Every now and then, a conversation completely reframes how I think about business, leadership, and the customer experience. That’s exactly what happened when I sat down with Suji and Jeeva, the co-founders of BrandScent, for Future Fit Leadership.
Their story starts where many entrepreneurial stories don’t — in medicine. Both doctors by profession, Suji and Jeeva made the bold leap from hospital corridors to candle wax, fragrance oils, and ultimately, building Australia’s first fully bespoke scent branding company. What began as a maternity leave side hustle grew into a business that not only gained traction, but caught the attention of investors on Shark Tank — giving BrandScent the visibility and credibility to scale.
But what fascinated me most wasn’t just the story of their pivot — it was how deeply intentional their work is. They don’t just help brands “smell nice.” They help brands evoke emotion, build memory, and influence behaviour through science-backed scent creation.
Suji shared how they work with businesses to develop what they call an olfactory logo. They take into account everything from brand colours to customer demographics and desired emotional outcomes. The process includes mood boards, stakeholder workshops, and a scent discovery session — all to ensure the final scent reflects not personal preferences, but brand purpose.
And here’s what really struck me:
👉 70% of our daily emotion is influenced by scent.
When you walk into a hotel, office, or retail space and think, “This place just feels right,” there’s a good chance it’s not just the lighting or the music. It’s the scent and it’s by design.
But Suji and Jeeva aren’t stopping there. They’re now venturing into med tech and AI. Imagine a smartwatch that detects rising anxiety and triggers a scent to calm you down. That’s not sci-fi — that’s what they’re building. They’re combining clinical insight with tech and emotional intelligence to create wellbeing tools that could transform not just brand experience, but human experience.
Why this matters for leaders
As a leader, I’ve long understood that how we make people feel sits at the heart of trust, loyalty, and connection. But this conversation was a powerful reminder that feelings aren’t just shaped by our words or actions — they’re shaped by every sensory cue we create. Suji and Jeeva’s work brought this to life in a completely new way. Scent, often overlooked, has the power to instantly evoke emotion, stir memory, and create deep resonance — with our teams, our clients, and our brand. Is the next frontier of leadership?
Branding isn't just about the visual anymore. It's about the senses, about belonging, about emotional resonance. And leadership is no different. Whether you're leading a team or shaping a business, the question isn’t just “What do we look like?” — it’s “What do we feel like to the people we serve?”
Suji and Jeeva are proof that innovation happens at the intersection of courage, science, and storytelling. And sometimes, it smells a little like sandalwood.
If you're curious about the future of branding, wellbeing, and emotional connection in leadership — this episode is one you don’t want to miss.
👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lTY3Z1zgV0BaLY9MwjaCH?si=c15ab465a8614516