What customers say
Phil Dearson is a standout figure in the digital landscape, celebrated for his ability to simplify complex concepts and inspire those around him. From his technical expertise to his charismatic leadership, Phil empowers teams to innovate and navigate challenges with confidence. Numerous testimonials highlight his approachable demeanor, wit, and genuine passion for technology, making him not just a mentor but a remarkable partner in strategic endeavors. Phil’s consultancy, Strategenie, has also garnered rave reviews for its effectiveness in decision-making and prioritization, proving invaluable for organizations looking to enhance their strategy and execution. Clients appreciate the algorithmic framework and evidence-based approach that helps them cut through complexities and achieve clarity, leading to better outcomes. His knowledge of AI and digital innovation further sets him apart as a trusted voice for businesses navigating the future.
Review highlights
Inspiring leadershipSimplifies complex conceptsInnovative strategyEngaging and charismaticEffective decision-makingAI expertiseTrusted partnerRobust approachHumor and relatabilityGreat mentor
Majda Berislavić
Head of Learning and Development, Atlantic Grupa
Phil Dearson is one of the best presenters I’ve ever booked for an event. His clarity, strategic thinking, and ability to make complex concepts accessible left a lasting impression on our audience. His contribution was both inspiring and highly valuable. I would recommend- if you want to understand AI and digital, learn it from Phil
Majda Berislavić
Head of Learning and Development, Atlantic Grupa
Phil Dearson is one of the best presenters I’ve ever booked for an event. His clarity, strategic thinking, and ability to make complex concepts accessible left a lasting impression on our audience. His contribution was both inspiring and highly valuable. I would recommend- if you want to understand AI and digital, learn it from Phil
Jul 14, 2025
Jul 14, 2025
Phil Adams
Brand Strategy Adviser, I Know Some People
I don't subscribe to newsletters lightly. And I am deeply, deeply sceptical about the abdication of human creativity to AI. But I look forward to Phil Dearson's articles about practical applications of said technology.
He's a boffin but he writes on my level with a twinkle in his eye - a rare combination. And he's actually working on useful deployments of AI that don't undermine anyone's humanity.
He's a smart chap called Phil, who keeps things simple. The world needs more of those.
Phil Adams
Brand Strategy Adviser, I Know Some People
I don't subscribe to newsletters lightly. And I am deeply, deeply sceptical about the abdication of human creativity to AI. But I look forward to Phil Dearson's articles about practical applications of said technology.
He's a boffin but he writes on my level with a twinkle in his eye - a rare combination. And he's actually working on useful deployments of AI that don't undermine anyone's humanity.
He's a smart chap called Phil, who keeps things simple. The world needs more of those.
Jul 11, 2025
Jul 11, 2025
Jessica Gregson
CEO, Extra Brain Ltd
Phil is a trusted partner for Extra Brain and our network.
Having known Phil for over 2 decades, and working with him a lot during that time, he's someone to keep in my orbit and reach out to whenever I need sound strategy and implementation on technology projects (and actually, almost any innovation initiative.)
Honing in on AI, this makes Phil a super useful ally and partner for me and Extra Brain. Having frank, no nonsense discussions stop us getting over (or under) excited about potential ideas and helps us make things happen without fuss or hype.
Jessica Gregson
CEO, Extra Brain Ltd
Phil is a trusted partner for Extra Brain and our network.
Having known Phil for over 2 decades, and working with him a lot during that time, he's someone to keep in my orbit and reach out to whenever I need sound strategy and implementation on technology projects (and actually, almost any innovation initiative.)
Honing in on AI, this makes Phil a super useful ally and partner for me and Extra Brain. Having frank, no nonsense discussions stop us getting over (or under) excited about potential ideas and helps us make things happen without fuss or hype.
Jul 4, 2025
Jul 4, 2025
Ian Crocombe
Founder, Deft
Phil is a bit of a rare beast, an engineer who is a marketer, he's had a storied career working on the worlds biggest brands leading production, technology and strategy teams, this means he understands your use cases and can often build them out better, stronger and with far more impact.
Ian Crocombe
Founder, Deft
Phil is a bit of a rare beast, an engineer who is a marketer, he's had a storied career working on the worlds biggest brands leading production, technology and strategy teams, this means he understands your use cases and can often build them out better, stronger and with far more impact.
May 9, 2025
May 9, 2025
Gareth Fryer
Strategy Director, Healthia
Phil is one of the best people to work for, and with. He's genuinely inspirational about all things digital and his passion for what he does is clear for all to see. A brilliant public speaker, he has the ability to clearly articulate incredibly complex themes, trends and strategies and translate them into simple and actionable steps for businesses to help achieve their goals. Couple that with being straight talking and totally down to Earth - Phil really is an asset to any business.
Gareth Fryer
Strategy Director, Healthia
Phil is one of the best people to work for, and with. He's genuinely inspirational about all things digital and his passion for what he does is clear for all to see. A brilliant public speaker, he has the ability to clearly articulate incredibly complex themes, trends and strategies and translate them into simple and actionable steps for businesses to help achieve their goals. Couple that with being straight talking and totally down to Earth - Phil really is an asset to any business.
