Adam Gottlich is an award-winning behavioural scientist, executive leader, and lecturer specializing in applying behavioural science to commercial strategy, product innovation, and customer decision-making in financial services. With nearly a decade of leadership experience across banking, insurance, and consulting, he is known for translating behavioural insights into measurable business outcomes. He previously served as Executive Head of Behavioural Science and Innovation at Standard Bank Group, where he built the bank’s behavioural science capability across nine African markets and led more than 300 behavioural experiments across digital products, insurance, investments, and customer journeys.
Adam is the founder of Nudge Labs and lectures on behavioural economics at Henley Business School, South Africa. He holds a Master’s degree (cum laude) in Economic and Consumer Psychology from Leiden University and is a two-time Overall Winner of the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists (GAABS) awards.
In an exclusive conversation with Higher Education Digest, Adam talks about his journey into behavioural economics and how his interest in human decision-making shaped his work across banking, consulting, and academia. He discusses the real-world impact of behavioural science in improving customer experiences and organisational decision environments, while also reflecting on the growing complexity facing higher education today.
Your career sits at the intersection of behavioural economics and applied consulting. What initially drew you to this field, and what have been the defining milestones in your journey so far?
From early on, I was fascinated by people and how they make decisions. This interest led me to study psychology and neuroscience at the University of the Witwatersrand, where I discovered behavioural economics through the work of authors such as Richard Thaler and Dan Ariely.
Because the field was still developing in South Africa, I pursued a master’s degree in Economic and Consumer Psychology in the Netherlands, where I deepened my understanding of the behavioural drivers behind decision-making.
After returning to South Africa, I joined Standard Bank and helped build behavioural science capability across the organisation, eventually serving as Executive Head of Behavioural Science across multiple markets in Africa. During that time I also became one of the youngest executives in the group and received the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists’ overall award twice.
Alongside this work, I began teaching behavioural science through Henley Business School, helping professionals across South Africa apply behavioural insights to real organisational challenges.
As Director of Nudge Labs South Africa, what are some of the most impactful projects you’ve led, and what measurable changes did they bring to organizations?
Across my career, I have worked on behavioural science projects across Africa, North America, and Europe. The most impactful work is often not the most complex, but where a small behavioural insight creates measurable value.
In one insurance contact centre, high error rates were traced not to training but to the environment. Consultants seated near speakers playing lyrical music made more errors because competing language inputs interfered with complex conversations. Replacing the music with instrumental tracks reduced errors by 91 percent, saving around R5 million annually.
In another case, we examined Net Promoter Score data and found that customers rating experiences eight and nine often expressed very similar feedback. By redesigning the scale with colour-coded cues, we increased the organisation’s NPS by 22 percent without changing the service itself, demonstrating how measurement design can shape outcomes.
A third project involved a digital banking feature allowing debit order reversals, which unintentionally led customers to cancel insurance policies. By introducing a small amount of friction that clearly explained the consequences, we significantly reduced cancellations and preserved an estimated R100 million in annual value.
These examples highlight a key principle of behavioural science: meaningful impact often comes from small, well-designed interventions that improve real decision environments.
From your perspective at Henley Business School, what are the biggest challenges currently facing higher education, particularly in preparing leaders for an increasingly complex world?
One of the biggest challenges facing higher education today is the growing complexity of the learners themselves. Many students are mid-career professionals balancing demanding roles, personal responsibilities, and academic commitments, meaning education can no longer assume a uniform learning environment.
One opportunity is using behavioural data and diagnostics to better understand learners upfront. In my work, I developed the Behavioural Learning Profile, a psychometric tool that assesses traits such as adaptability, resilience, learning orientation, and decision-making style. The goal is not to label individuals, but to create more personalised learning journeys that build on strengths and support development.
At the same time, programmes must recognise the realities of professionals returning to study after years away from formal education while managing demanding careers. Institutions like Henley place strong emphasis on designing learning experiences that respect this context while maintaining academic rigour.
More broadly, leaders today face overwhelming complexity and information. Higher education, therefore, plays an important role in helping individuals filter that noise and develop clearer frameworks for better decision-making.
