Growing BDRC Continental Restructures and Promotes Seven

Expanding UK-based agency BDRC Continental has created two new divisions, Commercial and On the Move, and promoted Ian Stevens and Matt Costin, respectively, to lead them as Managing Directors. Five other promotions include Richard Smith, who becomes a Director and joins the Board.

The Commercial Division comprises three teams: Finance & Business, Media, and Sports & Sponsorship. Stevens, who specialises in branding, NPD, customer experience and distribution, co-founded BDRC in 1991 with current CEO Dr Cris Tarrant. In addition to his overall leadership role he will continue to be responsible for several key client accounts in the financial services sector.

The On the Move Division includes teams for Travel, Tourism & Leisure, Transport, Hotels, Meetings & Hospitality and Public Sector clients. Costin joined BDRC in 2002 and has been Head of the company's Hotels & Hospitality Division since 2008.

Smith joined the company in 2001, and is focused on international research and qualitative, the latter including the company's proprietary technique ZMET.

In addition, the company has promoted Joy Owen and Karen Troubridge to Associate Director; Nat Wiseman to Client Services Manager; and Nick Grigg to Research Executive.

Tarrant says the two new divisions are a response to growth, with the BDRC Group now numbering 170 full-time staff worldwide. He comments: 'We pride ourselves on our deep sector knowledge, and this new structure enables better cross-pollination of our ideas, best practice, and award-winning methodologies and approaches such as Playsment and Tracktion.'

The firm is online at www.bdrc-continental.com .