Synovate expands Business Consulting and Marketing Management Analytics presence in Asia Pacific with new hires

HONG KONG — Global market research company Synovate today announced the appointment of Erik Hellquist as Head of Synovate Business Consulting (BC) in Hong Kong and Satoshi Ayukawa as Business Development Manager for Synovate’s Marketing Management Analytics unit in Tokyo. This signifies continued growth and investment in these areas across the Asia Pacific region.

Synovate Business Consulting assists clients globally to enter, evolve and expand in emerging and developed markets through fact-based market analysis. Areas of specialization include market opportunity assessment, competitive analysis, new product development, distribution channel and value chain analysis, market entry strategy, and partner diligence.

Mr. Hellquist will be responsible for continuing the growth of Hong Kong’s Business Consulting operations as a major regional hub in Asia Pacific and Greater China. Mr. Hellquist brings with him valuable experience in the field of consulting and market research, having previously served as the Head of Market Intelligence for Assa Abloy in Sweden and Tal-os Asia in Hong Kong.

Mr. Hellquist comments: “With the Hong Kong economy picking up I see great opportunities emerging. I am looking forward to working with the team of high-caliber analysts in Hong Kong and throughout the region.”

Mr. Ayukawa will concentrate his efforts in developing Synovate’s Marketing Management Analytics business in Japan, which has recently been rolled out across Asia Pacific. MMA is firmly established in the USA as the gold standard in maximizing marketing effectiveness through an integrated offering of powerful analytics and marketing metrics. Mr. Ayukawa brings with him a wealth of consulting experience in Japan in the marketing analytics field and impressive academic credentials.

“I am greatly looking forward to building on my 20+ years of experience in this field to further the growth of MMA amongst major clients in Japan,” says Mr. Ayukawa.

Peter Snell, Synovate CEO of Business Consulting, expressed his delight with the new appointments: “In spite of the current market conditions Synovate Business Consulting continues to grow, and with our heritage of more than 2,000 successful consulting engagements around the globe we are well placed to continue this success. The addition of professionals like Erik and Satoshi will enable Synovate Business Consulting to continue to forge ahead strongly.”

About Synovate Business Consulting

Synovate Business Consulting is the strategic business unit that assists clients globally to enter, evolve and expand in emerging and developed markets through fact-based market analysis. The areas of specialization include market opportunity assessment, competitive analysis, new product development, distribution channel and value chain analysis, market entry strategy, and partner diligence. For more information, please visit www.synovate.com/bc/.

About Marketing Management Analytics

MMA pioneered the use of marketing mix modeling to help companies plan, measure, validate, and optimize their marketing performance. Since that time, MMA has conducted more than 1,000 studies on hundreds of brands and businesses in more than 20 countries. MMA’s clients include many of the most recognized marketers in the world. MMA became a unit of Synovate in December 2008. For more information about Avista DSS and other MMA services, visit www.mma.com.

About Synovate

Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,700 staff across 62 countries.

For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.