Who we are | BritainThinks

Who might you work with?

Deborah Mattinson

Deborah has more than twenty years experience of providing clients with research based strategic advice. In that time she has worked with global businesses, major charities, international governments and senior politicians. She is particularly well known for developing innovative ways to bring decision makers closer to their stakeholders.

Before co-founding BritainThinks, she jointly ran the Chime Research and Engagement Division. She was also pollster to Gordon Brown, firstly as Chancellor of the Exchequer, then as Prime Minister.

One of Britain's leading commentators on public opinion, Deborah frequently writes and broadcasts about the mood of the nation. Last year she published Talking to a Brick Wall - the story of the New Labour years through the eyes of the voter.

Follow Deborah on Twitter

Viki Cooke

Viki Cooke is co-founder of BritainThinks. Viki has a track record for innovation having pioneered deliberative research methods in the UK – she has been involved in delivering the first Citizens’ Jury, Citizens’ Forum and Citizens’ Summit. She personally led a number of high profile programmes including Your Health, Your Care, Your Say for the NHS and The Prince of Wales’s Business Summit on Climate Change.

Viki has played a leading role in developing new thinking about social influence, permanent campaigning, reputation management, trust and enabling behaviour change.

Viki is a serial entrepreneur having co-founded a number of other successful companies over the last two decades including Opinion Leader Research, The SMART Company, Brand Democracy and Caucus.

Viki is a Lay Member of the University of Warwick Council, a Trustee of Global Action Plan and Changing Faces.

Follow Viki on Twitter

Ben Shimshon

Ben Shimshon is a director at BritainThinks, having joined Deborah and Viki at the founding of the company. Ben specialises in providing clients with campaign and communication advice rooted in our qualitative and quantitative insight.

Ben has worked alongside Deborah and Viki for the last four years, conducting research and providing advice to high-level clients including McDonald’s, the Labour Party, eBay, PWC, Age UK alongside a wide range of other private and third sector organisations. Prior to that, Ben was a researcher at the Smith Institute.

Follow Ben on Twitter

Justine Lukas

Justine joined BritainThinks in 2012, having previously worked with Viki, Deborah and Ben at the Chime Reasearch and Engagement Division. She has experience across all types of research including corporate stakeholder, public and minority group audiences and from in-depth interviewing to ethnography and deliberative methods. Justine specialises in communications research, reputation and corporate strategy and researching issues of public interest.

Justine has recently been involved in running deliberative research for the Department of Health, consumer panels on behalf of a regulatory organisation, communications and reputation research for a large UK charity and reputation research among senior stakeholders and social influencers for eBay.

Joe Caluori

Joe Caluori joined BritainThinks in September 2010 having previously worked with Deborah, Viki and Ben at Brand Democracy.

Drawing on a decade of experience of working in senior roles in politics, local government and the third sector, Joe is an experienced project manager and researcher, and is a specialist in localism and the third sector.

Follow Joe on Twitter

Zoe Tyndall

Zoe has been with BritainThinks since 2010, coming from a background working in the third sector and social enterprise. Zoe is an experienced qualitative and quantitative researcher, having worked on a wide range of projects, including McDonald's, British Future, PwC and Art Fund.

Follow Zoe on Twitter

Kim FitzGerald

Since joining the BritainThinks team in February 2012, Kim has worked with a number of corporate, public and third sector clients, employing a range of qualitative, quantitative and deliberative research methods. Recent projects have included stakeholder research for Cuadrilla Resources, stakeholder interviews and workshops for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and a reputation audit for Victim Support.

Raphael Malek

Raphael graduated from Wadham College, Oxford with BA Hons in Law in 2010 and has since completed an MA in Public Policy from Kings College, London. He joined BritainThinks in 2012 after interning at a policy think-tank and has worked with a number of clients, including Victim Support and British Future.