May 7, 2025
May 7, 2025
Lisa Bonney
MD, Link Worldwide
An incredibly inspiring individual who is deeply knowledgeable about innovation and technology. He brings a new level of thinking to all projects and it is highly motivating to work with someone as dynamic as Phil. He's a good laugh in the pub too....!
Lisa Bonney
MD, Link Worldwide
An incredibly inspiring individual who is deeply knowledgeable about innovation and technology. He brings a new level of thinking to all projects and it is highly motivating to work with someone as dynamic as Phil. He's a good laugh in the pub too....!
May 7, 2025
May 7, 2025
Sian Kelly Guy
Senior Marketing & Operations Consultant
I had the privilege of working under Phil's leadership earlier in my career, and his impact continues to influence my professional development to this day. As a mentor, Phil created an environment where I felt empowered to contribute ideas and take ownership of my work, all while providing the guidance and inspiration I needed to stay motivated and excel in my role. Phil's expertise in digital transformation was what inspired me to work with him, and his ability to identify emerging opportunities made our team and projects successful, innovative and great fun to boot. He has a remarkable talent for translating technical concepts into clear business value, and helping people (us mere mortals) connect the dots too. I avidly follow his ventures at Volcano Base, which will undoubtedly help people and organisations better understand how to not just implement new systems but provide them with the tools and knowledge to use them.
Sian Kelly Guy
Senior Marketing & Operations Consultant
I had the privilege of working under Phil's leadership earlier in my career, and his impact continues to influence my professional development to this day. As a mentor, Phil created an environment where I felt empowered to contribute ideas and take ownership of my work, all while providing the guidance and inspiration I needed to stay motivated and excel in my role. Phil's expertise in digital transformation was what inspired me to work with him, and his ability to identify emerging opportunities made our team and projects successful, innovative and great fun to boot. He has a remarkable talent for translating technical concepts into clear business value, and helping people (us mere mortals) connect the dots too. I avidly follow his ventures at Volcano Base, which will undoubtedly help people and organisations better understand how to not just implement new systems but provide them with the tools and knowledge to use them.
Feb 18, 2025
Feb 18, 2025
Jernej Janežič
Head of Digital Marketing, Atlantic Grupa
His grasp of AI, from foundational principles to cutting-edge innovations, provided one insight after another. The session was filled with laughs and big ideas that left us all buzzing.
Jernej Janežič
Head of Digital Marketing, Atlantic Grupa
His grasp of AI, from foundational principles to cutting-edge innovations, provided one insight after another. The session was filled with laughs and big ideas that left us all buzzing.
Dec 14, 2024
Dec 14, 2024
Christine Hemphill
MD, Open Inclusion
In case you don’t get enough people telling you [the newsletters] are really good, let me add my personal thanks. They are great! I love the CPR for the mind. It is how I work.
Christine Hemphill
MD, Open Inclusion
In case you don’t get enough people telling you [the newsletters] are really good, let me add my personal thanks. They are great! I love the CPR for the mind. It is how I work.
Dec 9, 2024
Dec 9, 2024
Hils Jakison
Creative Technology Director, The Marketing Store
Phil has undoubtedly the biggest digital brain that I know. An intellectually, open-minded, modern thinker, with a true understanding of innovation; he lives it rather than simply wrapping it up in jargon. Extremely personable with an amazing ability to dissect and explain the most complicated systems, processes and plans with empathy.
Hils Jakison
Creative Technology Director, The Marketing Store
Phil has undoubtedly the biggest digital brain that I know. An intellectually, open-minded, modern thinker, with a true understanding of innovation; he lives it rather than simply wrapping it up in jargon. Extremely personable with an amazing ability to dissect and explain the most complicated systems, processes and plans with empathy.
Dec 2, 2024
Dec 2, 2024
Tomi Toluhi
COO, Mission to Seafarers
The feedback has been unanimously complimentary. The teams are buzzing with the possibilities of the insights we have gained.
Tomi Toluhi
COO, Mission to Seafarers
The feedback has been unanimously complimentary. The teams are buzzing with the possibilities of the insights we have gained.
Nov 17, 2024
Nov 17, 2024
Michelle Milner-Eradhun
COO, Nuvem9
We got so much out of the session today - lots of golden nuggets and moments of inspiration. Our ops are so much better for it.
Michelle Milner-Eradhun
COO, Nuvem9
We got so much out of the session today - lots of golden nuggets and moments of inspiration. Our ops are so much better for it.
Nov 17, 2024
Nov 17, 2024
Victor Arciniega
Director, McDonald's UK
Phil in a single tweet: "Experienced digital expert business focused professional passionate visionary charismatic inspirational grounded innovative thought partner" I would highly recommend him.
Victor Arciniega
Director, McDonald's UK
Phil in a single tweet: "Experienced digital expert business focused professional passionate visionary charismatic inspirational grounded innovative thought partner" I would highly recommend him.
