zero (£2m fund, SwitchUp commercialised). Designed product innovation at NN and programmes at Sky Labs.
Programme designer on Warner Media's Hatch. Programme lead on Shell Energy's global CleanTech across 12 markets. Designer of Innovate UK's £100m+ start-up programmes.
Sky·Citi Ventures·Shell Energy·Virgin Media O2·NN·Discovery·Warner Media·Arqiva·Innovate UK
Have a live question? Half an hour, no pitch.
Book a discovery call →Senior specialists from a curated global network — project by project, scoped to the brief. All senior. No mark-up on bench time. No white-labelled delivery.
Customer discovery and qualitative research. Real evidence, not assumptions.
End-to-end design of new services — from customer journey through to operating model.
Customer experience design across touchpoints — interaction, interface, content.
Rapid prototyping with current AI tools — sketch to clickable in a session, into user tests within days.
Practitioners who have designed and run accelerator and venture studio programmes at scale.
Sector depth — TMT · FinTech · Insurance · CleanTech · Public innovation
Half an hour. No pitch. Bring the live question — leave with a clearer framing of it, and an honest read on whether I'm the right help.
No follow-up, no charge, no obligation. If I'm not the right help, I'll say so on the call and point you elsewhere.
Book a discovery call →LONDON · UK AND EUROPE