With over 25 years’ experience in culture, media and tourism, Sophie Brendel is a leading strategist who specialises in transformational change.

Over the past 25 years, Sophie has held senior leadership roles in globally-renowned brands anchored in purpose, from the BBC to Thomson Reuters, and most recently, at the V&A, where she was the Director of Audiences, Commercial & Digital until summer 2024.

Sophie specialises in helping the companies she works with define their purpose, narrative, brand, audience, digital and commercial strategies. Sophie transformed the V&A’s approach to these areas over a seven year period, and worked at the nexus of the V&A’s organisational strategy as the V&A hit record visitor numbers, weathered the pandemic, and rapidly transformed into a museum group with six museums each designed for dedicated audiences.

Highly experienced in capital projects and placemaking, Sophie has delivered numerous launches and openings. Highlights include the V&A Exhibition Road Quarter in South Kensington; the V&A Gallery at Design Society in Shenzhen, China in 2017; V&A Dundee in 2019; Young V&A in 2023; and V&A East, opening in 2025/26 as part of East Bank on London’s Olympic Park.

Prior to the V&A, Sophie worked in a number of senior roles at the BBC and Thomson Reuters in the UK and USA. As Head of Digital Communications at the BBC, she led activity across the BBC’s digital, social media, technology and innovation areas. Highlights included 2015’s nationwide Make it Digital and micro:bit initiatives, BBC iPlayer, and the London 2012 Olympics.

Sophie lives in Somerset. Alongside founding Sophie Brendel Consulting, she is also the MD of Thornfalcon Winery & Press- a new, entrepreneurial drinks and hospitality experience in South West Somerset- and sits on a number of Boards and Advisory Groups, including the Bristol Old Vic, the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, and the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration