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MARKET RESEARCH
Research house Ask Afrika unveils new structure and key appointments
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024
Independent market research specialist says it aims to take its skills and benchmarking products into new international markets.
Market Research company Ask Afrika has unveiled a new corporate structure and made several key appointments as it kicks off 2024 with an international expansion strategy.
Founded in 1995 by Andrea Rademeyer as a single-person business, it has since expanded to become a well-established independent research player in Africa and other emerging markets. It has a special focus on benchmarking products such as the Ask Afrika Orange Index and Ask Afrika Icon Brands.
Ilan Sparrius is the new CEO of Ask Africa. Photo: LinkedIn
To facilitate the new global expansion strategy, Rademeyer has moved from her role as CEO to the new position of Executive Chair. She will be active in the research industry and involved in assisting the company to formulate new strategies, grow client value and form global alliances.
The CEO chair is now being filled by Ilan Sparrius, who was most recently Director of Product at Touchsides (a subsidiary of Heineken) and Head of eBusiness for Heineken SA.
“Sparrius is an industry doyenne with more than 24 years’ experience leading businesses and teams in the retail and consumer-goods industries and has a deep understanding of emerging market consumers,” Ask Afrika says in a media statement.
Appointment to the role of Chief Client Officer
Luan de Wet has returned to the business to assume the role of Chief Client Officer. She was previously Senior Manager of Customer Insights at Telesure, the holding company for leading financial service providers such as Auto & General, Budget Insurance and Budget Direct.
She will focus on excellence in strategic client partnerships, driving a focus on client-centricity, creating value from data, and delivering professional services.
Sarina de Beer, longstanding Managing Director of Ask Afrika, has been promoted to Global Products Director, where she will promote Ask Afrika’s growth in emerging markets.
“We have excellent benchmark products. Making these products available in a global market will enable our client partners to gain comparative insights using the same benchmarks,” says Rademeyer.
With additional human capital on board, we can [make] our vision of being the ultimate authority on benchmarks in emerging markets a reality.”
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