10/2015 - 10/2017  

Hall & Partners – London, UK

Partner, OpenMind

 

Building on his experience as a qualitative research practitioner, Richard took on the exciting role of setting up and leading H&P OpenMind in London. A new division within the UK business, OpenMind is a team of specialist qualitative practitioners and brand strategists. The role required Richard to be a leader, seller and doer – working closely with the global CEO to develop the offer and set the team’s vision and direction.  

 

Highlights include being shortlisted for an MRS award and AURA award, presenting at 2 MRS conferences, and growing client relationships. A stand out project was developing a global behaviour change strategy for an international financial institution, leading a global mixed methodology project including 54 x 3 hour groups across 6 markets.

 

04/2014 - 10/2015 

Research Sense – London, UK

Freelance Qualitative Researcher

 

Freelancing offered Richard the opportunity to work with some of the best agencies in London, across a number of challenges from product testing and development, to strategic brand questions. Integrating into project teams, Richard presented himself to clients as one of the agency: writing winning proposals, doing fieldwork, leading analysis, or delivering findings – depending on what the agency required.

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01/2012 – 04/2014                                                                        

Sundance – London, UK

Project Director

 

As an agency specialising in international strategic projects for mainly FMCG brands, Richard built on his existing skill as a researcher by developing his moderation and analysis skills, and taking on more large scale national and international projects in brand / campaign / concept development, positioning, segmentations, brand audits and cultural intelligence projects.

 

Key elements of the role include:

• Interpreting the client brief into a suitable research approach and write winning proposals

• Setting up international projects (up to 9 markets) in terms of discussion guides, briefing documents, analysis templates

• Be key client contact for local and international studies in terms of setup, direction, progress and analysis

• Conducting national and international fieldwork (depths, extended depths, groups, extended groups, online, accompanied shopping…)

• Briefing local markets in-market, viewing groups and conducting in-depth market analysis to feed into international analysis sessions

• Integrating local market analysis (from additional methodologies) into a comprehensive market analysis document

• Writing regional and international reports and debriefing these to senior stakeholders (in a presentation or workshop format

• Developing and delivering new client pitches

 

 

07/2010 – 12/2011                                                                          

Basis Research – London, UK

Associate Director

 

Upon joining Basis, Richard continued to build his moderation, analysis, and presentation skills. This role saw him undertake international fieldwork, as well as conduct extensive in home trials and a number of usability studies. Richard's enthusiasm, organisational skills and flexibility were proven invaluable in the running of these trials, which involved up to fiifty households taking part in a multi-stage study.

 

Key elements of the role included:

• Managing and conducting local and international fieldwork

• Conducting viewed and unviewed groups and depths with respondents aged 9 to 78

• Managing key client relationships, particularly with a telecommunications provider working on a range of their products and services

• Conducting online fieldwork

• Motivating and managing project teams on larger projects

• Preparing and delivering debriefs to senior audiences

 

10/2007 – 07/2010                                                        

TNS Research International – London, UK

Consultant (Upper Level) – Specialist Markets Qualitative

 

• Qualitative research in the financial, technology, and consumer sectors

• Key involvement in the development of account relationships

• Responsible for the design and delivery of projects to meet client objectives

• Design and develop discussion guides, screener documents, proposals and presentations / reports

• Working closely with quantitative teams to deliver integrated proposals and debriefs

• Line management responsibilities of a Research Executive and a Graduate Trainee

 

10/2006 – 09/2007

TNS Global – London, UK

Graduate Trainee

 

• Completed the MRS Advanced certificate as well as internal training ranging from Excel and PowerPoint to the basics of marketing, selling, project management, scripting and data analysis and all TNS business solutions.

• Did four rotations each lasting three months in Financial and Professional Services, Consumer, Media and Technology

• Delivered four presentations to senior management on Market Trends; How to Improve Client Relationships; Ideas for the Improvement of Business Administration; and, Social Networking and Potential Marketing Implications