Behavioural economics is deeply connected to decision-making. How do you see AI and emerging technologies reshaping the way we understand and influence human behaviour in business and education?
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we understand and influence human behaviour, representing the next evolution of choice architecture. Behavioural science has long shown that decisions are shaped by context, and AI is becoming a powerful part of that environment.
Through what is sometimes called the “extended mind,” individuals increasingly outsource elements of cognition to systems such as large language models. This expands access to knowledge and insight, but it also creates tension in education, where deep learning requires active engagement. The challenge for institutions is ensuring AI augments curiosity and critical thinking rather than replacing them.
In business, AI enables behavioural science to operate at scale through real-time personalisation of decision environments. Platforms can adapt prompts, options, or interfaces based on behavioural signals, helping individuals make more deliberate choices.
As organisations move toward adaptive behavioural ecosystems powered by AI, ethical responsibility becomes critical. These technologies should support better decisions, not exploit behavioural vulnerabilities. When used responsibly, AI has the potential to deepen our understanding of behaviour and improve decision-making.
Leadership today requires both analytical rigour and emotional intelligence. How do you define effective leadership in the context of behavioural science?
In the context of behavioural science, effective leadership begins with understanding people. Individuals are motivated by autonomy, achievement, purpose, and recognition, and leaders need to create environments where people feel trusted, supported, and able to contribute meaningfully.
A principle that has shaped my approach is “paying it forward.” Leadership is not about hoarding opportunities but about creating them for others. Throughout my career, I have tried to ensure that the opportunities I received are extended to those around me.
Behavioural science also reminds us that people make decisions through heuristics, biases, and context. Effective leadership, therefore, requires understanding individual differences and moving away from a one-size-fits-all management style. Leaders must design environments and cultures that encourage the right behaviours and allow different people to perform at their best.
At the same time, strong leadership balances autonomy with support. People perform best when they are trusted to take ownership of their work while knowing their leader will advocate for them and hold them accountable when necessary. Cognitive diversity is equally important. Teams that include different perspectives and ways of thinking ultimately make better decisions and create stronger outcomes.
Outside your professional roles, what personal values or interests most strongly influence the way you approach your work and leadership responsibilities?
Several personal values shape how I approach my work and leadership. One of the most important is my commitment to sport and exercise. Training has taught me two key principles: progressive overload and consistency. Improvement comes from pushing beyond what is comfortable and showing up repeatedly over time. I apply the same mindset professionally by continually stretching my thinking and maintaining high standards in how I work and lead.
My love of football has also influenced my thinking, particularly around the human need for belonging and shared identity. People are naturally drawn to communities that give them a sense of connection and purpose, and I try to cultivate that same sense of unity in professional environments, often bringing people together around a shared interest in behavioural science.
Respect and empathy are equally important. I believe people should be treated as capable adults who deserve trust and support. Leadership is about creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to do their best work while maintaining strong standards of accountability.
Finally, reading fantasy literature helps keep my thinking creative and open. Authors who build entirely new worlds challenge conventional thinking and encourage curiosity. Together, these influences shape a leadership approach grounded in discipline, collaboration, respect, and creativity.
What advice would you offer to students and young professionals who want to build careers at the intersection of academia, consulting, and behavioural science?
For students and young professionals pursuing careers in behavioural science, one of the most important lessons is the value of relationships. Early in my career, I invested a great deal of time meeting people over coffee, simply to understand how organisations work and build trust. Professional environments ultimately run on relationships, and strong ones create opportunities for collaboration, insight, and growth. They also require reciprocity and genuine contribution.
It is also important to become comfortable with failure. Behavioural science relies on experimentation, and not every intervention will work. What matters is approaching outcomes with curiosity, learning from what did not work, and improving the next iteration. Being transparent about failures can also build credibility and trust.
Finally, find your area of strength within the field. Behavioural science spans many disciplines, and individuals contribute in different ways, whether through experimental design, communication, or creative intervention design. Developing a clear “superpower” and investing deeply in it helps build both expertise and a distinctive professional identity.