Our People
Our History
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kae: marketing intelligence is a strategic marketing consultancy that delivers evidence-based, strategic marketing advice focused on: - Propositions
- Customers
- Markets
- Competitors
- Channels
We enable our clients to: - Identify and capitalise on market opportunities
- Stay ahead of competitors
- Optimise propositions
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Taking the best elements from both, we sit between the traditional management and strategy consultancies and the more externally focused NPD boutiques and Industry analysts.
This combination ensures that we present a unique combination of creative and analytical capabilities which in turn ensure that we always provide our clients with practical, implementable recommendations. |
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Our
People |
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Simon Dannatt: Chief Executive
Simon Dannatt is Chief Executive of kae: marketing intelligence. After graduating from Oxford as a Physicist, Simon worked at L.E.K. Consulting and what is now Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, developing his expertise in commercial market analysis and marketing strategy, working on a wide range of projects at senior management level across Europe.
Simon joined KAE in 1994 and became managing partner in 2000. Simon has focused on developing KAE’s activities in the payment card, travel, media and entertainment sectors, as well as growing the company organically and through acquisition. |
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David Rankin: Managing Director
David Rankin joined KAE in 1990, having previously worked at L.E.K. Consulting where he focused primarily on mergers & acquisitions across a variety of industries. He was also the Finance Director for a FTSE 250 plc.
In addition to his extensive NPD and forecasting experience, David has managed innumerable market opportunity and competitive intelligence assignments. His particular expertise is in designing and constructing analytical models that integrate primary and secondary data to provide critical decision-support advice. |
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Jonathan Waters: Operations Director Jonathan joined KAE in 2000, bringing extensive HR experience to the management team. He is responsible for all operational matters for the business.
He developed his people management skills initially at J Sainsbury plc reporting to the Board on remuneration strategy for the group and then joined a highly acquisitive IT Services company. |
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Paul Nola: Account Director
Telecommunications, Media & Technology
Paul Nola joined KAE in 2004 from integrated marketing agency Contra, having previously worked for Trend Consulting and BCG. Over the past 10 years Paul has consulted to many of the largest and most influential technology and telecommunications companies on marketing strategy issues including branding and positioning, demand forecasting, sales channel optimization and customer acquisition and retention strategies.
A graduate of the University of Bristol, in 2003 Paul completed an MBA at The Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London. |
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Kate Maloney: Account Director
Kate Maloney brings over 10 years experience in market research to KAE. She joined from Harris Interactive, having previously worked at TNS and Millward Brown.
Kate has a deep understanding of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the efficiency of data collection techniques and the relevance of various statistical analyses. She has worked across a number of key sectors including media, FMCG, automotive and grocery retailing and has applied best practice learnings both within and across sectors.
She graduated from the University of Sydney and also holds a Masters in Organisational Psychology from the University of New South Wales. |
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Leonie Mark: Account Director
Leonie Mark joined KAE from Bain & Company, where she specialised in the application of marketing research and analytics techniques. Prior to that she gained several years experience as a strategic marketing consultant with The Henley Centre.
Leonie has a strong track record of delivering high quality results to board members and senior managers across multiple industry sectors, including: financial services, telecoms, gaming, retail, professional services, government and luxury goods.
She is experienced across all elements of the customer lifecycle: customer acquisition and segmentation, new proposition development, customer experience mapping, market entry, customer lifetime value, loyalty & retention modelling and changing customer needs. |
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Damien Duhamel: Managing Director (Asia)
Damien has more than 14 years of strategy consulting-related experience in Asia Pacific. Prior to managing KAE Asia, he was the Asia Pacific Managing Director of the consulting arm of Synovate before establishing a growth and innovation boutique consultancy. He has worked on multiple Fortune 500 and Government projects and is recognised as an expert on competitive and growth strategy, having published multiple white papers and articles on the subject. He is also a regular on the conference circuit, speaking on growth and innovation. Damien holds a BA from the Victoria University (Australia) and a MBA from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business. |
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Heiko Bugs: Director (China)
Heiko is responsible for KAE Asia's Shanghai operation and has spent his last seven years working in Greater China. Prior to joining KAE Asia, he led the China operation of an international management consulting company, where he advised international companies on market entry and growth strategies. He has presented China topics at more than 25 international conferences and has spent the last three years focusing on the global strategic impact of the rapidly developing economic relationship between India and China. Heiko has an MA in Economics and Information Technology and gained an MBA from Rutgers University, New Jersey. |
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Our
History |
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- Established in 1969 by Peter Kraushar, Bryan Andrews and Richard Eassie
- Early focus on New Product Development
- Founders also set up the market research publishing firm Mintel in the mid-1970s
- In 1989 Richard Koch, one of the founders of renowned strategy consultancy L.E.K. left there to pursue new business interests
- Later that year, he and the then Chief Executive of KAE, Steve Souhami bought KAE from Mintel International
- Richard Koch moved on in the early 1990s but was replaced by two former colleagues from L.E.K. - Simon Dannatt and David Rankin
- Steve, Simon and David grew the company through the 1990s developing a strong reputation for incisive research, analytical rigour and practical thinking drawn from business understanding
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More recent history - KAE became a limited company in 2001
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- In April 2005 KAE negotiated a reverse take-over of Optimisa plc, an AIM-listed investment company
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- In March 2006 KAE was joined in the Optimisa Group by a US-based strategy consultancy
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- In October 2007 Optimisa completed the acquisition of EQ Group, raising the number of group companies to seven and increasing the scope for collaboration still further due to the complementary nature of the businesses acquired, notably quantitative specialists Buckingham Reseach Associates and full-service market research agency Quæstor
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