Neil worked at Reading Scientific Services Ltd, part of the Cadbury Schweppes Group, from 1989 to 2000, working in product development and sensory and consumer research, latterly heading this function. He spent one full year in 1986 working in Schweppes Franchise Marketing in Eastern Europe as part of a Cadbury Schweppes management development program.
In 2000, Neil moved to Asia, initially based in Jakarta and heading AMI Indonesia’s research function, and then moving to Shanghai in 2004 to manage Synovate’s global innovation function for Asia Pacific. In 2009, he led a global company ‘Train the trainer’ initiative to build professional training skills within Synovate. In 2010, Neil moved to Singapore to set up TapestryWorks, helping clients decode people and culture and was an Associate Fellow of the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight hosted at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore from April 2015 to June 2018.
Psychology of sustainable consumption; cross-cultural differences; behaviour change and sustainability
GS206 Visual Methods for Social Analysis (contributor)
GS490 Cultural and Organisational Intelligence
GS490 Senior Project 1 Track 1 – Social Innovation Project
GS491 Senior Project 2 Track 1 – Social Innovation Project
GS621 Seminar on Social Innovation and Sustainability
GS741 Research Methods (contributor)
GS743 Introduction to Philosophy of Social Science (contributor)
GS752 Behavioural Economics for Sustainability
SPD318 Strategic Communication for Social Change (contributor)
- Gains, N. and Ho, X-N.T. (2023) Do plant-based food products communicate sustainability? A case study of brand meanings in Thailand. NIDA Case Journal (submitted).
- Truong, N., Christopoulos, G., Hong, Y-Y, and Gains, N. (2021) A Flower is a Flower? The Effect of Implicit Theories of Beauty on Appearance-related Social Pressure and Cosmetic Consumption. PNAS (submitted).
- Faust, N., Lim, L., Gains, N. and Christopoulos, G. (2018) Fixed or Malleable: The Role of Implicit Theories in the Domain of Beauty. 2018 Global Marketing Conference at Tokyo Proceedings, 705-706 (July 2018).
- Gains, N. (2017) “The rhythm and rhyme of brand success: using sound to build the sense, symbol and story of your brand” in Audio Branding: Using sound to build your brand by Laurence Minsky and Colleen Fahey. London: Kogan Page.
- Gains, N. (2013) Brand esSense: Using Sense, Symbol and Story to Design Brand Identity. London: Kogan Page.
- Gains, N. (2011) “Using empathy and narrative to ignite research” in Leading Edge Marketing Research edited by B. Kaden, G. Linda and M. Prince, pp 273-286. Los Angeles: Sage.
- Gains, N. (1994). “The repertory grid approach” in Measurement of Food Preferences, edited by H.J.H. MacFie and D.M.H. Thomson, pp 51-76. Oxford: Blackie Academic & Professional.
- Gains, N. and Thomson, D.M.H. (1990) Sensory evaluation of canned lager beers using consumers in their own homes. Food Quality and Preference, 2, 39-47.
- Gains, N. and Thomson, D.M.H. (1990) The relation of repertory grid generalized Procrustes analysis solutions to the dimensions of perception: Application to Munsell color stimuli. Journal of Sensory Studies, 5, 177-92.
- Gains, N and Thomson, D.M.H. (1990) Contextual evaluation of canned lagers using repertory grid method. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 25, 699-705.
- Scriven, F.M., Gains, N., Green, S.R., and Thomson, D.M.H. (1989) A contextual evaluation of alcoholic beverages using the repertory grid method. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 24, 173-82.
- Gains, N. Krzanowski, W.J., and Thomson D.M.H. (1988) A comparison of variable reduction techniques in an attitudinal investigation of meat products. Journal of Sensory Studies, 3, 37-48.
- McFarlane, D. and Gains, N. (2019). Emojis and stickers in Thailand – universal meaning or private language? Digital Transaction in Asia III. Monash Malaysia.
- Faust, N., Lim, L., Gains, N. and Christopoulos, G. (2018) Fixed or Malleable: The Role of Implicit Theories in the Domain of Beauty. 2018 Global Marketing Conference at Tokyo Proceedings, 705-706 (July 2018).
- Chartered Member of the Market Research Society (CMRS)
- Certified Member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists (GAABS)
| PH.D. | DEPT OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF READING, UK | 1989 |
| B.A. (HONS) IN ARTS & HUMANITIES, MAJOR SUBJECTS STUDIED: MUSIC, LITERATURE, HISTORY | OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK | 1997 |
| B.SC. (HONS) IN MATHEMATICAL STUDIES, MAJOR SUBJECT STUDIED: STATISTICS | SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS, UNIVERSITY OF BATH, UK | 1986 |