Job Cuts and Restructure for Harris

Harris Interactive's new President and CEO Kimberly Till has implemented a series of restructuring initiatives, including a net loss of 51 US jobs, c.8% of the total US full-time workforce; the formation of new vertical teams; and changes in senior management.

This news follows the company's first quarter loss of $2.3m, compared with a profit of $1.1m a year ago, and Till's appointment in October.

The job cuts, in research, project management, operations, marketing, sales, and corporate, were located throughout the firm's US sites, and are expected to save approximately $5m to $6m annually.

In a similar move in the summer, Harris also cut jobs in the UK.

The firm's US research units have been reorganised into vertical teams which will focus on client issues, insight delivery, and the creation of overall value. Centers of Excellence have been formed, through which new products and solutions will be developed, and the company is already recruiting for these 'high-performance' teams.

Current President of Europe George Terhanian returns to the US as President of Global Solutions, where he will oversee the Centers of Excellence, direct the firm's new product development process, and manage the company's public opinion measure, The Harris Poll.

Deborah Rieger-Paganis has been appointed interim CFO, replacing Ronald Salluzzo who leaves his position today. She will continue in the role until a new CFO is found.

'These are our first steps to reshape the company and rebuild revenue and profits,' stated Till. 'Going forward, we will continue to focus our efforts on raising our level of thought leadership by creating strong client-facing teams; leveraging technology to increase efficiency and gain competitive advantage; strategically expanding our global presence; and developing innovative products to deliver deeper insights and greater value.'

Web site: www.harrisinteractive.com .