Basking Ridge, N.J. (October 6, 2009) — Lightspeed Research, a leading online global research provider, announced the appointment of Efrain Ribeiro as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Based in Owings Mills, Maryland and reporting to Lightspeed Research’s President and Global Chief Executive Officer David Day, Ribeiro is responsible for Global Online Operations. Initially, he will also assume a leading role in the integration of the recently acquired TNS 6thdimension online panel business.
In a career that spans over 25 years, Ribeiro has been an innovator in the online panel business and set standards for quality and best practices. He began his career at The Arbitron Company where he was responsible for both the radio and television service operations in the ‘80s and
early ‘90s. As Head of Global Access Panels at TNS/NFO in 1999, Ribeiro developed and launched one of the first online custom panel services. He was responsible for the recruitment, management, sampling, and research-on-research for consumer, web-based, and proprietary global panels. Ribeiro’s efforts resulted in high response rates, long panelist tenure, and the development and adherence to best practices with particular emphasis on meeting clients’ sampling and timing requirements.
Prior to joining Lightspeed Research, he was COO and Head of Respondent Access and Engagement at Ipsos, where he oversaw the operations and development of their online and offline panels. He is an original member of the ARF Online Research Quality Council Steering Committee and was instrumental in conducting the 2009 groundbreaking study Foundations of Quality.
“I will ensure our clients can take advantage of our unique and powerful offering,” said Ribeiro. “With Lightspeed Research’s online development resources and extensive panel expertise, we will continue to use research and technology innovations to gain access to research participants during these quickly evolving times.”
“With the recent merger of the TNS 6thdimension panel business into Lightspeed Research, Lightspeed Research will provide a unique and unsurpassed combination of the best and largest online panels for respondent sourcing globally in the industry,” said Riberio. “We are in a position to establish consistent best practices and leading online data quality processes, which will ensure the integrity of our research. I’m excited to be a part of that.”
“We are truly delighted to have Efrain join us,” said President and Global Chief Executive Officer David Day. “He brings a wealth of experience in the field of operations and is widely respected within the research industry. Based on Efrain’s extensive background, thought leadership, and commitment to quality and best practices, we couldn’t have asked for a better person to help lead the integration of the Lightspeed Research and TNS 6thdimension panel businesses. His hiring shows our continued commitment to be the pre-eminent global online panel provider.”
About Lightspeed Research
Through proprietary global panels and research products and services, Lightspeed Research delivers valuable data to help businesses make informed decisions. From recruitment, to activity level, to ongoing profiling, Lightspeed Research’s panels are actively managed to provide engaged survey respondents and support studies that range in scope and complexity across industry sectors. Deeply profiled specialty panels including automotive, B2B, beverage, family and household, finance, health and wellness, media consumption, mobile phone, beauty and
personal care, sports and hobbies, and travel and leisure, provide quick access to target audiences. As a quality leader, Lightspeed Research has implemented extensive measures to prevent fraudulent panel registrations and poor survey data.
Lightspeed Research is part of Kantar, the information, insight and consultancy division of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services companies. For more information, please visit www.lightspeedresearch.com or send an email to info@lightspeedresearch.com.
About Kantar
Kantar is one of the world’s largest insight, information and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of its 13 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 95 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies. For further information, please visit us at www.kantar.com.
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