Applied Behavioural Science Consulting.
We design human-centred, science-backed and evidence-based strategy and policy solutions.
Proposition
We specialise in human behaviour change for good since 2017.
We are a leading qualified behavioural science consultancy, applying the latest insights from behavioural economics, social psychology and decision science.
We support governments, public and private organisations with reliable expertise for effective behaviour change in citizens, customers and employees globally.
We stand for a new kind of strategy and policy advisory rooted in scientific research, evidence-based approaches and a truly collaborative operating model.
We believe in the inherent goodness of people and the opportunity to create impact by purposefully addressing the underlying drivers and blockers of human behaviour.
Offering
We turn scientific insights and methods into actionable advice.
Affective’s expertise helps organisations, teams and individuals to successfully change human behaviour. Using the latest academic insights and experimental methods, we design impactful human-centred strategies and policies. Our four integrated services cover the full spectrum of science-based consulting, and range from the setup of public or private nudge units to the implementation of individual behavioural interventions.
Analysis
We conduct tailored behavioural science research, equipping practitioners with applicable knowledge.
Our analyses offer insights on how target groups really behave and decide.
Strategy
We provide innovative science-based strategy consulting, supporting key decision makers to propel reliable behaviour change.
Our strategic advice offers new vistas on successfully engaging target groups.
Experiments
We design, implement, monitor and evaluate experiments, enabling organisations to leverage first-hand evidence.
Our experimental expertise offers applicable guidance for testing and learning.
Training
We deliver insightful practitioner-oriented programmes, equipping individuals and teams with behavioural insights.
Our training programmes offer rapid acquisition of relevant know-how.
References
We work with leading public and private organisations.
“Affective is one of only a handful specialised behavioural science consulting firms around the world fully committed to applying rigorous, evidence-based insights in a practical and effective way. The partnership has been excellent and the results achieved speak for themselves.”
Global Head of Behavioural & Data Science, Novartis AG
“Affective was a great partner in the development of behavioural science informed public policy. The team quickly understood the context and challenges we faced and delivered precisely and efficiently. Their expertise, quality and commitment is remarkable, making them a trusted advisor.”
BI Lead & Industry Specialist, Swiss Federal Office of Energy
Approach
We use a proven scientific behaviour change framework.
Behavioural science can be described as the systematic study of human behaviour and the design of strategies to intentionally and verifiably change it, leveraging psychological insights and experimental methods from a variety of disciplines, including behavioural economics, psychology, cognitive science, decision science, sociology and neuroscience.
Affective's D.R.I.V.E.® framework guides the application of these insights to design solutions for critical business and public policy challenges. It has been developed in collaboration with world-leading behavioural science academics and practitioners and proven in numerous international strategy and policy projects. See our concept summary for more information.
D.efine
Together, we analyse your strategic challenge and define the required target behaviours to reach your objectives.
R.esearch
We research current behaviours and analyse how contexts shape and affect the actions of your target group.
I.dentify
We identify, select and design suitable science-backed solutions relevant to the behaviours and contexts in focus.
V.alidate
We validate behavioural interventions and their effects with robust yet practically oriented experiments.
E.xecute
Together, we realise your objectives by executing suitable and validated behavioural change across your organisation.
Responsibility
We stand for sound technical and ethical applications.
Affective’s rigorous focus and commitment distinguishes us from other advisory firms: we put humans at the centre of attention and ensure that the ideas we propose are not only defined right in theory, but also properly evaluated, and ultimately successfully and ethically implemented in practice. We are proud to be a committed member and participant to some of the world’s leading behavioural science and corporate sustainability initiatives.
As a Founding Member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists GAABS, the first independent non-profit organisation established, we safeguard and maintain the quality and ethical standards of behavioural science.
As a Board Member of the Swiss Behavioral Insights for Better Politics and Societies initiative BIPS, we support the promotion of scientific insights for solving current and future political and societal challenges in Switzerland and beyond.
As the world’s first participant to the UN Global Compact specialising in applied behavioural science in 2021, we commit to sustainable and responsible practices, and to realising the UN SDGs with all our partners.
About
We are a team of qualified behavioural science experts.
