ORC Ramps Up Business Development and Client Teams

Customer and employee research specialist ORC International has appointed industry veteran Jon Harding as Executive Vice President - US Business Development, and also hired Patricia Hughes and Joe Mann as Vice Presidents, Client Solutions.

Harding (pictured) joins with more than 25 years' MR industry experience. Most recently, he served as Harris Interactive's SVP, Custom Solutions Sales, just before the firm's acquisition by Nielsen. Prior to this, he briefly worked at US data collection agency MRops, and he was VP, Professional Services at Nielsen, Chief Strategic Advisor at Annik, and President of US Client Services at TNS. In this last role, he concentrated on extending the business beyond CPG into several other vertical industries, while driving business opportunities and developing key account relationships.

In his new role, Harding is responsible for strategic planning for key accounts and oversees the firm's US Business Development and Sales Operations teams, reporting to CEO Simon Kooyman.

Hughes worked most recently at Vision Critical, and previously as MD at GfK in the Custom Research division, while Mann joins from Ipsos where he was VP, Loyalty, and was formerly SVP Client Solutions at TNS. Both will now combine responsibility for acquiring new clients and developing account relationships.

Kooyman comments: 'Jon, Pat and Joe all bring a deep understanding of our industry, competitors, and clients. With their collective industry experience and strong business orientation, we know they will be a perfect fit with our company and provide strong leadership to successfully drive our business development efforts in the US.'

Web site: www.orcinternational.com .