Our story

5hellos is the brainchild of Cnote, a customer strategy, design and research agency based in Amsterdam, trusted by brands like KLM, adidas and ING since 2006. At Cnote, our clients had lots of data, but we sorely missed a simple way to bring real human voices into projects.

So, we built 5hellos.

Now teams around the globe add the Power of Conversation to their work, enjoying significantly better outcomes.

That’s what we love.

Our team

Our core team of marketing, innovation, research & UX experts has been working together for years. We’re passionate about finding the “why” behind behaviour, and translating that into business success.

We bring a positive, always curious, can-do energy to every project.

 

Ellen Bark-Lindhout

Position: Strategy Director
Email: ellen@5hellos.com

Ellen combines an international background in marketing and innovation at Henkel, Sara Lee, and Heineken with venture-building experience as the founder of martech startup accelerator Collider—a perfect match to help innovate the future of market research with 5hellos.

Ellen also founded Stichting Long COVID to fund biomedical research. In her free time she can be found on a tennis court, golf course, or in a concerthall – ideally all in her favourite country Italy.

 

Veronique van Cruchten

Position: Client Director
Email: veronique@5hellos.com

With a background in strategy consulting at OC&C and Publicis, Veronique thrives at the intersection of structure and creativity. Together with Lea, she founded the CX agency Cnote. At 5hellos she brings clarity to every project as a coordinator and trusted advisor to clients.

Outside of work, you’ll likely find her on a bike, or enjoying live jazz, spotting new talent. Her latest find in NL: NYVE.

 

Nellie Kirschner-Timmer

Position: HR & Sessions Director
Email: nellie@5hellos.com

Nellie is passionate about people-centred solutions, drawing on a rich multicultural background and global experience. From her time at Heineken (Africa Foundation) to founding an NGO in Ghana that empowers children through education.

She’s also a true sports enthusiast, happily setting her alarm for F1, the Olympics, or a thrilling football match, wherever it’s happening in the world.

 

Lea Ward

Position: Research Director
Email: lea@5hellos.com

A native New Yorker living in Amsterdam, Lea started life as a banker, but quickly moved onto marketing at P&G. Since then, she has founded multiple companies: UX software firm Fredhopper, CX design agency Cnote and research platform 5hellos.

Most recent great read: Brotherless Nights by V.V. Ganeshananthan about the civil war in Sri Lanka – lots of parallels to today.

Tess van Logtestijn

Research Lead

 

Tess van Logtestijn

Position: Research Lead
Email: tess@5hellos.com

Tess brings a unique combination of knowledge from business economics and social psychology to 5hellos. An expert moderator and project lead, Tess trains our partner companies in the 5hellos method.

Tess is also the founder of the award-winning impact company Stamps – the app enables those  going through a difficult time to easily share updates with friends and family.

Alexander Zwaan

Research Manager

 

Alexander Zwaan

Position: Research Manager
Email: alexander@5hellos.com

Hailing from Zeeland, Alexander has worked in innovation and market research for 5+ years, leading projects for 5hellos. With a masters from Rotterdam in Innovation and A.I., he specialises in quantitative work at 5hellos, in combination with sessions.

And… he works remotely, enjoying the good life  in Valencia, Spain.

 

Jasmijn Bloemers

Position: Project Manager
Email: jasmijn@5hellos.com

Now based in Rotterdam and soon heading to Amsterdam, Jasmijn still holds London (which was once her home) as her all-time favorite city. With a Master’s in Strategic Management from Erasmus, Jasmijn blends analytical thinking with a love for people and purpose.

She is also a dedicated Rocycle and Pilates enthusiast and lifelong animal lover!

 

Jan Philippa

Position: Relations Development
Email: jan@5hellos.com

Jan is the senior of the company. At his best, he’s nurturing his network—through meaningful conversations (and increasingly, long walks) with people close to his heart. He never misses a chance to share the benefits of using 5hellos.

He also enjoys life with his wife Cia, children, and grandchildren. Dog Eefje helps him hit his daily goal of 20,000 steps. Feyenoord and Willem II bring joy—and sometimes a tear. Brabant, carnaval, and (still) the irresistible Beatles keep his world bright and full of life.

Ritu Mihir

Product Architect & Design Lead (USA)

 

Ritu Mihir

Position: Product Architect & Design Lead (USA)
Email: ritu@5hellos.com

Based in the Boston area (USA), Ritu has spent 20+ years in the world of product/service design and research. She worked with the team at 5hellos to design and build the platform, and was a UX research and design specialist at CNote from its beginnings, as well as a UX design consultant at Fredhopper.

In her (not so) spare time, Ritu breeds Vizslas, training them for bird hunting, and showing them at dog shows around the country. She is also developing a line of canine wellness products based on Ayurvedic and other holistic principles.

Isa Kooiman

Project Manager

 

Isa Kooiman

Position: Project Manager

Isa was born and raised in Rotterdam and loved it so much she still lives there. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Erasmus University. Positive, eager to learn and curious, she quickly tackles new challenges. In her free time she likes to travel, go surfing, play field hockey and yoga.

Join us!

Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions below.

  • Chief Commercial & Growth Officer

    An exceptional opportunity to unlock your full potential by helping build a high-growth market research venture. Includes profit sharing and a path toward a future CEO role.About usFounded in 2023, 5hellos is an innovative research product that enables companies to easily get powerful live input from target groups at scale, helping them to make better [...]

  • Project Manager

    Are you a highly organized talent with creative ideas who loves working in an energetic team? Then we’re looking for you! As a Project Manager at 5hellos, you’ll play a key role in organizing online research sessions and helping grow our community. It’s a flexible part-time job where you’ll not only learn a lot, [...]

  • Marketing / Sales Internship – social media

    Want to help grow an innovative scale-up that works with brands like Rituals, Unilever and ING to truly understand their customers?We’re on the lookout for a curious, hands-on intern (Bachelor’s or Master’s level) with a passion for marketing, communication, or business. Someone who is eager to learn, contribute, and grow in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial [...]