Daily Research News Online no. 5782 - Changes Prepare GMI for Growth

Changes Prepare GMI for Growth

August 1 2006

MR software and panel provider GMI has announced a worldwide restructuring, gearing up for further growth following its recent closing of $35 million in venture capital. The moves include senior promotions for Dr. Larry Schack in the US and Dietmar Walter in London, and a new Asian leadership team chaired by Tatt Chen.

Dr. Schack, formerly Executive VP, Client Services, becomes President, GMI Americas, based in Seattle. Lowell Ricklefs (Executive VP of Sales, Americas) and Marcio Boiajion (General Manager, GMI Latin America) will now report to him.

Walter (MD, EMEA Sales) has been promoted to Vice President, EMEA. Uwe Lorenz, Leon de Koning and Alexander Shashkin (MDs respectively for Central & Eastern Europe; Northern Europe; and GMI Russia) will now report to him, as will Per Jacobsen, President of MI Pro in Norway.

The Asia Leadership Team will consist of Tatt Chen (MD, Client Services), Ludovic Milet (MD, Sales), Patrick Pun (General Manager, Greater China), Kevin Tan (MD, Business Development) and Benny Huang (Marketing Director, Asia-Pacific). Chairman Chen reports in to GMI Founder and CEO, Rob Monster.

The company has also recruited a leader for its new Syndicated Research group: Michael Allenson joins from Technomic, a Chicago-based MR provider to restaurant operators and food suppliers worldwide, where he was Principal and MD of the Center for Food Service Consumer Research. GMI says Allenson's team 'will rapidly build a world-class syndicated research capability that encompasses a myriad of vertical markets', via partnerships with key leaders in each industry. Allenson says the team will provide MR firms with 'exciting new opportunities to collect and manage intelligence in pivotal segments.'

Allenson previously spent 12 years as a Senior Associate for researchers Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. Technomic and GMI have also announced a strategic partnership.

Other recent senior appointments include Jake Sedlock, as Vice President, Enterprise Sales, based in Seattle and Gigi Hayden as Sales Director, Connecticut. Sedlock brings more than 16 years of sales channel experience - he spent five years as the Microsoft Global Account Manager for Gartner and then moved in 2004 to Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates where he was a Senior Director. He holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, and an engineering degree from the University of Michigan.

Hayden joins from Forrester Research, where she was a Senior Account Manager, Strategic Accounts. She worked earlier in senior sales and account management positions for Jupiter Media Metrix in New York, and spent time as a Consultant and Producer at A&E Television Networks, New Media Group.

GMI has also hired Sagar Pawar and Vivek Agarwal as Data Analysts, Client Services - India; Erik Routson as a Systems Engineer, IT in Seattle; Tristen Pelton as Sales Assistant/Office Coordinator in Los Angeles; and Shawn Mayzes as a Web Developer in Vancouver, Canada.

Monster comments: 'This is an exciting time in the company's history. In recent months, we have seen a dramatic acceleration in the growth of our business. We are organizing ourselves, so that we stay close to our demanding customers and strategic partners as we scale.' The firm has more than 100 current job openings, many of which can be found on MrWeb at www.mrweb.com/jobs . GMI is online at www.gmi-mr.com .