Lester Robert Frankel, 92, who as a young government statistician helped develop an early technique for measuring unemployment and later was a New York-based executive with marketing research firms, died February 11 at his home in Potomac, Md., after a stroke. He had congestive heart failure. In the late 1930s and early 1940s Frankel did statistical work for what became the Works Projects Administration. With another statistician, he conducted one of the first surveys of federal unemployment by developing an effective sampling method. Those findings were released in 1940.
This effort, later under control of the Census Bureau, became known as the Current Population Survey, a monthly government survey of U.S. households focused on employment trends.
After Navy service during World War II, Frankel became chief statistician at Dun & Bradstreet in New York. In 1951, he joined Alfred Politz Research as vice president and technical director. He retired in 1993 as executive vice president of Audits & Surveys Worldwide.
CBS Corporation has created CBS Vision, a new research unit designed to explore and offer insight on emerging technologies, media consumption patterns and advertising value in the media marketplace. David F. Poltrack will serve as president of CBS Vision and has been promoted to executive vice president and chief research officer for CBS Corporation.
San Diego-based health care firm Illumina, Inc. has named Matthew L. Posard vice president of marketing.
Carlsbad, Calif., data integration firm Advanced Warning Systems, Inc. has named Caitlin Ramsey director of marketing and communications. Marketing research will be among her new responsibilities.
Bristol, Tenn.-based King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has promoted Rick Kelly to senior product director with responsibility for marketing and life cycle management programs in the company’s CV/endocrinology therapeutic area. Adriann Sax has been named executive vice president, business development and strategic planning.
Research International has announced a number of personnel moves. Phil Sutcliffe has been appointed global client director, Research International Innovation Services in the U.K. Mark Cranmer has been named worldwide CEO of Research International. He replaces Roger Banks, who is in discussions about another role within Kantar. In the Chicago office: Peter Switzer has been named senior vice president and leader of the qualitative division in the U.S.; Larry Fisher and David Biernbaum have been named senior vice president; Frank Nowicki has been named senior financial analyst; Joanna Zero and Zach Duenow have been named manager; Jaclyn Peek has joined the qualitative team in Chicago as a research manager. In the Stamford, Conn., office: Jerry Forristal has been named senior vice president; Stefan Stefanov has been named senior account executive within the global health care practice; Manish Lulla has been named senior research manager on the marketing sciences team; and Roy Persson has been named manager.
Australia-based Pulse Group, a research process outsourcing supplier, has named N.K. Looi head of the solutions department at its new operations center in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. Cannie Tan has been named head of the new office’s client service department.
Cincinnati-based Sigma: Research Management Group has named Dennis Devlin director of quantitative services and Gayle Gerhardt manager, quantitative insights.
Golden, Colo.-based ingather research has named Jessica Schaller to its senior management team as controller.
ComScore Networks, Reston, Va., has named Samantha Voisin vice president of media/entertainment solutions. She will be based in Los Angeles.
House Market Research, Rockville, Md., has announced the return of Elaine House Custead as president. In addition, the firm promoted Thomas Towles to executive director of its Baltimore conference center and Lisa Marshall to executive director of its Rockville conference center.
Allan Bowditch has joined New York research firm the Ziment Group in a strategic advisor role.
Derek Blair has been named senior vice president and will head the new Calgary office of Vancouver, B.C.-based NRG Research Group. The firm has named Greg Turner vice president and installed him as head of its new Edmonton office. In addition, Rod Love, president of Rod Love Consulting in Calgary, has joined NRG as senior advisor.
Millward Brown has announced a number of hires and promotions at its associated companies. Gordon Pincott, previously working jointly for Millward Brown UK and the global development team, has been named global development director. Surekha Poddar has been named head of Millward Brown’s customer loyalty management business in Asia-Pacific. Robert Vinet has been appointed managing director, Millward Brown France. Tim Wragg has joined Millward Brown UK as head of client service. Trevor Acreman has been named head of business development, Millward Brown UK. Promotions: James Conrad to managing director, Millward Brown Canada; Nick Findlay to executive vice president, Millward Brown North America; Angela Federici to senior vice president, pharmaceutical practice, Fairfield, Conn.; Jake Kolb to vice president, Fairfield, Conn. Graceann Bennett has joined Greenfield Consulting Group as a managing director based in Chicago. At Greenfield Consulting Group, Westport, Conn., David Hirschler has been named managing director; Brett Zinober has been promoted to managing director; and Anne Lantz has been promoted to senior vice president.
