Dr. Christian Scheier is one of the few neuropsychologists worldwide who combines science and practical competence in marketing consultation. After a scientific career at the renowned California Institute of Technology and the successful development of an agency for marketing research, he founded DECODE Marketingberatung GmbH together with Dr. Dirk Held.

Dr Dirk Held, along with Dr Christian Scheier, is the co-founder and joint CEO of DECODE marketing consultancy. He is one of the leading experts in translating scientific findings into actual marketing practice. He is the author of several bestselling books on the topic of neuromarketing, and he advises international brands on how to optimise their marketing activities. Dr Held has a degree in psychology, an MBA and his PhD in behavioural economics was about the influence of brands on purchasing decisions.

Dr Björn Held did his PhD in the field of Cognitive Psychology. After post-doctoral work on unconscious control mechanisms at the University of London, he applied his scientific expertise to Marketing practice by joining Unilever as a behavioural scientist. Working in England and Germany, he developed the first implicit testing methods to be applied successfully to consumer research. Bjorn worked for Beiersdorf AG from 2005 to 2011, including four years as Head of Market Research for Germany.

Dr. Martin Scarabis has been a partner at DECODE since 2007. Prior to this, he spent more than 10 years researching and teaching Psychology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster. His scientific research focussed on the analysis of cognitive and motivational drivers of human decision-making. Over the past 15 years, Martin Scarabis has advised numerous international clients on marketing strategy issues and the development of specific initiatives. His expertise in practical marketing paired with a scientific foundation is valued by companies in B2C and B2B alike.

Johannes Schneider has been working at DECODE since 2008, applying his in-depth knowledge to develop strategies and translate them into codes for products, brands and communication for national and international clients. Previous stations were the network advertising agencies BBDO, JWT, Publicis and Y&R, for which he developed brand and positioning strategies as Planning Director and thus laid the foundation for successful advertising campaigns. Due to this expertise and his many years of extensive experience, the psychologist and expert in morphological market and media impact research is one of the most respected brand strategists in Germany.
In addition to his practical work, Johannes Schneider is also active in the academic world. He has lectured at the Institute of Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, taught neuromarketing at the renowned Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and regularly leads innovation seminars as a certified Design Thinking Coach at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI). He is also co-author of the standard work "Codes - The Secret Language of Products".

Marc Heimeier is an expert on Brand Equity Management and a passionate 'neuro-marketeer'. Based on his 20-years experience at Henkel he knows all the daily challenges that a marketeer faces. As a pioneer, he introduced principles of neuropsychology to Henkel in 2007. He has used the DECODE Brandcode Management process for brands such as Persil, Spee and Perwoll with international success. Since the beginning of 2016 Marc has been sharing his knowledge and experience in consultancy projects with clients of DECODE.

Ulf Wentzien is a passionate Marketing Executive with over 30 years of experience in Marketing & Sales. In his role as CMO in DAX30 companies he was responsible for global growth as well as the development of new brands and business ideas. He is one of the very few Marketeers who have extensive hands on expertise both in B2C and B2B. In May 2021, he joined DECODE as a partner.

Phil Barden is a proven marketer offering over 25 years of client-side experience, including senior and international roles at high profile companies such as Unilever, Diageo and T-Mobile. Fascinated by the insights from decision science and by the value these can bring to marketing, he quit his international brand director post in order to immerse himself in this new field. He is now one of very few experts to combine a practitioner's perspective with a profound knowledge of decision science, making him very much in demand among clients. Phil is a Fellow of The Marketing Society.

Miranda has over 25 years’ experience in brand planning, research and strategic communications in the advertising and media industries (BBC, Leo Burnett, KHBB, Ogilvy & Mather). She has a track record both in senior management positions in multinational agencies and as an entrepreneur building a brand from initial idea to multi-market distribution. Her deep interest in human behaviour and consumer decision-making led her back to formal academic studies to complement her skills in brand building and consumer insight with an MSc ) in Psychology.

Dr. Nick Carnagey combines his behavioral science and business expertise to help clients grow their brands through leveraging the latest decision science insights. After a successful academic career in social-cognitive psychology, he transitioned into the business world by joining P&G and spent five years in brand managing roles.

Dr. Carnagey then joined the Behavioral Science Innovation Group and became a thought leader in growing brands through implementing behavioral insights science into day to day practice. He came to work with DECODE Marketing in this P&G role while exploring which external agencies had the best-in-class solutions in behavioral science application. He has been in charge of DECODE’s US office since October 2015.

Greetje Baden has been part of our Project Management team since 2018. With a Master of Arts in Sociology and Social Research with a methodological focus, she has a deep understanding of complex interrelationships. As Senior Project Manager, she provides support primarily in questionnaire programming and data analysis and is our expert for internal programming and analysis tools.

Willi Fiebranz has been a permanent member of the team since 2011 and has played a key role in developing the Data Science department ever since. In his master's degree in psychology, he focused on social psychology, neuroscience and statistical methods. At DECODE, he concentrates primarily on automation, programming tools and interfaces for data processing and method consultation. He is particularly involved in the development of new analyses, algorithms and fully integrated data processing systems, which he plays a key role in designing and developing as a system architect.

