FT Research Leader Joins 'Ambitious' Mintel

UK consumer and media specialist Mintel has appointed Robert Santiago as Director of Thought Leadership. He was previously Head of the Financial Times Research Centre.

The Thought Leadership consultancy division offers tailor-made research solutions to support clients' business strategies. In his new role, Santiago will work closely with senior level clients to help them capitalise on this research and expertise.

Santiago has worked in the business information industry for more than 23 years, and for the last seven and a half years has managed the FT's commercial research and consultancy arm in London and Manila. Before this, he worked for Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and at KPMG where he was Head of Research in the firm's Research and Information Group. He spent the first five years of his career in the US where he worked in the legal and investment banking sectors and then moved to London to set up the European operations of Disclosure Inc. (now part of Thomson Financial).

Mintel CEO Peter Haigh commented on the appointment: 'We very much feel that it is the right time to expand our consultancy department, and there is obvious synergy between Robert's experience at the Financial Times and Mintel's ambitious growth plans.'

The firm, which has offices in Chicago, London, Belfast, Sydney, Tokyo and Shanghai, is online at www.mintel.com .

Earlier in the month, Mintel bought Snapshots International, a London-based publisher of global market reports.