Escalent Names Six New VPs

US-based Escalent, formerly Market Strategies International-Morpace, has promoted five of its team to the rank of Vice President, while hiring former Toluna exec Rick Naff as Vice President, Technology and Consumer & Retail.

The agency, which combines proprietary data capture methods and technologies with industry expertise and a visualization toolset, was formed when research firms Morpace and Market Strategies International were acquired and merged in 2018 by private equity firm STG (Symphony Technology Group), and then later rebranded. Naff (pictured) joins in San Francisco from Toluna, where he served as Senior Director, Account Executive, responsible for sales, business development and nurturing client relationships. Prior to this he held senior roles with ProdegeMR, MetrixLab and Q & A Research. In his new position, Naff will serve as a business development leader for Escalent's Technology and Consumer & Retail divisions.

The firm has also made five promotions. In Portland, OR, Liz Wagner will now serve as VP and health insurance sector lead in the Financial Services team, after eight years with the company. Former Chartwell exec K.C. Boyce becomes VP Energy, leading the development of the firm's Cogent Syndicated energy studies and new products, from the office in Atlanta. In Livonia, MI, Pam Cooper has also been named VP Energy, serving as the company's Qualtrics partnership manager. Matt Benard, who is based in Atlanta, GA, takes up the position of VP, Compliance & Privacy, responsible for the company's information security and regulatory standards compliance and overseeing vendor management efforts. Finally, in Livonia, MI, Dave Mangold has been named VP, Automotive & Mobility, leading the development and delivery of global brand tracking research, after fifteen years with the firm.

CEO Melissa Sauter comments: 'We are thrilled to welcome Rick to the Escalent family and recognize Liz, K.C., Pam, Matt and Dave for their growth and contributions to the company. Each has demonstrated their unique abilities, bringing leadership skills and deep subject matter expertise to the table. We look forward to supporting them in their new roles as they continue to help our clients navigate an ever-changing market'.

Web site: www.escalent.co .

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