Excellence - celebrating 60 years
Finding and developing new talent
A global tour of the challenges
David Smith & Mario van Hamersveld
Abstract
There is now widespread acceptance within the market intelligence industry that our future rests on our ability to extend the skill set of market researchers to embrace a range of more business consultative skills.
However we have failed to make concrete breakthroughs in designing practical training programmes to disseminate this new approach throughout the world.
This paper identifies three breakthrough initiatives that could be spearheaded by ESOMAR, working within the World Industry Network (WIN) framework.
The first centres on commissioning a leading academic/practitioner to prepare the core curriculum for ‘new’ market research.
The second hinges on commissioning e-training experts to convert this material into modules that would be delivered in an online format.
The third, building on this material, is the publication of a book - a high profile market research success story - explaining how, in using the above skills, we are now making a creative contribution to business decision-making.
David Smith
DVL Smith Group, UK
David has 25 years marketing intelligence experience, most recently as CEO of a UK top ten market research agency.
David holds a PhD in Organisational Psychology from the University of London. He is a Fellow of the Market Research Society, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants.
He is a Professor at the University of Hertfordshire Business School and a former Chairman of the UK Market Research Society.
He has won numerous awards from the Market Research Society, ESOMAR and other bodies, and holds the MRS Silver Medal.
He is the author of ‘Inside Information – Making Sense of Marketing Data’ and ‘The Art & Science of Interpreting Market Research Evidence’.
Mario van Hamersveld
Van Hamersveld MC, Netherlands
Mario van Hamersveld studied economics and sociology at Rotterdam University.
He is Director of van Hamersveld MC specialising in international marketing, management and research.
Prior to his present role, he was Marketing Development Manager of the Consumer Electronics Division of Royal Philips in Amsterdam.
He served as management consultant in the strategy team and was Manager Marketing Research & Support for the Consumer Electronics Division.
He has also held other marketing and research positions with Philips at a corporate level over many years.
He has been engaged in a variety of international management, marketing training and development activities and contributed to various international publications.
He served on the board of a number of not-for-profit organizations and governmental bodies.
He has been active in ESOMAR as Council Member, 1990-1996, President, 1996-1998 and Acting Director General (2001-2003).
He is Editor-in-Chief of “Research World”. In September 2005 he was awarded the ESOMAR Excellence Award for Standards of Performance in Market, Opinion and Social Research, the “John Downham Award”