About Traian Burgui
Turning human psychology into stories that sell and brands that stick.
Author & Creative Writer with a background in marketing, copywriting, and operations across 5-star and Michelin Guide restaurants.
From Michelin-Guide dining rooms to creative studios, my work has always revolved around one thing — how people connect through story.
I’ve led teams, shaped brands, and built campaigns that fused precision with emotion. Those years taught me the psychology of experience — how attention, empathy, and storytelling drive behaviour.
My journey spans the UK, Italy, and the US — collaborating with MasterChef UK winners, Britain’s leading candle company, world champion athletes, and creative pioneers. Each collaboration refined my instinct for stories that sell because they mean something.
Alongside my strategic work, I’m the author of several books published across the UK, Italy, and the US. My writing explores human potential, storytelling, and neurodivergence — blending research with reflection to spark understanding and change.
La Storia
🔄 From Restaurant Manager to Creative Strategist
It all began in the most brutal way — as a restaurant manager, and later, in an emergency room with a perforated stomach.
That wound opened my eyes.
From that moment, I decided to change my life — to study the mind, join a philosophy school in Verona, and write my first book, later translated into three languages.
Sales? Almost none.
But that failure taught me the real power of marketing — and marked the beginning of a new journey.
🍷 From Hospitality to Authenticity
Before marketing, I spent over a decade hospitality — leading teams for Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and the UK.
In 2013, I opened Vittorio Emanuele restaurant in Verona as bar and café director, working alongside — and learning from — Roberto Amadei and Alberto Tagliaferro (former CEO of Telecom Italia).
In 2015, I managed Italo Bassi’s restaurant in Verona — then the head chef of Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence (3 Michelin Stars).
🎓 Education & Experience
I spent eight years in the UK, moving from restaurant manager at Simpsons — the first Michelin-starred restaurant in the West Midlands, founded by Andreas Antona (called by the BBC “The Godfather of Michelin Stars”) — to marketing manager for Simpsons, The Cross at Kenilworth, and projects with Michelin-starred chefs such as Glynn Purnell, Adam Stokes, and MasterChef UK winners Claire Hutchings and Stuart Deeley.
I have proudly collaborated with:
Chris & Tim Abbot — managers of Oasis and Robbie Williams
Roger Khan — UK Business Hero 2020
Kash “The Flash” Gill — four-time World Kickboxing Champion
At 35, I was diagnosed with ADHD — a turning point that helped me understand myself better and rebuild how I work, learn, and focus.
After that, I returned to university and completed my Business Management degree at the London School of Science and Technology, in collaboration with Buckinghamshire New University.
My thesis explored “How Marketing Influences Online Consumer Behaviour.”
During that same period, I helped launch over 780 ambassador online stores for Imperial Candles in the US — blending storytelling, digital strategy, and ambassador training, while rewriting the entire Ambassador Handbook to drive growth and engagement.
I’m currently completing an MSc in Psychology at the University of Liverpool, where I research ADHD, creativity, and the psychology of perception.
📚 Certifications & Executive Courses
University of Cambridge — Cognitive Psychology & Neuropsychology (with Dr. Giulia Mangiaracina)
Harvard Medical School — Positive Psychology
Inside LVMH — Creation, Branding & Client Experience
These programs gave me a sharper lens on how people think, feel, and buy — insights I now apply across strategy, writing, and design.
My journey blends creative strategy, behavioural psychology, and brand storytelling across Michelin-Guide restaurants, global campaigns, and neurodivergent-led projects.
For a detailed professional overview, you can download my CV
→.
I bring a business mind, a writer’s voice, and a strategist’s eye — blending storytelling, behavioural psychology, and design thinking into brands that resonate and convert.
If your brand values curiosity, clarity, and emotion — we’ll speak the same language.
Let’s build stories that move people — and brands that matter.