With a team approaching 400 specialists, we deliver meaningful transformation by combining data-informed evidence, human-centred design and engineering to support organisations like yours to scale digital delivery and upskill internal teams.

Founded in 2016, we’ve done this for nearly a decade with some of the world’s fastest-growing and most recognisable organisations, each relying on us to drive their digital ambitions from concept to reality and beyond.

In 2023, we acquired Leeds-based data consultancy, The Data Shed, widening our data offering and enabling us to deliver meaningful transformation for customers on a bigger scale.

Located in offices throughout the UK, our expert teams - working across design, engineering, data, and agile product - can support you every step of the way to deliver high-quality digital projects and the processes and people you’ll need to grow and sustain them.

400
Consultants, experts and staff
6
locations in the UK

At Hippo, we believe that delivering user-centric experiences in large-scale Agile projects is not just a matter of design but a holistic approach that encompasses every aspect of delivery. This approach was born from the visionary thinking of our co-founders, Adam Lewis and Robert Coop.

It all started back in 2011 when Adam was leading the delivery for an NHS project and needed to appoint a partner with User Experience skills (amongst others) that would deliver not only wireframes and concepts but also lead significant aspects of the project to ensure that the user’s needs were always at the forefront. Unfortunately, he found that many User Experience companies were used to working in a way that required the hand-off of the delivery aspect to third-party engineering firms, which went against the principles of Agile delivery, which advocates integrated, multidisciplinary teams.

After failing to find that partner, Adam needed to build his own internal capability, integrating capabilities from several suppliers. Rob was brought in to lead the Experience Design work. Fast forward to 2016, when they successfully delivered the Identity and Access Management service. The Government Digital Service released the Service Standard mandating agile and user-centred design for all public-facing government projects. They both knew from there that what they could offer would be in massive demand, and they could do it better and with more transparency than a lot of other companies. And that was the birth of Hippo.

  1. Selfless

    We put the team, client and service ahead of our ambitions. We define ourselves by the success we provide to organisations and their users and don't worry about who gets the credit. We share information, knowledge and experience to help each other grow.

  2. Ambitious

    We want to challenge ourselves, be the best we can, take on big change and transformation programmes, address significant problems, grow and have a positive impact, and be the most innovative, human-centred, and inclusive consultancy in the UK.

  3. Human

    People are at the centre of everything we do, whether we're delivering solutions for the public, our clients or supporting each other as Hippos. We treat others how we would like to be treated ourselves and take pride in upholding Hippo's reputation. While working collaboratively in pursuit of a common goal.

  4. Pragmatic

    At Hippo, we are pragmatic, not dogmatic. We are lean, agile, user-centred and delivery-focused. Our evidence-based approach is based on practical considerations, not theoretical or idealistic outcomes. We add value as quickly and effectively as possible, working within the constraints of the real world.

  5. Honest

    At Hippo, we believe that transparency builds trust. We insist on open, honest and direct communication with fellow Hippos and the organisations we work with. We cut through the noise and get to the heart of the problem. Our clients get honest answers to difficult questions.

  6. Fun

    We are a serious business that doesn't take itself too seriously. We work hard, maintain perspective and bring energy and pace to what we do. Enjoying how we do things and why we do them is critical in delivering outstanding results.

Rob and Adam were determined to find a name that was simple and memorable.

Their goal was to create a brand that was easily recognisable and made a lasting impression on everyone who came into contact with it.

Hippo was Rob's suggestion. Being connected to the iconic semiaquatic mammal gives us an immediate talking point, especially with all the hippo-related artwork around our offices. When people join us, they become a hippo and part of our herd, which reinforces our brand and makes us feel even more connected to our name.

While in real life, hippos have a reputation for being dangerous, they're also tenacious, and once they start moving, they develop huge momentum. These are both qualities which we as a company have demonstrated over the last seven years of working on some of the biggest and most interesting projects across the public and private sectors.

In the community

We support local charities and community initiatives in considering our impact on the community. We are doing our part to inspire young people to participate in our industry. We have also developed a Carbon Reduction Plan based on Hippo becoming a net-neutral business by 2025.
Read more about our CSR

Partnerships

Hippo works with organisations to build the capabilities required to transform and succeed in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Staying true to our human-centric approach, we work with partners to deliver end-to-end solutions meeting our customer’s specific needs.
Read more about Hippo partnerships