Meet the Humans Behind the Herd

Tom’s fascination with influence started with that Paris trip and spiralled into a longrunning obsession with recommendations, word of mouth, and how people really make decisions. Herdify grew out of that curiosity, shaped by a simple belief. People don’t decide in isolation. They copy, share, and reinforce each other’s behaviour, especially offline. Outside of work, Tom is usually outside. Parenting, mountain biking, windsurfing, or standing by a BBQ convincing himself this is the year he’s perfected it.

‍Best word of mouth recommendation: A local restaurant that looked dubious until the locals started arriving in Porsches. It turned out to be one of the best meals of his life.

For speaker enquires please contact: talent@theilluminari.com.

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Ed joined Herdify after a decade working across academia and industry, researching why people behave the way they do and how influence moves through cities, networks, and communities. His work has ranged from studying neighbourhood dynamics and disease spread to building data science solutions for large financial institutions. At Herdify, Ed designs and develops the models behind the platform, making sure complex behavioural science ends up as something marketers can actually use. When he’s not working, Ed is usually on a bike somewhere near Bristol, in the kitchen trying something new, or knee-deep in a home renovation project.

Best word of mouth recommendation: That Tinder was worth a try. The second date was with the woman he married eight years later.

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Tim Drye is a Board Member at Herdify, where he helps shape how behavioural science and network theory are applied to real-world marketing. He works closely with the team to evolve Herdify’s product and methodology, ensuring its approach to identifying offline word-of-mouth and influence clusters stays both scientifically robust and commercially useful. Tim brings a strong focus on turning emerging ideas into practical tools that help challenger brands grow by amplifying social proof and local advocacy.