About Jake
I help organisations adopt AI with confidence - turning employee-led ideas into safe, measurable business wins.
My focus is on human-centred AI strategy: starting from the people who’ll use it, not the technology itself. I run structured discovery sprints to identify the real opportunities within your teams, then work with senior leaders to prioritise and roadmap them. From there, I guide pilot builds (GPTs, agents, or workflow automations), establish clear governance frameworks, and equip managers with the communication tools and training they need so adoption truly sticks.
Before founding my own consultancy, I spent more than a decade leading global teams at YouGov, where I built the company’s first AI-powered research suite and managed qualitative, product, and innovation teams across EMEA, APAC and the US. That mix of research rigour, leadership experience and change management now shapes how I help clients integrate AI safely and responsibly.
I believe the most successful AI programmes are those that build trust, transparency and capability. My clients typically see 20-40% efficiency gains in targeted areas - but more importantly, they create workplaces where employees feel empowered by AI, not replaced by it.
What I deliver:
- AI discovery sprints and opportunity backlogs
- Strategic roadmaps and 90-day plans
- Governance and risk frameworks
- Pilot prototypes and adoption toolkits
- Measurement and iteration plans
Specialisms: Generative AI | GPTs & Agents | AI Governance | Change Management | Research & Insights | Leadership Coaching | Ethical AI | Future Workforce Readiness
English
Native or bilingual
Can work on-site
Birmingham (up to 50km), London (up to 20km), Portsmouth (up to 20km), Manchester (up to 20km)
Experience
- Plotline ConsultingFounder / Strategic Research ConsultantJune 2025 - Today (1 year)Advising organisations on leadership, research and responsible AI adoption through early-stage consultancy projects and collaborations.
- Supporting Yabble AI with product innovation and adoption among enterprise clients, helping bridge insight workflows with generative AI capabilities.
- Developing frameworks for “human-centred AI” - aligning automation and data tools with organisational values and employee trust.
- Conducting exploratory work with leadership teams on culture diagnostics and future workforce readiness.
- YouGovGlobal Head of Qualitative ResearchNovember 2022 - June 2025 (2 years and 7 months)London, United KingdomLed international qualitative team and the AI transformation strategy across UK, US and APAC. Scaled operations, modernised processes, and pioneered the company’s first AI-powered research suite.
- Took the success of the UK qualitative division and expanded operations globally through a scalable, profitable model including AI tools.
- Led a cross-functional team of qualitative specialists and technical experts, integrating digital methods, automation and AI into traditional research workflows in a way that ensure ethics, data governance and accuracy of results.
- Created and launched YouGov’s first commercially facing AI-driven products and led the commercial AI strategy globally.
- Oversaw product development projects among global clients including Sky News, Microsoft, Twitter, Amazon and Meta.
- Increased profit margins through process redesign, supplier optimisation, and offshoring administration — achieving FY23 financial goals six months early and delivering £1 m above target.
- YouGovHead of Research, Asia PacificJanuary 2017 - December 2020 (3 years and 11 months)Singapore, SingaporeLed YouGov’s bespoke research business across nine APAC markets, managing a 35-person team and overseeing both sales and delivery functions.
- Turned an unprofitable region into one of YouGov’s fastest-growing business units through strategic restructuring and operational reform.
- Designed and implemented a new regional strategy focused on higher-margin methods and improved delivery efficiency.
- Launched and scaled Omnibus and custom research products across multiple markets, expanding revenue streams and client reach.
- Delivered revenue growth from US$5.1 m to US$8.6 m and contribution growth from US$1 m to US$4 m (20 % → 48 %).
- Led the commercial and client engagement response to COVID-19 Globally.
- Successfully integrated an acquired Australian business, aligning senior researchers and methodologies into the group strategy.
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Education
- BA (Hons) Politics, 2:1Exeter University2008
Certifications
- MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research PracticeMarket Research Society2009