Social Chain Hires First Head of Data and Insights

Social media-based marketing agency Social Chain has appointed McVal Osborne as its first Head of Data and Insights, based in its London office.

The Manchester-based group, which also has offices in Berlin and New York, owns more than 400 digital communities including channels such as 'Student Problems', 'Sporf' and 'Love Food'. Osborne (pictured) joins from ORC International, where he served as UK Head of Strategy in London, having previously worked for the firm in New York as Senior Research Analyst. Earlier, he worked for political research and consulting firm Luntz Global in Washington DC, developing messaging and corporate branding strategies - using data collected from qual and quant focus groups - for politicians, non-profits, fund raisers and corporate clients.

In his new position Osborne will oversee the Data team, with a remit to further establish the Research department. CEO and co-founder Steve Bartlett comments: 'To bring the best talent to Social Chain Group has always been our goal. In an age where consumers are smarter than ever, brand marketing needs to match this intelligence, and the smart use of data is an imperative tool for this. We're thrilled to have McVal join the Social Chain family to expand our expertise furthering our potential for industry firsts'.

Web site: www.socialchain.com .