Agency? Consultancy? We built the firm we couldn't find.

One that thinks like a top-tier consultancy, designs like a world-class brand agency, and brings the domain expertise of a specialized employer brand firm. In twenty years working inside agencies and inside companies, we never found one place that did all of it.

Most brand work gets lost in the gap between strategy and execution. Agencies lack the operational insight to build what they sell. Internal leaders get ground down by the system before an idea clears committee. We've led both sides — brand and culture strategy, in-house and at leading agencies. Closing that gap is where competitive advantage lives.

That's why WorkingTheory exists — so you don't have to choose between bold ideas and what's actually possible.

We've worked with many of the world's most recognized companies, and some no one has heard of.

Founding Partners

Matthew Gilbert

Matthew has spent nearly two decades building employer brands that actually work. As Chief Creative Officer at Bayard, he launched and scaled one of the talent industry's most sophisticated employer brand practices before its acquisition by Appcast in 2023. He and his teams have created over 350 employer brand programs for clients like Nike, Disney, Lockheed Martin, Encompass Health, PayPal, Pfizer, and many more.

Earlier in his career, he worked in management consulting and helped develop the RFID technology behind EZ-Pass. He holds a BS in Economics from NYU Stern and an MFA in Design from SVA, where he was part of the inaugural class. He's also taught at Parsons and lectured at SVA and SUNY, co-authored a children's book, and created a Civil Rights exhibit prominently displayed at Columbia University, Queens Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the Schomburg Center.

He lives in Hoboken with his wife Jen and son Jason. Weekends are for motorcycles, half-finished novels, and pickup soccer games that matter way too much.

Devin DaRif

Devin has spent 15 years connecting corporate and employer brands to drive real business results. Most recently, he was Executive Director and Head of Employer Brand & Internal Purpose Activation at JPMorganChase, where he helped lead the firm-wide rebrand and integration strategy, propelling the company to a #1 Ideal Employer ranking for US business students—ahead of Google, Apple, and the usual suspects—while also topping LinkedIn's Top Companies and eFinancialCareers rankings. Before that, he was VP of Employee Experience & Employer Brand at TD Bank and built the talent brand marketing function at Two Sigma Investments.

He started his career at Universum Communications, leading employer brand consulting engagements across more than 15 countries for Fortune 500 clients. He holds a BA in Psychology from Wesleyan University.

Based in New York, Devin can also be found working out of coffeeshops in Lisbon, training in Northern Thailand, or exploring abandoned ruins in distant lands.

Founding Partners

Matthew Gilbert

He lives in Hoboken with his wife Jen and son Jason. Weekends are for motorcycles, half-finished novels, and pickup soccer games that matter way too much.

Devin DaRif

Based in New York, Devin can also be found working out of coffeeshops in Lisbon, training in Northern Thailand, or exploring abandoned ruins in distant lands.