Cobalt Sky and John McConnell Launch Analytics Service

London-based research technology firm Cobalt Sky has partnered with Applied Insights co-founder John McConnell to roll out a new statistics-based analytics service.

McConnell (pictured), more recently the founder of consultancy Analytical People, has worked in business and analytical consulting roles for more than twenty years, on projects ranging from ad hoc analyses through to multi-user, automated solutions delivered through statistics, data mining and predictive analytics.

In 2004, he co-founded web and predictive analytics firm Applied Insights, which was acquired by user experience consultancy Foviance in 2008. Prior to this, he held a variety of roles at SPSS, including launching the firm's consulting practice in the UK, and serving as Director of Technical Services across EMEA for SPSS Market Research. He was later a founder member of Chicago-based Eucid, a professional services spin-off from SPSS.

Cobalt Sky MD Raz Khan says McConnell's techniques, when combined with his firm's approach, will provide a platform to deliver advanced analytics strategies that 'distil down data and simplify complexity'.

The new service covers areas such as key driver analysis, segmentation, simulations and predictive analytics, and can be used by clients to increase customer satisfaction, show which market segments are most valuable, and demonstrate how a brand is perceived against its competitors.

McConnell comments: 'This is a great opportunity to combine best of breed data ops with leading edge analytics, to offer a more efficient and speedier service to the market research community.'

Web sites: www.cobalt-sky.com and www.analyticalpeople.com .