Former Research CEOs Form InsightTech Advisors

In the US, former SSI, Kantar Health and Yankee Group CEOs Jim Follett, Elaine Riddell and Terry Waters have launched a company called InsightTech Advisors, to help marketing insights providers find new value and growth opportunities in the marketplaces they serve.

The new firm offers an innovation model called the Growth Operating System, to support businesses with their product, sales and operations plans. The approach starts by aligning a client's team with potential growth solutions, then uses insights from both clients and employees to help 'unlock' the potential. The aim is to engrain discipline for go-to-market and continuous innovation into an organization, sustain growth and guide clients through periods of transformative change. Coinciding with the launch, the company has released a study called FutureView which aims to define and understand the 'disruptive changes' shaping the evolution of the insights market, and the players driving these changes.

Follett held senior roles at IRI, before taking up the newly created role of COO at NOP World (acquired by GfK); he then became CEO of SSI and later of Authentic Response. More recently, he set up Trebuchet Impact Advisors - a consulting practice helping marketing information services companies grow. Riddell began her MR career at IMS Health, before spending the next decade at NOP World, latterly as CEO, and then serving as CEO of TNS Health (later Kantar Health), and then CEO of DECISIO, supporting business growth for companies in the tech-enabled marketing and commercial intelligence sector. Waters was CEO of tech research and advisory firm Yankee Group before it was acquired by The 451 Group in 2013, when he became Divisional CEO. More recently, he ran his own consultancy, working with clients on business model, organization and go-to-market strategies.

Commenting on the launch, Waters said: 'Each of us are C-Level operating executives with substantial experience and success guiding market-leading information services companies through transformative change and sustained growth. Now, our focus is to leverage this experience to help marketing and commercial insights companies unlock new value and growth'.

Web site: www.insighttechadvisors.com .