Brian Lanahan

Senior Partner
brian.lanahan@finnpartners.com

Professional Experience

I like to dig beneath the surface of things to find the real story. The core truth hiding in the details. The real problem that needs to be solved. The idea that’s ready to emerge. I believe the role of business is to be a life-affirming force in the world, and I most enjoy helping brands find their place in that story. So far that’s lead to strategy and communication work with over 80 brands in technology, finance and consumer products. It’s also lead to side-hustle teaching roles at Presidio Graduate School and the University of Oregon exploring the intersection of strategy, marketing and sustainability.

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

How'd you get here?

I began my career at the Coca-Cola Company, where I spent eight years in brand management, strategic planning and new product development. This led to starting a brand consultancy called Character LLC that developed story frameworks for brands at clients like Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Frito-Lay, General Mills and Unilever. From there I tried my hand at several sustainable start-ups, most recently leading brand and marketing for Loop Energy, a zero-emission transportation company based in Vancouver BC, before joining AHA/FINN in 2017.

Articles by Brian