I help founders turn business strategy into a brand that grows.
Hi 👋
I have spent a decade building global brands for PepsiCo, Unilever, and L'Oreal.
Today I bring that Fortune 500 style to founders and growth-stage startups by helping turn their business strategy into a growing brand.
Using my signature framework: Strategy + Storytelling + Self-Alignment = Brand Alchemyâ„¢.
My experience has led to advisory board appointments at The Body Shop London and Unicorn Factory Lisbon, and ongoing partnerships I am proud of in Europe and Africa.
Based in Lisbon and always available for an oat milk latte.
Brand Alchemy is where strategy meets storytelling. I work with founders and businesses to build brands that grow
Most start with a logo and hope for the best. I start with strategy: positioning, differentiation, and the relevant cultural/ consumer truth. Deliverables include brand audits, consumer insights, brand architecture, and strategic frameworks
Gen Z buys into brands built with them. I help to authentically connect with them as consumers and talent. This goes beyond demographics. We look at values, digital behaviour, workplace culture, and the signals that make a brand feel relevant vs performative
Strategy without a story doesn't work. Once your positioning is clear, I help you articulate it in market-ready messaging that resonates with people from website and pitch deck, to content, and communications.
Fully deveoped brands go beyond the look they have a fI design experiences that translate strategy into something special in real life. Deliverables include event concept and positioning, creative direction, sponsor coordination, and post-event content.
Brands that last are often a direct reflection of the founder who built them.
I love working 1:1 with a small number of founders. Book a slot here or contact me for more details.
I provide personalized consulting and partnership to founders. Drawing on my experience, and using psychology, leadership and life design frameworks and tools we will find insights you can apply to level up yourself, your brand and business.
I plug in as senior brand leadership, without the full-time commitment to launch and grow your brand. Owning your brand strategy, guiding creative, briefing and managing your team, and ensuring a strong start for future brand growth
Aqeelah is one of those rare professionals who truly transforms a business. In three months, she didn't just redesign our brand, she shifted how we see our own company. Her listening skills are exceptional, her business acumen is sharp, and her strategic mind combines seamlessly with a creativity that elevates everything she works on.
With her guidance, we clarified our positioning, refined our values, and built a visual identity that finally feels like us. She understood our target audience better than we did ourselves and translated that insight into a brand that's both coherent and powerful.
CEO + Co Founder Hira Talent
Aqeelah offers an incredible support system to any project team she is part of. She anticipates the needs of both the project team and the client and proactively picks up tasks to accelerate work.
She is very talented at executing against a strategy and deftly creates and expands narrative worlds for brands, products, companies, and events that align with strategic intent. Her positive, optimistic attitude is a bonus that energizes the people she works with.
Partner Innate Motion
Aqeelah is an excellent communicator who is adept at building and maintaining relationships with clients, colleagues, and stakeholders. Her warm and approachable nature, combined with her professionalism and integrity, make her a pleasure to work with.
Her attention to detail, coupled with her creative thinking and problem-solving skills, enabled us to deliver high-quality work and achieve our goals on time and within budget
CEO + Founder Mind Matters
Aqeelah is a rare talent with strong creative and strategic skills. She is highly values driven and this reflects in the exceptional content and relationships she builds.
She is always the first point of call on new projects as people love working with her calm energy, expertise and optimism!
Director + Partner Kantar