Behavioural science is a multidisciplinary field that draws on psychology, economics, sociology, and neuroscience to understand how people make decisions and what drives their behaviour. A key focus is on the cognitive, emotional, and social factors that influence decision-making, often in ways that contradict what people say they will do or even what they intend to do.

In pharma and medtech, understanding these implicit drivers and barriers is critical for improving adoption, engagement, and commercial success. Many of the biggest healthcare challenges, such as low adherence, prescribing inertia, and resistance to new treatments, cannot be solved by rational arguments and education alone.

Traditional market research often relies on self-reported data, which can be biased, incomplete, or fail to reflect real-world behaviour. Behavioural science provides a complementary, evidence-based lens through which to uncover hidden motivations, decision biases, and barriers to action. This makes it a powerful tool for predicting and shaping real-world behaviours.

I blend deep academic expertise with real-world commercial experience:

• A PhD in Marketing (Consumer Behaviour, Rotterdam School of Management) – so you know the science behind my work is sound.
• A decade in healthcare strategy and insights at consultancies like ZS, turning theory into commercially effective strategies.
• A tailored approach – no generic nudges, no one-size-fits-all frameworks.

I have worked in behavioural science since 2011. The insights I provide are credible, scientifically sound, but also actionable and commercially relevant. I help teams turn them into practical interventions, testing and refining strategies to ensure they drive change.

I take a structured approach to behaviour change projects:

1. Define the target behaviour: Pinpoint the specific decision we want to influence.
2. Map the journey: Identify the key steps leading to the behaviour.
3. Diagnose behavioural drivers: Conduct new research (often using ethnographic techniques and/or decision simulation) or analyse existing data to uncover decision-making patterns. Apply behavioural models to uncover barriers and enablers along the way.
4. Co-create solutions: Review findings in an interactive workshop where we generate and refine intervention ideas.
5. Prioritise and test: Rank interventions based on actionability, impact, cost, and risk, with clear next steps for prototyping, testing, and implementation.

While the specific models and frameworks vary, this structured approach has been refined over years of practice.

Yes. I collaborate with market research agencies and consultancies to:

• Strengthen research design with a behavioural lens.
• Enhance analysis to reveal deeper behavioural insights.
• Make findings more actionable for commercial teams.

I can join projects at any stage, from proposal development to final delivery, to ensure behavioural science is applied effectively.

Behavioural science offers a set of tools that can be used to encourage a targeted change. It isn’t about tricking or coercing people: It’s about understanding how decisions are made and reducing unnecessary friction. What matters isn’t where the tools come from, but what we aim to do with them.

In situations where it is ethical to use traditional marketing or education techniques to try and influence choices, adding a layer of behavioural techniques should not be an issue - and unethical efforts shouldn’t be tolerated either way. Unfortunately, shady practices do exist in our industry: it goes without saying that we shouldn’t, for example, design products that addict people, or trick them into giving uninformed “permission” to use their data.

My goal is to help steer behaviour where intent or, at a minimum, openness already exists. In other words, people must be willing to engage in the behaviour, even if they find it challenging. Behavioural interventions are not typically effective in the face of active resistance. Beyond ensuring consistency with intent, I also make sure that any behaviour change work aligns with both the client’s goals and the best interests of those affected before committing to a project.