In a bold move that merges societal impact with enterprise strategy, Culture+ Group has unveiled CIEN+ Health, a dedicated strategic and creative consultancy. Rooted in over a decade of market-leading work in Cultural Intelligence®, CIEN+ Health introduces a new way of thinking: that inclusion and health equity are not just moral imperatives—but powerful levers for business growth.

This launch arrives at a time when health disparities persist despite record-high U.S. healthcare spending. CIEN+ Health aims to challenge the status quo with its proprietary framework, Impact Healthonomics™, which fuses data, behavioral science, and cultural insight to drive real-world change.

A Sobering Call for Change

“The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other nation, yet ranks last in outcomes among G7 countries.”

– Lili Gil Valletta, CEO & Co-founder, Culture+ Group

Gil Valletta, a former Johnson & Johnson executive, calls attention to the paradox at the heart of American healthcare. As chronic diseases rise in fast-growing communities like Hispanics and African Americans, the system’s failure to serve equitably is both a moral and economic crisis.

CIEN+ Health is designed to address this through evidence-based, empathetic, and inclusive solutions—turning underserved populations into engines of growth.

Introducing Impact Healthonomics™: Equity as Strategy

CIEN+ Health’s Impact Healthonomics™ is a transformational model that integrates:

• Cultural Intelligence®

• Behavioral science

• Economic insights

This data-driven approach reframes health equity from a cost center into a growth driver. It enables organizations to design inclusive solutions that improve outcomes while unlocking new market opportunities.

What Impact Healthonomics™ Enables:

• Moving from CSR-focused equity to enterprise-wide inclusion strategies

• Tapping into high-growth segments to drive market expansion

• Aligning brand and mission with community impact using Cultural Intelligence®

• Creating full-funnel, integrated marketing campaigns across media, content, and community channels

CIEN+ Health Launchpad™: Accelerating Health Innovators

To support emerging players in the health and wellness sector, CIEN+ Health is launching the CIEN+ Health Launchpad™—a focused offering to help startups and disruptors gain traction with:

• Strategic clarity

• Purpose-led brand positioning

• Enterprise alignment

This initiative aims to help VCs, mid-sized innovators, and breakout brands scale faster and smarter in today’s evolving health ecosystem.

“We’re reimagining how health, equity, and growth intersect,”

– Roberto Ramos, President, Culture+ Group

A Visionary Leadership Team

Raj Iyer at the Helm

Raj Iyer, a seasoned strategist in healthcare commercialization, leads CIEN+ Health. With a philosophy that “most health systems are built on averages, yet people live at the edges,” Iyer brings a bold, outside-in approach to inclusion and innovation.

Under his leadership, CIEN+ Health operationalizes Cultural Intelligence® into every strategic layer—making inclusion core to business success, not just a compliance checkbox.

Core Offerings that Drive Business & Societal Impact

1. Cultural Intelligence® Accelerator

A proven, award-winning methodology that embeds inclusion into the DNA of organizations—from R&D to marketing—driving better business outcomes through mindset transformation.

2. Strategic Consulting for Inclusive Growth

CIEN+ Health advises C-suites with size-of-prize analysis, impact roadmaps, and inclusive strategy development. Here, equity becomes an enterprise-level driver of value.

3. Culturally Intelligent Brand Engagement

Beyond representation, CIEN+ Health helps brands create meaningful connections with underserved communities, building long-term trust and relevance.

4. AI-Powered Research & Human Insights

Through its proprietary platform, Human Dot Plus, CIEN+ Health merges AI and ethnographic research to uncover real-time behavioral insights—an approach that bridges tech and empathy.

Built for the Future by Those Who Understand the Past

Founded by former corporate leaders Enrique Arbelaez and Lili Gil Valletta, CIEN+ Health was designed to be the firm they once wished existed—one that blends data, culture, empathy, and strategy. Staffed by MDs, PhDs, and industry veterans, it offers a rare combination of subject matter depth and cultural fluency.

Backed by accolades from MM+M, PRWeek, and global health institutions, CIEN+ Health is poised to shape a new era of inclusive innovation in healthcare.

With the launch of CIEN+ Health, Culture+ Group is redefining how businesses approach health equity—not as a siloed initiative but as a strategic growth imperative. As demographics shift and societal expectations evolve, organizations that embrace Impact Healthonomics™ will not only serve better—they will lead smarter and grow stronger.