In this episode of Spikes Excitement Talks, Gordon chats with Elena  Taraskina Ohannessian, Head of Brand & Communication at Octopus Energy France. From Unilever to L'Oréal to co-founding her own branding agency, Elena’s journey is full of bold moves, emotional marketing, and plenty of unexpected turns.
She shares what it was like to go from being the “Queen of Meatballs” at Unilever—where consumer-centricity and rationality ruled—to the emotional universe of L’Oréal, where choosing the right flower for a product label could mean endless rounds of creative debate. Eventually, she left the world of cosmetics after six years of brainstorming new ways to say wrinkle without actually saying wrinkle.

That led to launching a branding agency with a former colleague—without a business plan, without pricing strategies, but with a whole lot of passion. From swimwear to caviar to price comparison platforms in the US, Russia, France, and the UAE, she threw herself into it all. One highlight? A three-day inspiration sprint with Future London Academy, learning from Duolingo, Monzo, and Pentagram—where a session on “coding in branding” turned out to be the most mind-blowing of all.

Elena also reflects on what makes Octopus Energy truly unique—from a culture where everyone does customer service to a bold brand identity featuring a pink octopus that customers genuinely love. It's where her past experience with consumer insight, emotional storytelling, and detail-obsession all come together.

She explains how true brand magic happens when consumer centricity meets the unexpected. And when asked about the future—what excites her most? Her answer: “The unknown.”

Tune in for a conversation full of insight, humour, and inspiration—from beauty aisles to tech-powered energy, with a whole lot of heart in between.