About us
People
Over 250 strategists, research consultants, developers, and data scientists.
Insights
A leader in Insights R&D. We’ve developed new tools and analytics capabilities to help researchers get closer to consumers and how they make decisions.
Location
Offices in Toronto, Chicago, and London.
People
Over 250 strategists, research consultants, developers, and data scientists.
Insights
A leader in Insights R&D. We’ve developed new tools and analytics capabilities to help researchers get closer to consumers and how they make decisions.
Location
Offices in Toronto, Chicago, and London.
Our founders
Back in 2010, four researchers wanted to build an agency that cared deeply about their employees, built best in-class products, and churned out actionable, decision-centric research. So they did it.
Paul Gaudette
CEO
Ian Ash
CSO
Michael Edwards
CMO
Dominic Atkinson
CCO
Our senior leadership
Jess Gaedeke
CRO
Rob Volpe
Founder, Ignite 360
Brad Newman
CFO
Marcie Connan
EVP, Quant
Patricia King
EVP, Qual
Kevin Hare
EVP, Quant
Joel Anderson
EVP, Advanced Analytics
Frank Beirne
EVP, Technology
Robin Brown
EVP, Quant
Jill Orum
EVP, Quant
Frank Serpico
EVP, Quant
Patrick Lambert
SVP, Upsiide
Jill Jacobs
VP, HR
Mike Bergsma
VP, Business Systems and Operations
Meagan Healey
VP, Marketing & Communications
What we’re known for
Choice-based approaches to research
Decisions may not be rational, but they should be predictable. At least we think so. Our clients often come back because we’re relentless about getting at the logic (or lack there of) behind consumer decision-making.
Leveraging technology (usually our own)
We’re transforming the way insights are uncovered and delivered with our own mix of proprietary tools, like Upsiide and Virtual Market and AI idea generators.
Advanced analytics and visualizations
We’ve got a powerhouse team of analytics and artificial intelligence pros that work hand-in-hand with our technology and client teams to deliver dashboarding and data visualizations that reveal new insight.
Our company values
Energy
With a combination of working hard, working smart, and bringing a winning attitude, we create opportunities for ourselves and our clients.
Excellence
Our work is technically perfect and beautifully presented. We deliver on promises and exceed expectations.
Evolution
We are curious and unafraid to question the status quo. We draw from the best changes in the industries around us.
Equality
We value and actively seek diverse perspectives. We believe that our other values are only possible when every voice is equally heard.
Empathy
We seek to see the world the way others might see it, finding common ground with our colleagues, our clients, and with the people that provide the data upon which our business is built.
We’re the people behind Upsiide, the research technology platform that’s purpose-built for any of your innovation testing needs.
A bit about us…
Languages spoken
Countries worked in
Years in business
Our guiding principles
Impulse drives decisions
Consumers make hundred of decisions every day. They make most category decisions in a split second, drawing on heuristics that they have developed over years and that are constantly evolving. We need insights that reflect the reality in which decisions occur.
Decisions occur in context
Every decision involves rejecting numerous potential alternatives. Most research fails to reflect this, favoring monadic testing. Wherever possible, we include tradeoffs in our work. Tradeoffs identify ideas that have the potential to shift choice in a competitive context and succeed in market.
Attitudes don't predict decisions
The decision-making centre of the brain is distinct from the language centre. When you ask questions about decisions, you are speaking to the part of the brain that justifies decisions, not the part that makes decisions. We use behavior in custom environments that we build (e.g. Upsiide, Virtual Market) to forecast behavior. We use innovative experiences (e.g. emoji question, Lens) to understand attitudes. Attitudes still matter, as they drive behavior.
Data needs to be actionable
Having the right data does not make you a change leader. Effective action makes you a change leader. As companies grow, making meaningful change becomes more challenging, making it even more important to have the right data and the right processes.
Impulse drives decisions
Consumers make hundred of decisions every day. They make most category decisions in a split second, drawing on heuristics that they have developed over years and that are constantly evolving. We need insights that reflect the reality in which decisions occur.
Decisions occur in context
Every decision involves rejecting numerous potential alternatives. Most research fails to reflect this, favoring monadic testing. Wherever possible, we include tradeoffs in our work. Tradeoffs identify ideas that have the potential to shift choice in a competitive context and succeed in market.
Attitudes don't predict decisions
The decision-making centre of the brain is distinct from the language centre. When you ask questions about decisions, you are speaking to the part of the brain that justifies decisions, not the part that makes decisions. We use behavior in custom environments that we build (e.g. Upsiide, Virtual Market) to forecast behavior. We use innovative experiences (e.g. emoji question, Lens) to understand attitudes. Attitudes still matter, as they drive behavior.
Data needs to be actionable
Having the right data does not make you a change leader. Effective action makes you a change leader. As companies grow, making meaningful change becomes more challenging, making it even more important to have the right data and the right processes.
Looking for your next adventure?