About Growth Guides
Tony Harbron and Holly Whitehead co-founded Growth Guides in 2019
Since then, we’ve helped many tech start-ups and Net Zero innovators shift behaviour, scale effectively, and deliver commercial results
Growth Guides is a small, sharp team that helps bold ideas succeed in the real world.
We’re a strategic growth and communications partner for organisations with big ambitions - from local authorities trialling clean tech to startups launching innovative new products.
Every project is led by co-founders Holly and Tony, who bring complementary skills in strategy, behaviour change, brand, and innovation. With a trusted network of specialists and collaborators, we scale as needed - but always stay hands-on, responsive, and focused on what really matters.
our story
We met at Lightfoot, a startup on a mission to reward better driving, where we built a marketing team from scratch and helped the company grow from 12 to over 70 people.
We launched a consumer product, landed national media coverage (including the BBC), won awards, and helped secure investment from BGF and the former CEO of Dyson.
That experience taught us two things: We thrive in the messy, exciting middle of innovation and growth - where the rules aren’t written yet, and clear thinking really matters. And great ideas often fail not because they’re flawed, but because they’re misunderstood, poorly timed or badly explained.
So, we started Growth Guides to help more pioneering teams turn good ideas into real-world success.
Since then, we’ve supported public sector pilots, private-sector launches and third-sector campaigns, all focused on helping good things catch on faster.
Whether it’s encouraging heat pump adoption, shifting public attitudes around drink spiking, or helping transformative products reach the right audience, we stay closely involved every step of the way.
tony harbron
Tony is a seasoned strategist and innovation specialist with an MBA and over 30 years' experience building, launching and accelerating new ideas, from global brands to local trials.
He was the Marketing Director of Red Bull during its successful UK launch, and has since advised organisations ranging from the BBC and Ofcom to local authorities and high-growth startups. He specialises in turning complex challenges into clear strategies, helping teams identify what matters most, and what to do about it.
Tony also leads our qualitative research work, designing and running in-depth insight projects to understand what people really think, feel and do. He is a member of the Market Research Society, and brings a sharp analytical lens to every project, ensuring strategies are grounded in real-world behaviour, not assumptions.
With a background spanning both client-side and agency roles, Tony brings insight, pace and pragmatism to innovation projects - from behaviour change campaigns to new product development, digital tools and funding trials.
Holly Whitehead
Holly brings original thinking and strategic clarity to complex, fast-moving projects - especially when behaviour change is involved. She’s known for questioning assumptions, spotting potential pitfalls early, and helping teams rethink the obvious in pursuit of what actually works.
She approaches every challenge from first principles, quickly working out where the real problems lie and what needs to happen next. Whether the goal is to shift public perception, build trust in emerging tech or drive adoption of a new product, Holly combines lateral thinking with clear-headed pragmatism to move things forward.
Her background spans early-stage startups, public sector innovation trials and high-growth brands. She has particular expertise in projects that need to engage mainstream audiences with unfamiliar ideas - whether that’s emerging technology, new business models or low-carbon ways of living.
She brings adaptability, insight and a willingness to challenge the status quo, helping organisations avoid pitfalls, rethink assumptions, and find more effective ways forward.
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