Our Team

Our unique approach to impact stems from our team. We offer diverse perspectives and experiences from the worlds of design, advertising, social innovation, non-profit, political organizing, and business consulting.

Amy Cheng-Tran

PARTNER & HEAD OF BRAND IMPACT

I’m a Partner at enso and my background is in brand leadership. Born and raised in sunny Southern California and of Taiwanese descent, I’ve always had a keen interest in the intersection of culture, and the shared values that bring people together. This led me to study both the humanities and business, as a double Bruin in art history and masters in business administration. I’ve spent almost two decades in brand building working for clients such as Pepsi, Mattel and Google. Finding myself at a fork in the road a decade ago, a future of abundant possibilities for our creative industry was revealed when I helped launch the Pepsi Refresh Project, and saw how powerful change could take place when business intersects with what the world needs. Since then, I’ve found a second home at enso and have been able to work with brilliant, heart-led colleagues to create impact for brands like Lyft, Indeed and Everytable. With perpetual optimism, I believe we are here, living on the cusp of a new dawn and the opportunities to improve our world are endless.

Brian Hardwick

PARTNER

My career has been a circuitous journey on a single mission, constantly searching for a way to make bigger impact. When studying American history it became clear to me that our trajectory, as a people, was profoundly impacted by who we elected. That led me to politics. Along the way, I worked my way up from putting up signs on the highway in the rain, to working as a strategist in presidential elections and US Senate elections all over the country. It shaped me and prepared me. Developing strategies around peoples’ deepest values, mobilizing diverse people around common beliefs and communicating in a white hot light of the media on a daily basis—helped me fill my toolbox with skills I carry with me everyday. From the campaign trail to the boardroom, for the last fifteen years, I’ve guided brands out of front page crises, developed and launched campaigns on the Super Bowl, built a national movement on climate change and helped brands of all sizes create breakthrough initiatives for big impact. Along my journey, I found my home at Enso. As a partner, I’m proud to have built Enso from the beginning, alongside some amazing humans. I love tackling complex problems as a team sport, imagining the most ambitious possibilities and creating work that inspires and arms people to remake their world. I want to do work my kids will be proud of and leaves a lasting positive dent in the world.

Ilana Horwitz

DIRECTOR OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Responsibility champion. Doer of getting stuff done. I was born somewhere on the East Coast of the United States—my parents can’t come to a consensus when asked (one of the many joys of being a middle child.) I spent my childhood sitting at desks outside of the classroom because I talked too much and I spent most of my teen years yelling dramatically on stage. My college years were filled with performing Samuel Beckett, writing essays on gender and intersectionality, and reading Harry Potter in Italian, after which I took a couple years cogitating over what I would do with my life. Enticed by an opportunity through a friend, I learned how to turn on a PC computer and how to use Excel in a single night and I landed a job in animation production. That path evolved for me over the years, taking me from animation production to digital production to educational software development to advertising. But after years of pushing fizzy sugar drinks and trendy tech devices on consumers, I wanted to do more than line corporate pockets—I wanted to help invest in humanity. Enter: enso. Here, I am given the opportunity to create positive impact in big ways. Even though I’m still figuring things out, in the end, I hope to have helped make the world equitable for all.

Jimmy Greenway

PARTNER & HEAD OF EXPERIENCE

I am a partner at enso where I am grateful to be allowed to thrive in my passion for the moving image. Driven by an early all-consuming fascination starting with drive-in movies in small-town North Carolina (and seeing the first Star Wars 44 times), I got my hands into everything I could that was accessible to me-- from theater, dance, to borrowing the local doctor’s video camera. After co-founding the first theater department at my little college, I couldn’t hold back any longer and loaded up the truck for Hollywood with very little but bags of optimism and enthusiasm. I suddenly found myself working on the epic music video and commercial sets of the soon-to-be cinema titans David Fincher and Michael Bay. Watching their mastery up-close was the best film school. This led to a wonderfully long gig at Windmill Lane Productions where I traveled around the globe shooting often-experimental and beautiful films, and taught the very fine art of post-production. After having another lifelong dream come true by working with U2 on their Popmart tour, I was asked by my eternal friend Kirk Souder if I might try agency producing at his new shop, Ground Zero Advertising. At once, I found what my accumulation of experiences had led me to-- the art of advertising collaboration. This realization took me to New York in the midst of the creative free-wheeling dot-com boom, a once in a lifetime experience. That candle burned bright and fast so I returned to my land of dreams and the tribe that I had sorely missed--and where I found the magic of a wife and son. After finally fulfilling the goal of making movies and showing them at Sundance and Cannes-- even surprisingly winning an Emmy with the doc “Art & Copy”-- Kirk once again came to me with a golden invitation. He introduced me to Sebastian Buck and an idea for a place called enso. From that moment and into the future, I marvel every day that I get to do what I love with people that I love in service of a world that I love.

