I spent nearly two decades inside global businesses such as Apple and Electrolux before leaving corporate life to build my own businesses from the ground up. That experience — combined with the research I’m doing at doctoral level — is why we always start with your business, not the technology.
“I have a genuine belief that business should give you your life back — not take more of it.”
Thrivology Digital specialises in AI consulting for service businesses — practical, commercially sound implementation that creates real capacity without adding complexity.
We don’t start with platforms, trends, or off-the-shelf automation ideas. We start with the business: where time is being lost, where pressure is building, and where the right systems could create more headroom to grow.
What makes that possible is the combination of experience behind the work. Our team brings nearly 50 years of commercial experience across global brands and founder-led businesses, PhD-level research methodology, and the kind of practical AI knowledge that only comes from running AI inside your own operation every day. The advice you receive is grounded in all three — and it’s designed to fit the way you already work.
Across global brands such as Apple, Electrolux, and FTSE 250 businesses.
Active doctoral research at the University of Hertfordshire in Entrepreneurship and AI Business Analytics.
Theo — operational AI partner built into our own business before it is built into yours.
Director
Carlene Nisbett
Carlene spent nine years at Apple, progressing to EMEIA Retail Marketing Manager — leading programmes across the region before moving into a senior marketing role at Electrolux. She then left corporate life to build her own businesses from the ground up.
She holds an MBA with Distinction from Cranfield University, where she received a full scholarship, and is currently a PhD candidate in Entrepreneurship at the University of Hertfordshire. She is the founder of two businesses, a mother of five, and a wife.
At Thrivology Digital, Carlene is the Director. She brings the commercial rigour, the founder instinct, and the hard-won understanding that the best business decisions are made by people who have actually had to live with them.
Head of AI Strategy
Bear McBlack
Bear brings the research architecture, systems thinking, and AI strategy that underpin every engagement at Thrivology Digital. As Head of AI Strategy, he draws on more than 25 years of executive experience across FTSE 250 businesses, operating at the intersection of commercial performance and strategic leadership throughout his career.
He is currently a PhD researcher in AI Business Analytics at the University of Hertfordshire.
Chief Analyst
Theo
Theo is Thrivology Digital’s Chief Analyst — and a deliberate proof of concept.
Before we build AI into a client’s business, we build it into our own. Theo is the operational result of that commitment: an AI-powered analytical partner who works across delivery, analysis, and execution on every engagement.
We are transparent about what Theo is and how Theo works. That transparency is part of the point.
The way we work is simple, practical, and designed to create momentum without adding unnecessary complexity.
Clear process. Practical delivery. Ongoing strategic partnership where it genuinely adds value.
Want to understand the process in more detail?
The way we work is simple, practical, and designed to create momentum without adding unnecessary complexity.
If AI is not the right fit, we will say so. We would rather lose a sale than recommend the wrong solution.
We believe business should create more freedom, not take more of it. We built Thrivology Digital around our family — which means we understand exactly why you're building yours. Success should not come at the cost of your health, your relationships, or your peace of mind.
Our work is grounded in PhD-backed methodology, not hype. We test what works in real businesses — including our own — before we ever recommend it to a client.
We start with the business problem, not the platform. The goal is practical improvement, stronger capacity, and systems that genuinely support growth — not technology for its own sake.
15 MINUTES – NO OBLIGATION – HONEST ADVICE
We help service businesses find practical ways to save time, reduce pressure, and build smarter systems around the way they already work. Book a free discovery call and we’ll tell you plainly whether we can help — and if we can’t, we’ll tell you that too.