Meet the Spikes Team
Dr. Gordon Euchler
Founder
Gordon studied for as long as was humanly possible, before ending up with a PhD from the university of Cambridge. Working for international agencies and consultancies he then went on to develop creative strategies for brands from Deutsche Telekom to Allianz or bwin. Before founding spikes he helped to build the Creative Consultancy as Director at Deloitte. >>
Maik Hofmann
Founder
Maik started his career in the insurance industry. After then running an Underground Hip-Hop label and wholesale, he dived into the world of global advertising networks at WPP and Omnicom. More than 20 years in the industry made him work for global brands like Lufthansa Cargo and Leica Camera and run a marketing strategy consultancy. Before founding Spikes he led the customized agency network 14/DDB as Global CEO, working for one of the most exiting automotive brands these days: CUPRA. >>
Dave Cobban
US Partner
Dave is a trained accountant from KPMG, Planning director at Wieden + Kennedy, 13 years at Nike as General Manager in Marketing, Innovation & Digital, and most recently founder of UNBRKBLE he brings a wealth of business expertise and wisdom to Spikes. Oh, and he is an incredibly nice guy too. >>
Sandra Peat
UK Partner
Sandra has over 25 years of experience shaping culturally progressive brands around the world. From Red Bull and Bacardi to Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose, Mars Inc. and M&Ms, she’s worked across global and local markets, both client-side and agency-side. As our partner in the UK, she brings deep brand-building expertise and sharp commercial instincts to the Spikes journey. >>
Moritz Wehr
Founders Associate
Moritz is pursuing a Master's Degree in Management at ISEG Lisbon while contributing to the operative business, data analytics, and business development at Spikes. He brings prior experience in management and strategy consulting. During his Bachelor's in Business Administration, he gained industry experience in FMCG and pharmaceuticals, among others working in the supply chain management of Beiersdorf. >>
Nina Zimmer
Founders Associate
Nina is pursuing a Master's Degree in Management Information Systems at ISEG Lisbon and contributes to the operative business, data analytics, and data management at Spikes. She brings a strong background in data-driven projects, including business intelligence, data management, and process automation. During her dual studies for a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering and Management and her previous role as Project and Data Manager at Dräger, she gained expertise as an SAP Data Business Steward and process owner. >>
Feline Sliwa
Founders Associate
Feline is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Media Studies at the Humboldt University Berlin while contributing to the Content Management of Spikes. In prior job positions she gained diverse experiences in the Media field with a focus on Marketing and Content Creation as well as Account Management. >>
Frank Dopheide
Advisory Board
Frank is founder of the purpose agency human unlimited. He previously was CEO of the Handelsblatt Media Group, founder of the brand- and strategy-agency Deutsche Markenarbeit and Chairman of advertising agency Grey in Germany. He is author of the bestselling business book ‘God is a Creative’ and inspired more than 1 Million people with his TEDx Talk on YouTube. >>
Dr. Eden Yin
Advisory Board
Eden is an associate professor and the co-director of the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Management at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. He obtained his PhD in Marketing at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he taught strategy marketing courses. At Cambridge, Eden teaches core and elective courses in marketing for the MBA, EMBA and MOTI programs and executive programs on topics such as brand management, high-tech marketing and marketing strategies. Dr Yin has also taught courses at the Helsinki School of Economics, Australian National University, Hong Kong University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Nanjing University (China), University of Pecs (Hungary), University of Arhus (Denmark), University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), and University of San Andres (Argentina). >>
Catherine Heath
Advisory Board
With 20 years experience leading agency and client strategic teams across APAC, the US and EMEA Catherine now runs global brand consultancy, Once Upon a Time Brands, specializing in Brand Strategy & Brand Management. Catherine's expertise is in leading integrated strategic brand thinking, brand management & creative execution with global reach and local fluency - specifically for tech, luxury and culturally forward brands.
Catherine regularly contributes to industry press as a consumer & trends expert, is honored to serve on the Advisory Board of several global creative companies & lectures media/communications students at universities in the US, UK and Europe. >>
Kathryn Stokes
Advisory Board
Kathryn is an industry unicorn and former CMO for Deloitte Digital EMEA. Having spent her 20+ year career in both agencies and management consultancies, helping global brands and organisations grapple with marketing in the digital age. As a senior leader at Deloitte, WPP, Capgemini and more, she has worked as a trusted advisor to Unilever, Nestlé, Diageo, Reckitt, GSK, L’Oréal, and more. Kathryn is passionate about enabling marketing and sales organisations to break down silos and collaborate for an optimal customer, consumer and employee experience, as a true driver of sustainable growth. >>
Paul Smith
Advisory Board
Paul left Art School and joined the world of advertising. On the way working on three commercials to be included in The Worlds Best 100 commercials and 5 D&AD Yellow pencils; producing work on Braun with the legendary industrial designer Dieter Rams. And as chairman of Europe he helped Ogilvy to be the Best Network in the World for six years running. He’s in Debrett’s People of Today as someone who has influenced advertising, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and plays tennis. >>
Jo Royce
Advisory Board
Jo Royce loves working with creative, dynamic businesses and purpose-led organisations. She is an experienced leader and L&D specialist with deep expertise in talent, culture, capability-building, coaching and innovation.
She brings a wealth of expertise from businesses as varied as Unilever, Google, Dentsu-Aegis and start-ups - having led, managed, coached and trained at all organisational levels, from exec, board and managers through to grads and interns. For example she led Unilever’s global marketing capability and learning across their 7,000-strong marketing and creative population. >>
Nils Liedtke
Advisory Board
Nils is a seasoned marketer and consultant who has had the privilege of working with over 35 of the world’s top 100 global brands, tackling their toughest challenges across strategy, branding, marketing, and insights. Today, he leads Marketing & Customer globally for the fun and quirky variety retailer Flying Tiger Copenhagen. Before that, he spent 17.5 years at McKinsey & Company, where he led the brand consulting practice in EMEA and co-authored McKinsey’s acclaimed book on branding, Mega-Macht Marke. >>
Mike Gelfond
Advisory Board
Mike Gelfond brings over three decades of leadership and expertise in building and transforming businesses. He has driven strategies for global brands such as Bayer, Coca-Cola, Elanco, and Roche, delivering impactful results across diverse industries like agriculture, healthcare, and sports/entertainment. As President and Partner at Mastermind Marketing, Mike has been at the forefront of innovations in social media, digital strategy, e-commerce, and analytics. A dedicated advocate for education and health, he chairs US based boards focused on literacy and pediatric brain research. >>
Dr. Simon Walter
Advisory Board
Simon is Chief Strategy Officer at Project A, one of Europe’s leading venture capital firms, where he helps startups scale through business, market, and brand strategy. Previously, he held leadership roles in creative consulting, including at bemorrow, Input-Consulting, and TBWA, advising brands like Adidas, Apple, BMW, HSBC, McDonald’s, and Mercedes-Benz.
Simon holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Zurich and studied strategic innovation at Oxford and design thinking at Hasso Plattner Institute. He teaches strategy and marketing at the Berlin University of the Arts. >>