Nicita Steps Up to CEO Role at Human8

Global insights consultancy Human8 has announced that co-founder Kristof De Wulf is to step down from the CEO role, with Camille Nicita taking over from next Monday. Katherine Ephlin, currently North America Head of Operations, will replace Nicita as MD North America.

Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium and previously known as InSites Consulting, the firm has its roots in online communities but has built out its offering with nine acquisitions in the last five years. Nicita joined the firm with one of these, US-based Gongos - the others are Direction First, Columinate, eÿeka, Join the Dots, ABN Impact, Answer, Space Doctors and Happy Thinking People.

De Wulf was marketing professor and partner at Belgium's Vlerick Business School when he founded InSites in 1997, and since he took over as CEO in 2012 the company has grown from around 80 people to now well over 800 in 24 global locations - adding more than EUR 100m to revenue in the meantime. In addition to the buys it has launched greenfield operations in the Netherlands, Romania, the UK, the US and Germany. It rebranded earlier this year, but has kept the Space Doctors name as a sub-brand for its foresighting and strategic positioning work.

Nicita brings thirty years of market research experience to the role, having joined Gongos as a start-up in the 1990s, and was appointed CEO on the sudden death of owner and founder John Gongos in 2012. She is an active member of the Board of the Insights Association and a contributing member of the Forbes Agency Council. Gongos achieved the Forbes Small Giant award in 2020, and Nicita comments: 'I'm honored to carry on the great work Kristof has accomplished over the last decade and am ready to apply the Small Giants mindset on a global scale'.

Nicita joins the company's Board, where De Wulf will remain an active member and shareholder. Ephlin is also a former Gongos employee, having joined the agency in 2006 after working in strategic marketing for GM.

'I am delighted to have had the opportunity to grow and lead our organization for almost 12 years now' says De Wulf. 'It was an amazing journey transitioning from a Belgian start-up to a global leader that is serving the needs of the most iconic brands in the world. The time is now to pass on the responsibility to one of our most competent and inspiring leaders in the business, Camille Nicita. Moving Camille into the seat of global CEO not only sends a clear signal that we are now a truly global company, but also that we moved beyond our legacies into an exciting joint future'.

Web site: www.wearehuman8.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.