I’ll build an iconic brand with you.
A brand that people love, talk about and come back to. That does good, looks good and makes your business grow.
I have 30 years of experience doing this globally with brands like Virgin and Unilever.
Brands I've helped shape:
Unilever Axe Impulse Shield ABSA Media 24 MTN Ubuntu Virgin Virgin Active Virgin Atlantic Virgin Australia Virgin Bet Virgin Games Virgin Gifts Virgin Hotels Virgin Limited Edition Virgin Media Virgin Mobile Virgin Money Virgin Plus Virgin Radio Virgin Red Virgin Start Up Virgin Trains Ticketing Virgin Unite Virgin Voyages
How I work
I'm a strategic brand growth partner.
Unlike an agency, you work directly with me, no account layers, no studio overhead. For projects that need more, I bring in my network of vetted Virgin alumni and specialists in insight, creative, experience design (planes to ships), loyalty and Al. People who've built iconic at scale.
How I can help you
BRAND STRATEGY & BRAND DNA DEFINITION When your DNA is clear everything compounds and grows. We surface what makes your brand distinctive and build the framework your organisation can act on. Answering these fundamental questions: - WHY your company exists (Purpose) - WHO you serve (Customer) - WHAT you offer that is different (Promise) - HOW you show up (Values & Voice)
Know Your DNA
BRAND IDENTITY, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE & MARKETING I partner with your team to get your brand strategy off the page, into the real world and your bank balance. - Setting strategic priorities - Creating your identity & architecture - Mapping your customer experience - Sharpening messaging and marketing - Building your team's creative firepower
Put Your Brand to Work
Get found by AI
AI BRAND VISIBILITY & ANSWER ENGINE OPTIMISATION (AEO) AI doesn't browse. It filters. Vague brands don't make the cut. I'll ensure your brand is structured to be discovered and recommended by AI. Here’s how… - Visibility audit - AI recommendation strategy
Unleash ideas
BRAND INNOVATION WORKSHOPS Most companies have more creative potential than they realise. These workshops unleash it. - Break out of category thinking - Generate new ideas grounded in DNA - Build creative confidence - Leave with concepts ready to test
Boost your brand knowledge
KEYNOTES & MASTERCLASSES ON BRAND STRATEGY 30 years of global brand building. Real tools, real stories, the wins and the misfires. Topics include… - Brands that wins in the AI era - Making brand a growth engine - Lessons from Virgin's Playbook
Is your brand fit for the future?
Markets shift. Customers change. And now AI decides what gets noticed before a human does. The brands that thrive aren’t just the ones with the best product. They're the ones that are unmistakably clear, distinctive, and desirable, to both humans and machines. I help businesses build brands that are loved today and built to be found, trusted, recommended and loved tomorrow.
Testimonials
"Fiona is a tremendously talented brand expert and creative leader, who has played a key role in the growth of the Virgin brand."
We would not be in the place we are today around AI proof of concepts, AI tool adoption and AI values had Fiona not pushed us.
JAMES MCDOWELL
VIRGIN INNOVATION DIRECTOR
RICHARD BRANSON
VIRGIN FOUNDER
Fiona’s ability to distil complexity into clear, strategic direction is incredibly powerful.
MIKE BUTLER
HUMAINE AGENCY FOUNDER
Fiona is one of those very rare beings who combine extraordinary creative flair with sound business acumen.
LUCY HOWARD
VIRGIN BRAND STRATEGY DIRECTOR
Fiona was instrumental in the Virgin Mobile KSA &UAE launches. Challenging our thinking, raising the bar, and ensuring the brand showed up consistently across every touchpoint.
ROB BESWICK
VIRGIN MOBILE CEO
Fiona Ross has spent 18 years shaping one of the world's most recognized and respected brands, and the depth of expertise she brings is exceptional. She was not only a guardian of the Virgin brand but a builder of the systems and standards that allow it to thrive.
JENN POSNIKOFF
VIRGIN BRAND GROWTH & EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR
30 years building iconic brands
I specialise in brand strategy, brand DNA development, creative expression, customer experience, marketing and AI discoverability - bringing distinctive brands to life for founders and leadership teams globally.
Unilever taught me the fundamentals. Ogilvy sharpened my craft. Then 18 years at Virgin, leading global brand DNA and creative expression across dozens of companies, sectors and markets, embedding brand thinking across 60,000+ employees worldwide. I founded the Virgin AI adoption programme and chaired the Virgin Creative Council.
Now I work at the intersection of brand and AI, helping ambitious leaders build the clarity that drives loyalty, growth and recommendation.
About Fiona
Based in Cape Town and operating globally.
Strategic. Creative. Commercially grounded.
With just enough mischief to keep things interesting.