Zebra Growth, the Edinburgh-based regenerative marketing consultancy, has launched a strategic three-year business plan with the appointment of an international board of advisors.

In a pivotal move for the company which helps purpose-driven organisations to grow while staying true to their mission, the firm has brought in six sustainable business leaders from around the world as it looks to build its authority within the regenerative business movement.

With a global client list, Zebra Growth has supported over 400 impact organisations and trained more than 2000 marketers around the world since being set up by Lee Fitzpatrick and Moh Al-Haifa five years ago and is now well positioned to further its influence in the sector.

Located in the UK, Europe, Africa and North America, the diverse mix of successful business people have all experienced the corporate world and now want to focus on purpose-led regeneration work.

Joining the advisory board are Edinburgh-based Simon Farrell, conscious brand strategist and former co-owner and managing director of award-winning Scottish design consultancy Tayburn; South African Ashanti Kunene, an art activist who founded the equity-focused consultancy Learning 2 Unlearn; Juho Makkonen, founder of Helsinki-based steward owned software company Sharetribe and systems builder Alisha Morris, who set up the consultancy Traumatized & THRIVING in Toronto. 

They are joined by Lisbon-based purpose-led advisor Anuradha Chugh – the former managing director of Ben & Jerry’s Europe and ex-chief executive of herbal tea brand Pukka Herbs – and impact investment specialist Jonathan Eade in Berlin.

Managing director Lee Fitzpatrick believes the board’s collective attributes demonstrate that the marketing industry can play an important role in the regenerative transition going forward.  

He said: “This board brings together visionary practitioners united by a shared commitment to shifting away from ‘business as usual’ and imagining a more balanced approach. 

Marketing has long been a tool that has been misused but through our work over the past five years I have seen the capacity for marketers to be stewards of positive change in creating a regenerative and fair future.”

He added: “Over the next three years, we will strengthen our consultancy, launch our education business model and raise aligned finance that safeguards our long-term sustainability. 

We want to be a prime example of how marketing can be done in a different way, and show that businesses which are focused on more than just endless profit, can still be successful.”

Commenting on his appointment, Simon Farrell said: “In my agency life I worked with big brands such as Heineken, Standard Life and Royal Bank of Scotland, and in 2017 I took that experience into a new direction, helping purpose-driven businesses harness brand and marketing as a powerful force for good.

I believe the future of business lies in creating genuine value for people and planet. That’s why I’ve been so inspired by what Lee, Moh and the Zebra Growth team are doing. 

They are pioneering a new approach where marketing becomes the engine of positive impact rather than a manipulative tactic to sell more stuff. I love the idea that marketing can be used to celebrate businesses that are bringing good into the world and amplifying their message to create ripple effects of change.”

He added: “The Zebra Growth board advisor team is a remarkable group of people and together I see there is real enthusiasm to make brand and marketing a transformative force for good. 

When you’re creating genuine, thoughtful value for people, marketing becomes a powerful tool for education and inspiration, helping people discover solutions that benefit both them and the world around them.

There are exciting times ahead. My goal is to support Zebra Growth embedding regenerative marketing principles into the DNA of everyday business and making this the new standard of business growth – woven into how every business naturally operates.”