Survey Sampling International, Fairfield, Conn., has announced several personnel moves in conjunction with the opening of new offices in Europe. Andrew Moffatt has been named sales director for Europe. He is based in London and joins Pete Cape, Martin Cawley, Kim Fredrik Schneider and Gaelle Normand, who handle U.K. operations. To run European operations, Michel Guidi has been named COO. He is based in a new office in Paris together with Nicolas Nore, Geraldine Donat, Celine Chardon and Renaud Farrugia. In addition, Mauricio Torres Leclerc and Marko Zednik are leading the development of a new Madrid office. At the Rotterdam office, Helene Chauvin and Julien Dauvilliers consolidate central operations.
Brian Zaff has joined CSS/Datatelligence, a division of Cunningham Research Group, Inc., Ormond Beach, Fla., as chief research officer. Ana Escudero has joined Datatelligence Online as manager of client service.
Indianapolis-based Walker Information has named new project directors in its client serve team: Lisa O’Keefe, Emily Eberhardt, Marena Gammons, Mi Sook Kang, Shannon Collins, Lindsay Smarker and Deric Roberts. In addition, the firm has promoted Shellie Miller and Joe Horvath to program manager, and Marina Molenda to senior program manager. Separately, Julie Easton , vice president of data and report processing at Walker Information, was selected as winner of the 2006 Women & Hi Tech Leading Light Award in the category for distinguished use of technology in a service industry. Selected for her demonstrated excellence in creating and delivering business value through the use of technology, Easton was one of nine overall category winners recognized at the annual awards dinner. The Leading Light Awards recognize women of achievement in science, education and technology who have set an example to others by demonstrating expertise, professionalism, leadership, service, courage and tenacity in pursuing their chosen career.
Arbitron Inc., New York, has promoted Joan FitzGerald to vice president, sales and new product development for the Portable People Meter new product development group to lead sales and development efforts for the Arbitron side of Project Apollo. The firm also promoted Sheena Lewis to manager, customer relations for cable and out-of-home sales.
Stamford, Conn., research firm InsightExpress has named Niki Tyson senior account executive in the technology sector and Adam Brucker senior account executive in the media sector. Harmen Westra has been appointed director of AdInsights, East Coast, and Annette Mullin has been named director of marketing and account management for the AdInsights group.
G & S Research, Carmel, Ind., has named Mike Bandick business unit leader and promoted Susie Hunnicut to research director and Jon Ditmer to data analyst.
Ian Pierpoint, head of Synovate YC , the Vancouver, B.C.-based youth research division of Synovate, has been chosen as one of British Columbia’s “Top 40 under 40” businesspeople by the publication Business in Vancouver.
New York researcher Synovate has named Joel Rubinson senior vice president and general manager of solutions.
Fairfield, Conn.-based research firm IMS Health has named David R. Carlucci chairman, CEO and president.
Gill Redfern, Kathryn Boxall and Ann Thompson have joined U.K. research agency Nunwood as account director.
M/A/R/C Research, Irving, Texas, has named Kevin Robertson senior vice president. He will lead M/A/R/C’s Greensboro, N.C. office. Donna Lowell has been named research manager in Greensboro.
Harris Interactive, Rochester, N.Y., has named Ronald E. Salluzzo executive vice president and chief financial officer. In addition, Michael Lowenstein has been named vice president and senior consultant in the firm’s customer loyalty management research practice.
Michael Warner and Tony Ceccoli have joined Freedonia Custom Research, Inc., Cleveland, as business development manager and senior analyst.
Boston-based Yankee Group announced management changes, as the firm launches its first year under new ownership. Brad Hecht has reassumed the role of chief research officer. The firm’s three global research groups - telecommunications/ wireless/mobile, consumers/ media/entertainment and IT - will unite under Hecht. Berge Ayvazian has been named chief strategy officer. Executive Vice President Rob Rich has left to pursue other interests. Rich’s responsibilities will be shared by Eileen Eastman, Zeus Kerravala, Keith Mallinson and Boyd Peterson.
Seattle-based Global Market Insite, Inc. has named Leon de Koning managing director for Northern Europe and tapped him to head its new Netherlands office.