New CMO, Chair and Board Members for Rival and Reach3

Canada-based sister firms Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights have appointed Kristine Steuart as Chairperson and two new members for the Board, Ipsos veteran Gary Bennewies and serial entrepreneur Brian Craig. Meanwhile Paula Catoira, who in a previous employment was Steuart's Chief of Staff, is promoted to CMO.

The two companies were established in 2018 and offer conversational research and mobile-first engagement. Rival co-founder and CEO Andrew Reid says 2023 was a good year for both with 'robust client growth and profitability despite macro-economic challenges, inflation and a pull-back in the tech sector'.

Catoira (pictured) will drive the companies' go-to-market strategy and execution, and lead the marketing team, sales development and revenue operations, having joined the group as VP of Product Marketing and Enablement in May last year, and worked as Head of Product Management and Director of Product Marketing at Allocadia from 2018 to 2020. Allocadia - now part of Uptempo - was a marketing management platform within BrandMaker, a portfolio company of Rubicon Technology Partners, and Catoira also served during this time as Chief of Staff to its CEO Steuart.

As CEO and founder of Allocadia, Steuart led it from a start-up to a global organization with hundreds of customers and with Fortune 500 brand partnerships. She was also named one of the 'Top 10 Women in Tech to Watch' by inc. magazine. She comments: 'Rival and Reach3 are positioned to capitalize on a significant shift in the research industry bolstered by a roster of global brands that have embraced the potential of conversational research methods and technology'.

Bennewies is a former CEO of Ipsos Canada and was also Ipsos' Chief Talent Officer as well as Chairing MR industry association CRIC. He began his MR career at Angus Reid Group - the firm founded and led by Andrew's father - in 1985. Also joining the Board is Craig, whose extensive background in entrepreneurial technology and venture capital includes helping to propel employee equity management platform Solium to revenue of more than $100m and a $1bn exit to Morgan Stanley.

Andrew Reid says the changes in the Board and the promotion of Catoira to CMO will allow the companies to capitalize on their momentum and 'take them to the next level'.

Web sites are at www.rivaltech.com and www.reach3insights.com .

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