GfK Adds Four to V2

GfK has announced four senior hires for its US pharma research subsidiary GfK V2. Suzanne Berg, Ray Chan, and Shiv Raman join as SVPs and Strategic Business Unit heads, and Tom Hinkel as a Vice President.

Berg's background combines MR and advertising, with a focus on helping teams to maximize brand and portfolio communication, and on message development, message testing, concept testing, positioning, emotional response research and diagnostic analyses of stakeholder disconnects. She worked previously at TNS Healthcare as VP, Communications Practice and VP, U.S. Branding. Prior to this she was Senior Director of U.S. Branding at J. Walter Thompson.

Dr. Chan joins from Synovate Healthcare where he was VP Advanced Analytics, and has experience in product positioning, decision modeling, segmentation and pricing issues. Previous jobs included methodologist roles at NFO Migliara/Kaplan (now TNS Healthcare) and in the healthcare division of National Analysts Research and Consulting. He has a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Virginia and received his bachelor's degree in biology and human development from Cornell University.

Raman, as Chief Marketing Scientist, will manage the firm's advanced analytics and quant operations. He has more than a decade of experience in statistical modeling, and has developed cutting-edge approaches in discrete choice techniques to solve complex product optimization problems. He was previously in charge of the advanced analytics and quantitative operations group at Genactis Inc., and began his career at M/A/R/C Research as a senior marketing scientist. He has master's degrees in economics and business administration with specialization in marketing science from the University of Houston.

Hinkel has nearly three decades of experience in pharmaceutical MR, including high-level research among key opinion leaders worldwide in a variety of therapeutic categories. He founded his own research and consulting company, TRIAD, in 1992, after rising to VP at TNS Healthcare in the Advanced Statistical Methods Group and the Healthcare Division. His MA and MBA were earnt at the University of Tennessee and his bachelor's degree in marketing is from the University of Akron.

The firm, part of the GfK U.S Healthcare Companies, provides qual physician and patient research, quant research and custom advanced analytics, and is online at www.gfk.com/gfkv2.

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