ABOUT TALIESIN PARTNERS
Taliesin Partners is a Cincinnati Ohio-based consultancy founded by two former Procter & Gamble leaders, Richard J. Cooke, Ph.D. and Stevan D. Jones, Ph.D. We help CPG companies and private equity firms grow, accelerate and protect the value of their R&D.
Our mission
Make every R&D dollar work harder. Small and mid-sized CPG companies, including PE-backed brands, have the ideas but rarely the budget or deep bench of experts that large companies rely on. Our GAP approach helps them grow the value already in their business, accelerate the path to market, and protect what they’ve built.
Why "Taliesin"?
Taliesin was a 6th-century Welsh poet, celebrated as Chief of the Bards and a trusted counselor to kings and queens. Legend says he began life as a servant boy who gained the gift of wisdom and inspiration from three drops of a magical brew. His name means "radiant brow."
We chose it for what it stands for: knowledge turned into wise counsel, and ideas brought into the light. Three drops of wisdom, for us, are Grow, Accelerate and Protect. When two Welsh scientists joined forces after careers that took us around the world, there could be no other name.
Our story
We both grew up in Wales, studied at the same university in Swansea, and earned our Ph.D.s in chemistry. We both began our careers at Procter & Gamble in the UK.
From there, our paths took us across Europe, Asia, and North and South America, working in health care, beauty, hair care, personal care, cosmetics, baby care, and new brand creation. Along the way, we helped turn great science into products people love, from understanding what consumers want, to building and testing early prototypes, to securing regulatory approval, scaling up manufacturing, and launching under trusted brands like Olay, Pantene, Pampers, and Vicks.
Years later, we both found ourselves in Cincinnati. It felt like fate. We brought together our experience, our shared roots, and a genuine drive to help people and advance science. The result is Taliesin Partners.
We are Taliesin Partners
Richard J. Cooke, Ph.D.
Partner, Regulatory & Scientific Strategy
Richard led regulatory and scientific strategy at Procter & Gamble across Europe, South America and North America, spanning Health Care, Beauty Care, Baby Care and new brand creation in P&G Ventures. He helps companies anticipate regulatory change, chart the path to market for new products and claims, and protect the products their business depends on. He advises on US cosmetic (MoCRA), OTC drug and dietary supplement regulations, label compliance, FDA warning letters and competitor claim challenges.
Ph.D. Colloid & Surface Chemistry, M.Sc. Biochemical Engineering, B.Sc. (Hons) Biochemistry, University of Wales, Swansea, UK
Stevan D. Jones, Ph.D.
Partner, R&D & Innovation
Stevan grew billion-dollar brands at Procter & Gamble, including Pantene, Olay, Old Spice and Head & Shoulders, leading global R&D innovation and product development across the UK, USA, India and Singapore. He went on to lead digital R&D transformation at Procter & Gamble and Dassault Systèmes, making innovation faster, leaner and more novel. He is the primary inventor on 40+ front-end innovation patents and the creator of our Critical Problem Definition™ methodology, the starting point of every GAP engagement.
Ph.D. Physical Chemistry · B.Sc. (Hons) Pure Chemistry, University of Wales, Swansea, UK
Our approach in one line
Before any solution is chosen or a single dollar is committed, we look inside your business to find the GAPs: where value can Grow, where development can Accelerate, and what you must Protect.