Here at Hello Lamp Post, we are proud to introduce our passionate and versatile team of tech trailblazers. We are all strongly committed to our ethos of humanising cities, bettering local democracy, and using tech to drive positive changes within communities, which is what Hello Lamp Post will always be about. As well as sharing a collective dedication and ambition, our team is built up of specialists in marketing, sales, project management, business strategy, design, and software engineering.
Meet the people driving our business.
Tiernan: CEO and Co-Founder
Where do you see Hello Lamp Post in 2025?
Helping communities make decisions in towns and cities, across multiple languages, in the corners of every global continent.
What trends are influencing Hello Lamp Post?
- Increased demand for democratic transparency.
- Growing public expectations around instant access to information.
- Rising global urban densities.
- Increased focus around the local community and shaping its future.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
A bench at the Whitehouse.
Ben: Co-Founder
Sum up Hello Lamp Post in three words.
Connecting with Place.
Where did the idea of Hello Lamp Post stem from?
We were exploring the different experiences citizens have in cities, and how the physical space itself could act as a geo-tagged record of those stories. We felt it would be interesting to bring together the furniture of a city into a network of inquisitive nodes wanting to learn from the people who lived there.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
I’ve always found post boxes the most fascinating. The idea of posting a letter held a lot of magic for me as a child.
Sam: Co-Founder
What is your creative process?
Interrogation and iteration. First, you need to know the problem that really needs solving. Then, to get original and harmonious aesthetic solutions, you need an extensive branching exploratory process. However with product and service designs it’s necessary to get a validated working solution as quickly as possible – in these cases, a quick end-user feedback loop and agile framework are key.
What inspires you as a designer?
Game studios, because their outputs are experiences – eliciting sensations, evoking emotions and creating challenges. Design disciplines must work together harmoniously – the artwork, user-experience, balancing and narrative framing – to make a whole greater than the sum of their parts.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
I would be a cafetiere. It’d be much quicker in the morning to get 8 cups of coffee inside me.
Louise: Head of Community Engagement
What exciting deployments are coming up for Hello Lamp Post?
At the moment we are working on projects to help the recovery, this includes anything from vaccine myth-busting to shop local campaigns. We are also seeing an increase in environmental projects, climate control and recycling for example, which is great to see.
What are Hello Lamp Post’s strongest USPs?
- Engagement held within specific locations.
- Interaction via text message on standard mobile phone (includes 98% of population).
- AI to facilitate question and answering.
- Ability to hold conversations in multiple languages.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
A statue of a dog asking the obvious question “Am I a good boy?”
Marcus: Head of Projects
Where would your ideal Hello Lamp Post deployment be?
Essex. I’ve always had a lot of fun explaining the concept to my grandparents, who despite their lack of technological knowledge, always understand the benefits it could bring to their community (the lovely town of Manningtree), and who would definitely be the first to give it a try.
How has Hello Lamp Post grown from when you first started?
We’ve been fortunate to have been part of two fantastic start-up accelerators, the tech for good programme at both Facebook and Microsoft UK, which allowed us to:
- Understand challenges we face as a growing business.
- Identify where the biggest opportunities for using the latest AI technologies lay.
- Develop new ways of communicating our role in empowering citizens within the local decision-making process and by making culture more accessible.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
A bike rack. I love cycling, so anything that improves life for those on two wheels gets a big thumbs up for me.
Mihai: Software Engineer
What is your greatest strength as an engineer?
I would say that’s my love of learning. As a software engineer, it’s very important to always be open to learn how to use new technologies but also keep up with updates related to your current tech stack.
Can you explain what features are available to clients on their personalised dashboard?
Clients can currently see an overview of their project location, including stats like the total number of conversations, interactions and users in a given time period. They can also see the top most interacted with objects, a map showing where these objects are situated, as well as some new AI-driven metrics such as daily sentiments.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
I think I’d be a (binary search) tree.
Francesca: Digital Marketing Executive
What does marketing for Hello Lamp Post look like in 2021?
We’re looking at more creative ways to engage with our followers, clients and prospects. Whether that’s interactive experiences on social media, our upcoming podcast channel or enhancing our brand by creating graphics that tell our story – the next year is going to be very exciting for Hello Lamp Post!
Are there any exciting co-collaborations coming up?
Yes! On the 19th April, Hello Lamp Post will be joining The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenheadand DigiKind in a panel discussion about ‘The Value of Community Engagement’ on our future towns and cities.
You can sign up to the webinar here.
If you were a talking object, what would you be?
A clock – one of the most important devices in civilisation, you’ll find me around any corner, always moving forward.
To find out more about Hello Lamp Post, or if you’d like to get in touch with a specific member of our team, please email contact@hlp.city
