| ASW in Restructuring Process | ||
| 8/12/00 | ||
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United Information Group (UIG), the second fastest-growing research company in the US and the largest business-to-business agency in Europe, is to reorganise Audits & Surveys Worldwide (ASW). The new organisation is built around a focused structure with the aim of strengthening customer support, nurturing research and development innovation and improving operational productivity and efficiency. ASW is one of six major market research companies that comprise UIG-US. According to Elaine Riddell, CEO of UIG-US, "With the re-organization, we have created an infrastructure that capitalizes on the power of the complete UIG family - and positions ASW to extend its global leadership with a re-energized concentration on inventive research and development. We are now poised to leverage the full potential of Internet research and create the advanced methodologies that will support the total spectrum of business applications - from product launches to branding to customer relationship management. " ASW has appointed experienced directors, with in-depth customer and research experience, to head its new business units. There are now three major units - MarketPlace Intelligence, Consumer Insights and Technology/Financial Services Group - built around specific client business requirements. UIG has appointed Carl Ravitch president of MarketPlace Intelligence, which was formerly the Audits Division. First established in 1953, the division has recently broadened its coverage to track product, sales and promotional activity across virtually every market sector, including retail, professional and business-to-business. It offers a wide range of services to help customers improve sales force allocation, market planning, distribution strategies and product positioning. The second unit within the new ASW - Consumer Insight - brings ASW's Surveys, Customer Satisfaction and International Research businesses together under a common leadership to optimise development and service synergies. Marianne Grogan has joined ASW as president of Consumer Insight from IntelliQuest. Under Grogan's leadership, Consumer Insight performs a wide variety of complex market research assignments - including consumer attitude and behaviour assessment programs; customer loyalty programs, including mystery shopping; and media, demographic and social policy research - in more than 90 countries. Lynn DeVon has been appointed president of ASW - San Francisco, continuing her leadership of the company's third business unit - the Technology/Financial Services Group. This growing area for ASW centres on servicing the technology, telecommunications and financial services industries, building on the intersections between these vital markets. In keeping with its focused structure, ASW has aligned its Technology/Financial Services Group with NOP, its sister company in London, as part of UIG's global IT and financial research sectors. The new relationship enables the Technology/Financial Services Group to benefit from synergies with the NOP organisation and product line. According to Devon, "The new alignment with NOP allows us to take advantage of global opportunities and shared development focus in the critical technology and finance arenas. We are able to call on a greater range of products and resources, helping us achieve a stronger competitive position in the US and around the world. Our ability to provide global information solutions is especially critical in today's increasingly global and competitive environment-and vital to the success of our technology, telecommunications and financial services clients. " Recognizing the importance of research and development to customer value, Simeon Chow has been named to the role of Chief Research & Development Officer, extending his responsibilities beyond ASW to include all of UIG-US. In this newly-created position, Chow leads a development team in inventing and applying advanced methodologies and the disciplines of marketing science to customers' business management requirements. Also as part of the new ASW structure, several key functions have been centralised, streamlining costs and effecting process efficiencies across all of the UIG-US companies. | ||
