Media Agency Hires Leader for New Insight Team

Independent London-based media agency the7stars has appointed former Aevolve Group Director Dale Simmons as Director of Data, overseeing the firm's insight, evaluation and analysis activity and with a remit to establish an insight team.

Simmons, who reports to founding partner Jenny Biggam, will also work specifically on agency clients Gumtree and Nuffield.

He joined Aevolve, part of Aegis, in 2006, and took responsibility for a team providing analytics and data planning services across Isobar and all Aegis Media's agencies. His work also focused on research into ad effectiveness and intelligent targeting methodologies. Prior to this, he worked at Shelter, and ran his own data consultancy, 80:20 Marketing.

Biggam says the7stars has always recognised and developed the importance of data, but that Simmons' appointment will help the agency 'take things to the next level'. She comments: 'His track record is fantastic - he's worked on brilliant blue-chip clients and created really innovative ways of opening up data to make it useful and understandable.'

The firm is online at www.the7stars.co.uk .