InSites Consulting renamed as Human8

The rebrand will consist of a new logo, name, website, brand strategy and purpose, and is effective immediately.

The change in name will apply for all InSites Consulting brands except the boutique agency Space Doctors, acquired by the company in 2021, due to the relatively unique nature of its work within the company.

Future acquisitions will, as a general rule, also adopt the Human8 branding when they join the company.

The changes follow a recent reshuffle of the business’ senior management team, including moving Tom De Ruyck from managing partner to chief growth officer.

Regional managing directors Camille Nicita in the US, Magali Geens in Europe, Middle East and Africa and Maz Amirahmadi in Asia-Pacific will support De Ruyck in an executive committee as part of the new structure for the business.

Fiona McNae, managing director at Space Doctors, will also sit within the company’s executive committee.

The changes in the Human8 senior team followed the appointment late last year of Els De Paepe as chief people officer, taking over from Quentin Ashby, who moved to a role leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) for the business.

Speaking exclusively to Research Live, Kristof De Wulf (pictured), chief executive at Human8, said the decision to change name was not one the company took lightly, but that now was the right time for a change.

“If you look over the last five years, we have welcomed no less than nine different agencies to the group, each with their own strengths, specific character and DNA,” he explained.

“That is fantastic in terms of richness, diversity and perspectives, but also comes with challenges, complexity and the necessary integration to make sure we are delivering something to the market that is consistent, high-quality and simple enough for clients to absorb and understand. There was a need for simplicity and focus after five years of buy and build.”

He added the company had reached several key goals, including growing to a “decent size”, with an income of around €130m, and to be truly global in where the company operates.

“It is much more than a name change – it is a complete reinvention of who we are, who we want to be, what we want to establish and what we want to meet for clients,” De Wulf added.

“Clients have changed – it is not just us, it is the variety of competences and capabilities you need, the increasing role of activation and consultancy, and the importance of being global.”

De Wulf also set out why the name Human8 had been chosen, saying it was memorable, short and stands out, as well as reflecting the ‘human’ nature of the company’s work.

The eight in the title would also show that true human understanding only happens by taking multiple perspectives over a longer time frame, and De Wulf added that Human8 can also be interpreted as a verb (to ‘humanate’ or make human).

He said: “We are a global company, and so it needs to have meaning, simplicity and understandability across the globe and different cultures. We were looking for a name that expressed the strategy and the bigger goals – the North Star – we are after.

“The market has shifted from referring to humans as ‘shoppers’, ‘consumers’ and ‘buyers’ to simply ‘humans’ or ‘people’. We don’t shop or consume all of the time – most of the time we are just people.

“Everything we do starts from people. We are not a technology company: we use technology to connect, understand, work, learn and co-create with people. We wanted to make that clear and standout.”