Chief Strategy Officer, Leo UK
Lilli English is Chief Strategy Officer at Leo UK, overseeing the agency’s award-winning strategy department.
With more than 15 years of strategic experience across FMCG, retail, food and drink, fashion and luxury, her work has earned some of the industry’s highest honours, including a Cannes Creative Effectiveness Lion, a Gold IPA Effectiveness Award and the Marketing Society Grand Prix.
Before joining Leo, Lilli was CSO at Portas, where she reshaped the agency’s strategic offer and worked with brands at the intersection of culture and commerce, including Sainsbury’s, Ikea, Pandora and Farrow & Ball.
She previously spent eight years at BBH in senior leadership roles, including Head of Strategy, Head of Experience Strategy, and Managing Partner. There, she steered the strategy department to an IPA Effectiveness Agency of the Year win, drove strategic thinking for Absolut, Costa and Tesco, and played a central role in creating the “Food Love Stories” platform, contributing to more than £2.2 billion in incremental revenue.
Lilli began her career in fashion editorial before moving into strategy at Leo Burnett on McDonald’s UK, where she helped shape the McCafé launch and the brand-building work that drove the business turnaround.
Outside the industry, she is also an accomplished illustrator, with two published children’s books and commissioned work for Chanel, Henry Holland and The Design Museum.