About Maria Wilde
I'm Maria Wilde — a freelance brand strategy and product innovation consultant based in London, UK working with senior teams at FMCG, CPG, various B2B and B2C organisations, and embedding within agencies and consultancies across global markets. My experience spans a wide range of regions such as North America, LATAM,APAC (China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines), ANZ, and the Middle East.
Experience and Background
My career has been anything but linear— spanning fragrance, FMCG, regulated industries, and consulting, across startups, multinationals, and agencies. I started with a degree in International Relations at SOAS, University of London — which gave me an early grounding in geopolitics, economics, and cultural context that still informs how I approach markets today. From there I moved into the fragrance industry, first at IFF in London and Paris, developing strategic launches and gathering market intelligence for major CPG and luxury brands, then to Amsterdam where I built and grew a niche luxury fragrance brand — BARUTI — from the ground up, handling product strategy, rebranding, e-commerce, PR, and international distribution.
Back in London, I joined BAT's global brand and product innovation team, working on Vuse in the nicotine harm reduction category — one of the most strategically complex and regulated environments a brand can operate in. From there I joined Unilever, where I was part of the global brand innovation team on Rexona, contributing across the full product development lifecycle — from consumer insight and opportunity identification through to launch — and playing a central role in developing the brand's first global fragrance strategy. Most recently I have been working independently through Wilde Strategies and collaborating with Ogilvy's Consulting and Behavioural Science practice — building analytical frameworks, synthesising multi-market consumer and category data, and translating ambiguous commercial challenges into clear strategic recommendations for senior leadership teams.
One consistent thread across all of it has been the ability to move across categories — applying frameworks and consumer thinking developed in one context to unlock opportunities in another.
Across all of it, one conviction has held: brand strategy and product strategy are not separate disciplines. A brand promise that the product can't deliver is a liability. A great product without a coherent brand narrative is a missed opportunity. The most durable brands are built at the intersection of both — and that's the work I do.
My Approach
My approach draws on four lenses I've found consistently useful across sectors, geographies, and types of organisation.
Behavioural Science — understanding what actually drives decisions, not just what people report. Purchase decisions are emotional first, rational second. I focus on uncovering the hidden drivers and biases behind behaviour rather than relying on stated preferences alone.
Future Forecasting — identifying early signals of change rather than waiting for fully-formed trends. I'm particularly interested in cross-category patterns and societal shifts that hint at emerging opportunities — developing strategies that position brands for what's next rather than what's now.
Cultural Intelligence — reading the codes and contexts that determine whether a strategy lands or falls flat. Cultural nuances determine whether a strategy succeeds or fails regardless of how rigorous the analysis behind it. Strategies need to connect authentically, not just reach their intended audience.
Commercial Rigour — sizing the opportunity before committing to the strategy. Good strategic thinking without commercial grounding is just interesting. The analytical frameworks, market data, and structured problem framing are what turn insight into decisions that organisations can actually invest behind.
Where all four converge is where durable strategy lives — what I call Adaptive Advantage.
I've worked on projects across Europe, North America, LATAM, APAC, ANZ, and the Middle East, with clients ranging from startups to multinationals across food, personal care, confectionery, fragrance, telecoms, logistics, infrastructure, and regulated industries.
Outside of work I'm usually swimming, reading, writing, or planning the next trip — with a strong preference for Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and Tuscany, and anywhere with good tea, snacks, nature and art.
If you're looking for a strategic partner who can work across both brand and product — let’s talk.