Affective is locally rooted and globally connected, linking international expertise with proven Swiss quality. All our team members share the rare combination of extensive professional experience and academic qualification in Behavioural Science or Data Science at MSc. or PhD. level. On top, we rely on a global network of world-renowned academics and practitioners.
Torben Emmerling
Managing Partner
Torben is the Founder and Managing Partner of Affective, Chief Behavioural Officer of Team Farner, and author of the D.R.I.V.E.® framework for behavioural insights in strategy and public policy. He is a Founding Member and Non Executive Director on the Board of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists GAABS, a Board Member of the Behavioral Insights for better Politics and Societies Initiative BIPS, and a seasoned lecturer, keynote speaker and HBR-published author in Behavioural Science, Decision Science and Applied Consumer Psychology.
Anna Holub
Consultant
Anna is a Behavioural Scientist and Consultant at Affective. Her primary focus is on bridging the gap between scientific research and practical business applications with a focus on strategy and marketing. Her past research focused on decision-making online and exploring gender differences with regards to automation. She holds a Master (MSc) in Strategic Management from Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) and a Master (MSc) in Behavioural Science from London School of Economics (LSE).
Dr. Deborah Kistler
Strategic Advisor
Deborah is a Strategic Advisor to Affective. She is a Post Doctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich and a Research Manager at University of Zurich. She holds a PhD from University of Lausanne, is a team member of the Swiss Initiative BIPS and has several years of consulting experience. Her work and main research focuses on helping organisations and policy makers apply and implement evidence-based decision-making.
Judith Wagner
Consultant
Judith is a Behavioural Scientist and Consultant at Affective. Her expertise lies in applying theories of decision-making to map and define human interaction as well as executing comprehensive policy research projects. Her previous academic studies focused on leveraging behavioural insights for multi-national public health and vaccination programmes. Judith holds a Master (MSc) in Human Decision Science and a French-German Double Degree (BA) in International Business Administration.
Dr. Dario Krpan
Strategic Advisor
Dario is a Strategic Advisor to Affective. He is Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics LSE and author of various articles published in top behavioural science and psychology journals, such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Dario works at the intersection of social and cognitive psychology and has a Doctorate (PhD) and a Masters (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelor (BSc) from Webster University Vienna.
We are always looking for talents.
Please feel free to get in touch with us and send us your profile.
Dr. Laura Fontanesi
Consultant
Dr Laura Fontanesi is a Behavioural Scientist and Consultant at Affective. Her past research focused on how people learn by feedback and how choice architectures influence risk-taking behaviour. Her research methods include computational modelling, Bayesian statistics, and different neural imaging techniques. She holds a Doctorate (PhD) in Economic Psychology and Decision Neuroscience from the University of Basel and a Master (MSc) in Psychology from the University of Amsterdam.
Duncan Rooders
Strategic Advisor
Duncan is a Strategic Advisor to Affective. He is the Managing Director of Matcorp Investments, a single family office focussed on private equity, buy-outs, acquisitions and growth capital investments, and at the same time PhD Candidate at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. In addition to being a former Boeing 747 pilot, Duncan holds an Executive Master (MSc) in Behavioural Science, a Master (MSc) in Leadership and Strategy from and is a graduate of Harvard's prestigious Owner President Management Program.
Daniel Seyffardt
Senior Consultant
Daniel is a Behavioural Scientist and Senior Consultant at Affective. His expertise lies in summarising and translating scientific research and theory into practical models and tools for practitioners. His past research focussed on the identification of motivators for responsible investing and on attitudes towards corporate sustainability as a proxy for effective ESG performance. Daniel holds a Master (MSc) in Applied Psychology and Economic Behaviour, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Administration and Banking.
John Owen
Strategic Advisor
John is a Strategic Advisor to Affective. He is a Partner in the marketing and creative operations consultancy WDC where he specialises in workplace culture and behaviour change management. He is also an accomplished trainer and keynote speaker. John holds an Executive Master (MSc) in Behavioural Science and a Master (MA) in Culture and Society and been a business leader for over 25 years across a variety of disciplines, including journalism, consumer research, digital marketing and brand strategy.
Contact
We look forward to creating sustainable change together.
Affective Advisory GmbH
Löwenstrasse 2
CH-8001 Zurich
Switzerland