Irving Merson, former president of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, St. Paul, Minn., and principal of Irving Merson Associates, died on October 12 at age 73.
 
Arbitron Inc., a Columbia, Md., research company, has named Kim Myers manager, senior media relations. Gregg Lindner has also joined the company as chief research officer and executive vice president, service innovation.

Chicago research company Synovate has made several appointments to its global operations: Klaus Paur, managing director, Synovate Motoresearch, Greater China and Korea; Jeff Stewart, executive director, Synovate in Hong Kong; Paul Villa, senior vice president, payer and market access research, Synovate Healthcare; and Xavier Quenaudon, senior vice president, customer experience. Additionally, the company has promoted Tamer El Naggar to CEO, Middle East and North Africa.

Randy Giusto has joined New York research company Ipsos Vantis as senior vice president, technology.

Digital Research Inc., Kennebunk, Maine, has hired John Leggett as research director and William Buxton as research assistant.

Ted McConnell has been named executive vice president, digital, of the Advertising Research Foundation, New York.

QSR International, a Doncaster, Australia, research company, has hired Tim Macdermid as vice president, global sales. He will be based in Melbourne.

Kieron Mathews, managing director of Kadence UK Ltd., a division of Framingham, Mass., research company Kadence International, has relocated to the company’s North American office.

Vancouver, B.C., research company Vision Critical has appointed Van Guerra as vice president, global panel recruitment. Guerra will be based in Toronto. The company has also named Ashira Gobrin senior vice president, central operations group.
 
Quick Test/Heakin, a Jupiter, Fla., research company, has named Dennis Hill manager of Quick Test/Heakin’s Tacoma, Wash., facility. The company has also promoted Christal Boling to manager of its Detroit facility.

The Qualitative Research Consultants Association, St. Paul, Minn., has elected its board of directors for 2010-2011: Nancy Hardwick, Hardwick Research; Susan Thornhill, Thornhill Associates; Matthew Towers, Towers Research Services; Susan Saurage-Altenloh, Saurage Research; Liz Van Patten, Van Patten Research; Benjamin Smithee, Spych Market Analytics; Manuela Fletcher, Andrew Fletcher Consulting Ltd.; Foster Winter, Sigma: Research Management Group; and Susan Abbott, Abbott Research and Consulting.

Ipsos Loyalty, a Toronto research company, has hired Joe Mann as vice president, business development. Mann will be based in Minneapolis.

Lisa Fridley has been promoted to vice president of MarketVision Research, Cincinnati.
 
ICM Research, London, has added Nathan Bartlett to its retail team; David Perry as project director to its financial team; Arwen Sleigh and Jess Jarvin as project manager to its financial division; Kathryn Hall as associate director, qualitative; Nora Hungershoefer as project manager; and Hadiya Hassan as qualitative administrator.

Interviewing Service of America, a Van Nuys, Calif., research company, has promoted Jennifer Holland to vice president, client services. She will head the company’s western New York office.
 
Alex Camacho has been named senior consultant, multicultural services, of The Pert Group, a Bloomfield, Conn., research company.

Chapel Hill, N.C., research firm The Futures Company has made two appointments to its future-facing quantitative practice: Steve Levine, senior vice president; and Christine Baskin, senior vice president, research and consulting.

The Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has added Meredith Milliner and Rose Ayres as graduate assistants.

Stephen Hearn has been named global head of GfK Healthcare, a Blue Bell, Pa., research company.

John Harrison has been named executive vice president, sales and marketing, of Optimum Solutions Corporation, a Lynbrook, N.Y., research company.

John DiStefano has joined New York marketing magazine BtoB as research director.

RDA Group, a Bloomfield Hills, Mich., research company, has hired Frank Forkin as executive vice president and partner.

Opinion Leader, a research division of Chime Communications, London, has appointed Dominic Scott-Malden as research director and Catherine Plews as senior research executive.

ABI Research, Oyster Bay, N.Y., has appointed Aapo Markkanen as industry analyst, consumer mobility. Markkanen will be based in London.

Leeds, U.K., research company Nunwood has appointed Anna Thomas to lead its Sydney, Australia, office as joint managing director, APAC. The company has also promoted Ann Thompson to joint managing director. Thompson will be based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Andy Grout and Matt Coggan have been named joint managing partners of JRA Research, Nottingham, U.K. The company also promoted Paul Summers to chairman.

Rentrak Corporation, a Portland, Ore., research company, has appointed Brent Rosenthal as vice chairman of the board of directors.

Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive has hired Pavan Bhalla as executive vice president, CFO and treasurer.

George H. Terhanian has joined Dallas research company Toluna as chief strategy and products officer.

Boston research company Communispace has named Howard Kogan chief technology and strategy officer.

Robinson Leoni, manager, client development, of Research Now, Dallas, has been appointed to lead the company’s Milan, Italy, office.

Recently-merged U.K. research consultancies SPA and Future Thinking have hired Adeline Baret to head their Paris office.

Stockholm, Sweden, research company Cint has hired Grant Miller and Mary Williams as director, client development; and Ryan Jay as director, operations. Jay will be based in Los Angeles.

Toronto research company LoyaltyOne has hired Stephanie Cohen as partner, financial services; and Fred Thompson as partner, retail.