I Wish: Innovation with soul

innovation agency

We are a specialist innovation agency, founded in 2011. A small, specialised and highly experienced team based out of the UK and operating across the world. Depending on who you ask, you might hear them call us a future creations agency, front-end innovators, insight-led innovation specialists or even design thinkers. Our clients tend to be large mass-market organisations, but there are exceptions to the rule.

npd specialists

The scope of innovation is potentially limitless, but the bulk of what we do is new product development (NPD), category strategy, and brand thinking. We do this by tapping into the hearts and minds of consumers and blending creative intuition with strategic thought. We estimate we’ve created billions of pounds in incremental revenues for our clients.

believers in simplicity

Our approach is centred around profound simplicity, and essentially thinking like villagers. Ours is not an approach of adopting an intellectual high ground or seeming complexity. Yes, innovation is complex but it need not come across that way. We operate at street level, using that as a foundation to move on and up, covering ground quickly and delivering ‘bang for buck’.

we stand for something

Our values are around loving what we do, nothing being too much trouble, really being there for our clients, having a cheeky pint at the end of the day, and sleeping well at night. Our mantra is ‘innovation with soul’ and we hope that the concept of soul is true to us and everything that we do.

Vijit singh

founder & managing director

Responsible for leading and/or strategically anchoring client projects, overall company management and keeping our core team and ecosystem happy

Previous experience: From launching prepaid cellular services in India, client-side roles in emerging/high-technology companies in the UK, management consulting, managing a publicly-funded London organisation focused on venture-creation, to working with two leading innovation agencies, before launching I Wish.
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Passion projects: Advisory Board for The World Institute of Slowness (Norway HQ), co-creating the award-winning SlowBeer, Non-Executive Director for the Camden Enterprise Agency and several voluntary roles for Charities/NGOs on a rolling basis.
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Education: MBA from the Leeds University Business School, Double Major from St. Xavier’s College (University of Mumbai).
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Family/fun stuff: Lives with wife Kate and son Arjan in deepest, darkest Devon. When not on a plane can be found in the woods, on a beach or propping up the bar.

freddie tilbrook

director of strategy & innovation

Responsible for understanding clients’ problems and shaping them into a vision and strategy for a project, designing research studies, generating insights, ideas and strategies and guiding teams through their implementation

Previous experience: Worked globally for innovation and strategy agencies (Happen and The Foundation) for 7 years before leading a digital start-up in the Energy Industry (The Energy Loop) from concept to launch.
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Passion projects: Founded SwattUp, a peer to peer learning platform that connects students together for all aspects of learning (rational and emotional).

Education: Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford.

Family/fun stuff: Lives with wife Nicole, daughter Ivy and two cats. Passionate Crossfitter and loves being active outdoors at every opportunity.

andy naorem

director of design & creativity

Responsible for all design activities and overall design thinking. Generating ideas and execution of visual branding projects

Previous experience: Worked as design lead in various publications, media organisations and design studios in India for over 15 years. A visiting faculty at the National institute of Design.
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Passion projects: Co-founded Brandnewtype (an independent type foundry), founding member of SonicTreeNatives, an experimental music collaborative.

Education: Communication design degree from the National institute of Design, India. Attended Type@Cooper program at The Cooper Union, New York city.

Family/fun stuff: Lives with partner Uzma and many cats. When not working usually found underwater scuba diving or travelling. Loves to cook.

josh viner

project manager & planner

Responsible for planning and logistics, curation of outputs, team coordination and general project management. Acts as the voice and representative for millennials and young persons

Previous experience: 2 years’ experience with I Wish, including involvement in countless successful workshops, focus groups and immersions in markets around the world.
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Passion projects: Recent spiked interest in art, particularly satirical, social or political street-art, working on building a small collection.

Education: Studied English Language, Business, Media and Sociology at Exeter College.

Family/fun stuff: Lives only a stone’s throw from the seaside in Teignmouth, Devon. Can be found having a pint or two of craft beer with friends, or on the squash court, football pitch or golf course. Coffee lover and foodie.

Innovation with Soul

i wish at a glance

our core team

Some of our happy clients (we say collaborators)

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