Press release
Elemental Concept, the strategy and technology consultancy known for helping organisations focus on the things that matter, today announced a series of leadership appointments designed to support its growth plans following the 2025 acquisition of Purple Shirt, the New Zealand-based human-centred design and customer experience consultancy.
The changes bring together the leadership of both businesses under a single global structure, a year on from the acquisition and ahead of further expansion plans across the Asia-Pacific region.
Blake Lough, co-founder of Purple Shirt, will join the Elemental Concept group leadership team as Chief Experience Officer, taking global responsibility for the human-centred experience and design service line across both Elemental Concept and Purple Shirt.
Steve Alexander, co-founder of Purple Shirt, will become CEO of Asia-Pacific, overseeing operations and growth across the region for both businesses.
Both will continue to support their clients and team in New Zealand, whilst stepping into global roles across the wider business.
Supporting the transition, Chris Green will take on a global role as Head of Strategy and Innovation across Elemental Concept and Purple Shirt, and Kimberley Edgell will assume day-to-day oversight of Purple Shirt’s operations in New Zealand.
“I already knew Blake and Steve were excellent; that’s part of why we wanted to join forces in the first place. What’s impressed me since the acquisition is watching them do it up close, the way they think strategically but still get right into the detail of a client’s problem to find the real answer. These roles reflect the exact kind of leadership we need for our next stage of growth.”
“This feels less like a new role and more like a new name for the work I’ve been doing over the past year. My calendar now stretches a bit earlier and later to fit in with our overseas teams, but we’re just as focused as ever on delivering excellent service to our existing clients here in New Zealand. The part I can’t wait for is taking our expertise into new markets and solving new problems with a genuinely great bunch of people.”
“For our clients and team here in New Zealand, nothing changes about how we work, same people, same approach, same conversations, we’re just doing it as part of a bigger business now backed by the incredible technical talent of our global delivery teams. I’m excited about what happens when more of the world gets to see what this team can do.”
The appointments follow a year of integration work between the two businesses, including the development of a shared strategic framework and combined service offering. Elemental Concept has said further announcements regarding its expansion plans will follow in the coming weeks.
About Elemental Concept
Elemental Concept is a global strategy and tech consultancy founded in 2016, offering strategy, human-centred experience design, technology and engineering, and data, analytics and AI. Following its 2025 acquisition of Purple Shirt, Elemental Concept operates across the UK, New Zealand, India, Germany and Southeast Asia.
