David Griffiths
Intro and Career
David Griffiths is an intelligence expert and entrepreneur. He began his career in market research, developing revolutionary ethnographic research techniques for brands like MTV & Samsung at the youth research agency TYC (The Youth Conspiracy).
In 2010, Griffiths joined riverorchid in Cambodia (later acquired by Havas) as Director of Insight. There, he expanded the company's presence across Southeast Asia, leading projects for the World Health Organization, UN, and Gallup. During his deployment in Indochina, he developed an extensive human intelligence network across the region, becoming known for exemplary tradecraft developed on the ground in a challenging theatre of operations. This included living with multiple communities across the region, such as spending weeks in deep immersion with the people of Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake.
From 2013 to 2015, Griffiths was Vice President at C Space China (part of Omnicom Group) responsible for strategy and integration of new assets and acquisitions, development of new innovation capabilities, as well as supporting US commercial interests for companies like Converse & Disney. During this time, he won multiple awards, including the Omnicom 'Excellence in Innovation' award in 2014, as well as Impact Awards in 2015 for his work with clients including Mead Johnson and L'Oréal.
In 2015, Griffiths founded the subsidiary Black Swan Innovation (later Black Swan Data), designed to leverage big data for real-time intelligence. After founding the business, he took on the role of VP of Innovation until 2023, where he invented new data acquisition methodologies, working with major businesses like Delta Airlines, Panasonic, PepsiCo, and McDonald's. Key contributions included an approach that informed Pepsi's $1 billion Bubly brand.
Since 2023, Griffiths has been the Founder of the AI & Data Intelligence business, Ideas, taking investment from the Basis Research Group to grow his vision into a world-beating solution. Today, he leads vision, strategy, and intelligence for transformative programs that include government departments and commercial interests around the world for businesses that include eBay, Target, and Vanguard.
Media Coverage
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