Alicia Frank joined the project management team at DECODE in April 2023. She supports the successful implementation of national and international projects from a wide range of industries. She completed her bachelor's degree in sociology at the University of Marburg, specialising in social research methods, development studies, social structure analysis and gender studies.

Evi Gräßler has been working for the company since 2017 and supports the project management team as a project manager in the realisation of national and international projects in the sectors of telecommunications and FMCG. During her studies, the sociologist focussed on data analysis.

Anne Harloff supports two teams with her many years of expertise. As Senior Project Manager at DECODE, she has been managing national and international projects in the FMCG sector since 2017 and passes this practical knowledge on to the Data Processing & Automation team. She therefore acts as an important interface in the development of new processes and tools.
The sociologist studied at Bielefeld University and Malmö University. Her previous positions include: Allianz (Insurance & Finance), Gruner+Jahr (Media Research) and Tchibo (Consumer Insights)

Dr Anne Jessen has been part of the DECODE team since 2014. During her studies and subsequent PhD at the University of Heidelberg, the economist focussed on survey research methods. As a (senior) project manager at DECODE, she was initially responsible for the successful programming, implementation and evaluation of national and international market research projects.

Over time, her area of responsibility and interest increasingly expanded into the field of human resources. As People & Culture Manager, she has been fully responsible for HR and corporate culture since 2023. Training as a psychological counsellor and a current certificate course in HR Management at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg complete her profile.

She is qualified as a trainer for the professions of market and social research specialist in accordance with AEVO.

Eva-Maria Kolb is a member of the Research & Innovation Unit at DECODE, where she is responsible for the implementation of international research projects using neuropsychological measurement methods. She is also jointly responsible for the development of new study designs based on current research findings. As a social scientist she has many years of experience in the field of data-driven research and project work. She graduated from the University of Siegen, where she conducted research in the fields of voting decisions and network theory, decision-making and leadership.

Antje Limberg has been part of our team since 2013 and supports us with her expertise in supplier management, particularly with field enquiries and quotation calculations. In addition to these core areas, she takes on a wide range of administrative tasks that contribute to the smooth running of projects.
With her training as an industrial clerk and a degree in business law from the University of Lüneburg, she combines sound commercial knowledge with legal expertise.

Juliane Matussek has been an integral part of the DECODE team since 2012 and has been a key driver in the establishment and development of DECODE's Research & Innovation Unit ever since. She develops research approaches, products and processes to ensure continuous added value for DECODE stakeholders.
The sociologist has been working successfully in the field of data-based marketing consulting for over 20 years, specialising in brand communication and strategy.

Jan-Phillip Meier has been a Senior Research Consultant at DECODE since 2024.
He discovered his passion for marketing, data and insights during his bachelor's degree in Sports and Event Management. He further gained his first professional experience as a working student at the sports agency Sportfive before completing his master's in Corporate Management and gaining further experience in marketing, for example in a media agency and in the online marketing department of Otto.
After graduating, he began his career in communications research at Ipsos and has been enriching the team with his expertise and experience since joining DECODE.

Darren Meineke joined the project management team as a Junior Project Manager in November 2023, contributing his many years of research experience in an academic environment and his expertise in qualitative and quantitative survey methods.
The sociologist also has a keen interest in process optimisation and automation.

Julia Mücke has been part of the team since 2016 and currently works as a Senior Project Manager at DECODE. With her extensive experience in managing international FMCG and telecommunications studies, in particular multi-country studies and tracking, the sociologist makes a significant contribution to the success of our projects. She is responsible for programming, analysing and communicating with all stakeholders.
She also has a strong interest in process optimisation and automation, which she incorporates into her work in a targeted manner.

Nicklas Nagel has been part of the DECODE team as Junior Project Manager since January 2025. After successfully completing his master's degree in business psychology with a focus on marketing in Heide, he has extensive expertise in the fields of data analysis and market research.

During his studies, he discovered his passion for data-driven analysis and in-depth insights into consumer behavior through internships in market research - an interest that he is now pursuing professionally at DECODE. His focus is on working with numbers, precise analysis and developing data-based solutions for challenging projects.

With his commitment and analytical approach, he supports the team in national and international projects and makes a significant contribution to gaining valuable insights for our clients.

Marketing communications specialist Julia Richter has been supporting the Research & Innovation team since 2016 and, as a senior research consultant, is responsible for conducting national and international research projects using neuropsychological measurement methods. She has many years of experience in market research in various industries, such as telecommunications, FMCG and gambling. Before joining DECODE, she worked for IPSOS (Hamburg) and ran her own bookshop for several years.

Matthias Roggmann holds a B.A. in Socioeconomics from the University of Hamburg and an M.A. in Applied Economics and Social Development from National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. Matthias has a keen interest in econometrics, data analysis and data visualization. He has enhanced his skills through internships at Ipsos and teaching positions in econometrics. With previous analytical experiences in market research and public transportation, Matthias has been contributing his expertise to DECODE since October 2023, especially in developing user-friendly reports using Power BI.

