Michael Behnke has been active in international branding since the early eighties, holding positions in New York, Sao Paulo, Frankfurt, and Paris. With over 20 years in the international advertising industry, he has worked with global agencies such as Ogilvy, Young & Rubicam, TBWA, BBDO, and Publicis, specializing in pan-regional and global key account management. His core responsibilities included strategic brand and project management for major brands like Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Danone, Colgate-Palmolive, Nivea, L'Oréal, and American Express.

In 2005, Mr. Behnke founded Belly Button Paris, a consultancy focusing on branding and operational marketing, servicing clients from global corporations to medium-sized family businesses. The success of Belly Button Paris is driven by its "One-word" brand positioning methodology. Since 2014, Mr. Behnke has also been a part-time professor at the American University of Paris, teaching courses at the bachelor's and master's degree levels in strategic brand management.