Nov 13, 2024
Nov 13, 2024
Nathan Fulwood
Co-Founder, CreateFuture
We try to make the design process as democratic as possible, but no matter how expert you are, or how well you know the subject you're exploring (or maybe because of...), it's difficult to be completely subjective when it comes to decision making. Strategenie quickly helps us take a step back and get an objective view of our outcomes and opportunities. It's a fantastic vehicle to then base a roadmap or action plan around.
Nathan Fulwood
Co-Founder, CreateFuture
We try to make the design process as democratic as possible, but no matter how expert you are, or how well you know the subject you're exploring (or maybe because of...), it's difficult to be completely subjective when it comes to decision making. Strategenie quickly helps us take a step back and get an objective view of our outcomes and opportunities. It's a fantastic vehicle to then base a roadmap or action plan around.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023
Melissa Fretwell
Founder, White Camino
As we help more of our clients take a step back to reset their priorities, Strategenie is a bit of gift. It helps distil thinking and see the business through every possible lens, stripping out any bias, however unconscious.
Melissa Fretwell
Founder, White Camino
As we help more of our clients take a step back to reset their priorities, Strategenie is a bit of gift. It helps distil thinking and see the business through every possible lens, stripping out any bias, however unconscious.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023
Denis Oakley
Founder, Denis Oakley & Co
How do you change the world? Many entrepreneurs and business leaders want to do just that with their new ventures. Often decision making is made based on emotion, incomplete consideration of the variables, or with one or more cognitive biases. Often these are not visible and the whole team believes that they are making decisions well. By applying Strategenie to the process of business model design we're hoping to make much of the new venture creation process much more rigorous. It integrates beautifully with our focus on Jobs to Be Done and our Lean Innovation methodology that obsesses on continually testing and validating our hypotheses.
Denis Oakley
Founder, Denis Oakley & Co
How do you change the world? Many entrepreneurs and business leaders want to do just that with their new ventures. Often decision making is made based on emotion, incomplete consideration of the variables, or with one or more cognitive biases. Often these are not visible and the whole team believes that they are making decisions well. By applying Strategenie to the process of business model design we're hoping to make much of the new venture creation process much more rigorous. It integrates beautifully with our focus on Jobs to Be Done and our Lean Innovation methodology that obsesses on continually testing and validating our hypotheses.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023
Craig Saphin
MD, Craig Saphin Consulting
Scaling a business requires firm foundations with pillars of strength, a well-structured strategy and excellent execution. A critical part of the structured strategy and subsequent execution is the leadership required to focus on the most important strategic objectives and the necessary alignment with the leadership team. By applying Strategenie, we are helping clients decide on the correct strategic objectives and secure the appropriate buy-in from the leadership team. This alignment results in the correct focused outcomes and the best leverage from limited company resources.
Craig Saphin
MD, Craig Saphin Consulting
Scaling a business requires firm foundations with pillars of strength, a well-structured strategy and excellent execution. A critical part of the structured strategy and subsequent execution is the leadership required to focus on the most important strategic objectives and the necessary alignment with the leadership team. By applying Strategenie, we are helping clients decide on the correct strategic objectives and secure the appropriate buy-in from the leadership team. This alignment results in the correct focused outcomes and the best leverage from limited company resources.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023
Tim Stoller
Founder, The Brand Launchers
We use Strategenie with our clients to help them take an insight-led approach to building a compelling strategy. Its beauty is in the way it simplifies the inherently complex and seamlessly combines the art and science of strategic development.
Tim Stoller
Founder, The Brand Launchers
We use Strategenie with our clients to help them take an insight-led approach to building a compelling strategy. Its beauty is in the way it simplifies the inherently complex and seamlessly combines the art and science of strategic development.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023
Pauline McNulty
Chief Risk Officer, Liberty Specialty Markets
I support the view that a ‘company’s value is just the sum of the decisions it makes and executes’ - as Strategenie takes the noise out of prioritisation and decision-making with a systematic approach, I use it for my initiatives and recommend it highly.
Pauline McNulty
Chief Risk Officer, Liberty Specialty Markets
I support the view that a ‘company’s value is just the sum of the decisions it makes and executes’ - as Strategenie takes the noise out of prioritisation and decision-making with a systematic approach, I use it for my initiatives and recommend it highly.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023
Cyrus Johnston
Founder, Hands On Brands
At Hands On, we regularly create workshops for brands and leaders to help them get clarity and alignment around priority options, choices and decisions for specific objectives. Strategenie is a fantastic tool to draw on in helping us achieve that both inclusively and with rigour.
Cyrus Johnston
Founder, Hands On Brands
At Hands On, we regularly create workshops for brands and leaders to help them get clarity and alignment around priority options, choices and decisions for specific objectives. Strategenie is a fantastic tool to draw on in helping us achieve that both inclusively and with rigour.
Mar 20, 2023
Mar 20, 2023