InSites Consulting expands executive management team

Left to right, Anneri Venter, Danie Botha, Marle Mans, Melissa Webb, Laura Liebenberg

Magali Geens

At the end of 2022, the agency already announced Els De Paepe as its new chief people officer. Today at the start of 2023, they announce managing partner Tom De Ruyck stepping into the new role of chief growth officer to drive global growth and install a regional support structure. Combined with bringing their regional managing directors Camille Nicita (USA), Magali Geens (EMEA), and Maz Amirahmadi (APAC), together with sub-branded Space Doctor’s managing director Fiona McNae, in the group’s Executive Committee, thereby putting client needs and regional realities front and center of the business.

As the agency migrates towards a fully integrated structure that optimally captures the added value of all acquired agencies for clients and co-workers, they state this expansion of their executive management team supports them in delivering a clear, global vision and strategy.

Kristof De Wulf

Kristof De Wulf, CEO of InSites Consulting: “This feels like the right time to make sound choices for the future, with all pieces now in place to embrace one integrated vision and strategy, backed up by a global structure. Being a truly global business now, the relative importance of our key regions has grown and that is why we redefined our executive structure to give our regions more support and influence across the business. We also have worked hard to consolidate our portfolio, bringing the best of all acquired agencies together for more client impact.”

InSites Consulting realized total revenues of $115m in 2022, representing a double-digit growth versus the year before, with almost half realised in EMEA, about one-third in the USA, and one-fifth in APAC. With their latest acquisition of Happy Thinking People (an international market research and innovation consultancy spanning Germany, Switzerland, and France) in January 2023, the global agency now unites 900 people across 23 locations.

Backed by a new managing director for EMEA, the leadership team at InSites Consulting South Africa (previously Columinate) is confident about a bright future for colleagues and clients, according to business director, Anneri Venter: “As a leadership team, we’re excited about the impact that a regional structure will have on us locally. Focusing on consumer insight in South Africa for the last 12 years has been enriching for me as it becomes a personal endeavor to help brands succeed. However, by collaborating with colleagues in Europe and the Middle East, I can already anticipate what’s next for our market, and what new technologies and methodologies can truly make an impact here, and I’m excited to share those with our clients.”