ICM Adds Two to Board, as Two Step Down

In the UK, Creston-owned ICM Group has appointed BT's former research head James Turner and Optimisa's former CEO Andrew Wiseman to its Board, while announcing that MD Matt Burn and Director Gary Muncaster are about to leave the company.

ICM Group, which comprises ICM Research, ICM Direct and Fieldwork UK - is part of Creston's Insight Division, which includes Marketing Sciences, Newvista Research and CML Research.

Turner will join ICM Group next month, to focus on developing new research solutions, including those for social media, and feeding these into Creston's overall social media strategy.

Most recently, he worked for Fresh Minds, where for the past year he has led the Research Communities and Panels practice. For the six years prior to this, he served as Head of Research at BT, in charge of managing supplier relationships, overseeing continuous research, and pioneering the use of numerous web 2.0 research techniques.

Wiseman will take responsibility for leading the Telecoms, Media & Technology team, while also enhancing ICM Research's advanced analytics capabilities.

He began his career in Nielsen's global Advanced Analytics division, before becoming Director of Market Analytics at Nunwood, and leading Optimisa's research business. He joins from customer panel specialist Verve, for whom he has helped establish a Leeds office.

The pair will join Steve Ogborn and Robert McLaurin as part of the ICM Research leadership team.

'Our ability to attract two of the brightest young talents in the research business bears testimony not just to the existing strength of the ICM brand but also to its future potential,' says ICM Group Chairman, Justin Sampson. 'By enhancing our analytics offering and innovating in the social media space, ICM will continue to meet the full range of our clients' needs.'

No official reason has yet been given for Burn and Muncaster's leaving the firm, but Sampson said they had played a 'tremendous role' in the development of ICM over the last decade.

Web site: www.icmresearch.co.uk .