Kevin Liangcy

SENIOR DESIGNER

I see myself as a digital nomad, a wanderer of the new worlds. I graduated from Art Center and have been a part of NJ(L.A.), Brad Bartlett Design, and the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography. At enso, I apply my artistic and technological skills to impact initiatives, leading enso’s art direction and design efforts, and collaborating with team members and external partners. I believe in experimentation as a form of learning and growing and with that spirit I approach all our projects for Google, Uber, Indeed, YouTube, Lyft, and other global brands.

Kirk Souder

CO-FOUNDER

Hi, I’m Kirk. A co-founder of enso. My role is as an executive and leadership coach. I help leaders unite inner purpose with positive impact. My own version starts at eighteen. In front of me stood white coats with stethoscopes. I was told “metastatic synovial sarcoma”. I was told “expect 18-36 months at most”. The fulcrum moment of my life: All before lived in “what I should do”, all after lived in “what brings me alive to do”. I made it. That’s a story for another day.

A blessed career followed that included ECD at Wieden&Kennedy Shanghai. Succeeding the legend Hal Riney as CCO/CEO at Riney/Publicis. Co-founding Ground Zero Advertising (many years LA’s most awarded agency). Being the Creative Partner at the lead agency of Obama for America. Writing scripts on set on the fly with President Obama. Garnering Cannes titanium and gold lions, Sundance, Emmy, and Creative Leader of the Year. In the midst of this, my work counseling cancer patients brought me back to grad school and a Masters in Spiritual Psychology and Soul Centered Coaching.

Possibility opened and I co-founded the world’s first impact agency enso with the amazing Sebastian Buck. Mission: to help global brands and leaders design new futures for themselves, their business, and their worlds. I get the joy of coaching leaders from Fortune500 companies to founders of social enterprise start-ups to embrace their true nature, their inner purpose, and actualize those as new futures on planet earth.

It’s not a bad gig.

Michelle Stewart

MANAGER, BUSINESS OPERATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Multi-Tasker Extraordinaire. Originally hail from sunny So-Cal, but most recently felt the urgency to appease my sense of adventure and uproot to Denver, CO. One could say collecting new experiences is my true love language. After a stint in Real Estate, Account Management, and HR, I found my love of process and workflow fit perfectly into Creative Operations. Currently, I lead enso’s business operations and experience and have had the great opportunity to work on nearly every project in some fashion. I take care of ensos’ business so that the rest of the team can take care of yours. I like to think that my service and organizational passion keeps our clients and employees happy and engaged. Prior to enso, I worked for a number of lifestyle and hair care brands, managing accounts and producing engaging CXs’ for the likes of Aveda, Mastercard, Regis, etc, which helped root my passion in creating memorable experiences for our clients and team here at enso. I love empowering our people by enhancing our unique culture, and managing the numerous benefits and perks that enso has to offer. I understand what it takes to get things done and enjoy working to make the way it gets done- go smoothly. In my freetime, I dabble in interior design, mastering a charcuterie board and exploring the Rockies with my goldendoodle Wally, a therapy pup in training! I strongly believe you can leave a positive imprint on everything you touch, every day, and excited to work at a place that helps brands and businesses do just that to make the world a better place.

Sebastian Buck

CO-FOUNDER & STRATEGIC LEAD

I’m a partner at enso. Originally from southern England, now enjoying more light in southern California, with the wonderful @KerryKB. I’ve lived in the logic world (economics, law, corporate finance, business strategy) and the cultural world (literature, history, travel, photography, street art). That fused into being a strategist, focused on creating new initiatives that add value to the world. I became a Gates Foundation Goalkeeper in 2019, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society in 2020. I’m an optimist, and my greatest joy is exploring new possibilities for a better way. Sometimes that better way is a new kind of business, or a new way of being, or a new shared mission. I’m optimistic about you. I’m optimistic about a new kind of capitalism, that creates value for shareholders and the world.

Tiago Pereira

PARTNER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

I grew up in Brazil, to a family of street theatre performers that would present their plays while literally traveling the world. That experience shaped many of my interests and beliefs: the power of storytelling, the magic of technology, and culture as a form of social impact. Embracing the things which defined me, I found my own career outside but adjacent to the Arts in Communications. I began my professional creative journey with copywriting, but have taken on a more hybrid approach, fusing things like copy, design, and strategy into my practice as the world of creativity started to embrace less defined roles. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to lead the creative work of clients such as Ben & Jerry's, Nike, Pepsico, Google, and Lyft. Even in my adult life, I stay close to my performance roots with a musical practice on the side as a bass player and synth explorer.

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up to our newsletter