Sebastian Rose has been a Junior Research Consultant in the Research & Innovation team since September 2023. He completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees in business psychology with a specialist focus on marketing strategy. He uses this knowledge at DECODE to successfully support senior consultants in various local and international projects. He is also involved in the development of new tools and services that promise new and innovative insights into consumer behavior.

Silke Schade was one of the first employees to join the DECODE team in 2009.
The sociologist has over a decade of experience in managing tracking studies as well as complex ad hoc projects. By programming customised VBA macros in various applications, she focused from the outset on relieving the project team of routine tasks and optimising processes.
Since 2020, she has been responsible for developing reporting dashboards for our customers as well as for internal stakeholders. She has built up a small, agile team for this purpose. In addition to the focus on data visualisation, she is particularly keen to continuously familiarise her team with new technologies and tools and to actively pass on this knowledge to other teams.

Dominic Söder has been an integral part of the DECODE team since 2012. He leads the project team responsible for the technical implementation of market research projects, including programming and data analysis. With a background in sociology, political science and cultural studies, which he studied in Kiel, he brings in-depth expertise and practical experience from an internship in the market research department of Der Spiegel. He is particularly interested in developing new methods and enriches the team with innovative approaches.

Elena Sprogies has been part of the Research & Innovation team at DECODE since 2020. As a Senior Research Consultant, she successfully manages national and international projects with a clear focus on the development and implementation of data-based brand strategies. With decades of experience in market research and strategic consulting, the sociology graduate has been helping companies make informed decisions based on in-depth insights since 2006. Her professional career has taken her to Icon Added Value and Dr von Keitz in Hamburg, where she gained valuable expertise in brand management and consumer research.

Jasmin Straube has been supporting DECODE in the area of charting since April 2023. After studying sociology and political science in Hamburg, she specialised in working with data and had already gained extensive experience with various aspects of market research in traditional market research institutes before joining DECODE. At DECODE, she organises the charting and acts as an interface between the research team and the charters.

After successfully completing her Bachelor's degree in Political Science at the University of Hamburg, Leonie von Haeseler joined implicit diagnostics & solutions GmbH in 2015, which merged with DECODE Marketingberatung in 2023. She has a strong interest in new methods and techniques for data collection, modelling and presentation, especially in the context of social data. She supports the team Data Processing & Automation​ by overseeing the entire lifecycle of Power BI reports, ensuring that they meet stakeholder requirements while ensuring quality and accuracy.

Florian Weinert has been a permanent member of the DECODE team since 2010 and, as a business psychology graduate (FH), trained at Leuphana University and the Institute for Integrated Learning in Management in New Delhi, brings valuable expertise to the team. With a particular interest in social and consumer psychology, implicit methods and statistics, he drives the development and management of tools for data collection and analysis.
With his ability to grasp complex interrelationships and translate them into practical solutions, he contributes to the standardisation and optimisation of processes and thus significantly increases efficiency in projects.

Lisa Wolf has been a valued member of the project management team since 2017 and is therefore jointly responsible for the implementation of ad-hoc projects at DECODE. Her work focuses on the programming of questionnaires, data preparation and data analysis, among other things.
The sociologist studied at the University of Mainz and Vienna and gained her first professional experience in the field of market research at the market research institute ifak in Taunusstein.
In her professional career, she has worked with a wide range of clients from different sectors - from start-ups to multinational corporations. This experience has given her a broad knowledge of different market research methods and techniques.

As a graduate in sociology with a focus on data analysis, Xiaowen Zeng has been part of the DECODE team since September 2023. As Junior Research Consultant, she is responsible for the implementation and support of national and international projects.
In addition to her interest in psychology and sociology, she also took courses in economics and marketing during her master's degree. At the same time, she gained practical experience during an internship in the marketing department of a company and thus brings innovative impulses for gaining knowledge about consumer behavior.ehavior.

Yvonne Zieger joined the DECODE project management team in March 2024, bringing with her three years of experience as a research consultant in a full-service market research institute. Yvonne holds a Master of Arts in Sociology with a focus on sociological methods and is passionate about combining her deep understanding of data with her insights into her clients' business issues, especially the FMCG sector.

Emily Panek has been working as a working student since April 2023 and in this position supports all teams in the successful implementation of implicit market research projects.
The psychologist (B.Sc.) is currently studying for a Master's degree in Psychology and Neuroscience at Bielefeld University. She is interested in human decision-making and how behaviour can be influenced by external factors.

Mohamed Lukman Sulivani has been a working student since April 2023 and in this position supports all teams in the successful implementation of market research projects. He completed his B.Arts in Sociology with a focus on Economic and Social Psychology at the Georg-August-University Göttingen and is currently studying for a Master's degree in Sociology. He is interested in political sociology, negotiation research in business psychology and group dynamics in social psychology.

Gnanashri Kota Venkatesh has been a working student since May 2023 and in this position she is supporting DECODE's data science team in the development of internal software tools. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Information Science and is currently pursuing her M.Sc. in Data and Knowledge Engineering at the Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg.
Her professional interests lies in machine learning & AI, end to end data analysis and data visualization.