InSites Consulting strengthens its South African team

May 27, 2022

Online communities expert InSites Consulting has made seven new hires for its Johannesburg office, including three senior appointments: research directors Simone Kakana and Heike Viviers, and business development director Danie Botha.

InSites Consulting acquired the South African agency Columinate at the end of 2018 and consolidated it under the parent brand at the start of 2020. Globally, the group employs more than 800 people in around 20 offices.

Kakana and Viviers together bring 35 years of industry experience to the company. Viviers returns after a three-year stint at Ask Afrika where she specialized in financial services and telecommunications research; while Kakana previously worked as a Brand Knowledge Specialist at South African Breweries and Head of Consumer Knowledge at Heineken.

Botha brings seventeen years of industry experience, including as Chief Commercial Officer at BMi Research and Head of Research and Insights at Retail Engage. His experience includes work in the FMCG, liquor, retail, packaging and education industries.

Senior research advisers Zanele Coka and Luzelle van Niekerk, along with research advisers Lauren Govender and Sasha Maharaj, are also joining the agency in Johannesburg. Coka comes from ProQuo AI, while van Niekerk comes from Consulta. Both Govender and Maharaj previously worked at Ask Afrika and Ipsos South Africa.

Elna Pretorius, Acting MD, says the agency is committed to increasing its qualitative expertise in a quantitative-dominated market: “We recently welcomed a number of very talented consultants to the Johannesburg office, to match and maintain our growth trajectory continues… Specifically, we are integrating qualitative experts into the business as we believe hybrid insight communities can help brands in South Africa build a sustainable future.”

Website: www.insites-consulting.com .

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, unless otherwise noted.