Ron Cosgrove, President
Ron Cosgrove is President of Leger Marketing in the US. Previously Ron was responsible for Leger’s healthcare consulting practice as well as the specialty healthcare sector of the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN). His responsibilities are to support development of resources and services to fulfill client needs. In his current role as US President, Ron develops client focused strategies and resource development. This includes the development of custom and syndicated market research to support a broad array of business decisions across industry sectors. Ron is an owner in the firm and member of the US Board of Directors.
Prior to joining Leger, Ron had been with TNS for nearly 18 years. During that time, he held management positions in market research operations, Stakeholder Management and business unit leader within the Healthcare practice.
Bruce Shandler, Strategic Advisor
Bruce has worked in the marketing research industry for over 35 years and was a partner at Intersearch, one of the premier top 10 research companies in the US. Prior to joining The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), Bruce was CEO of TNS North America and helped grow that organization from a 40 million dollar company to over 150 million dollar enterprise during his 6 year term. Bruce's primary area of expertise is rapidly growing small to medium research entities into major international organizations. His other areas of expertise include strategic development, technology research and mergers and acquisitions. Bruce served as a member of the TNS Board of Directors and the Advisory Board at University of Texas, Arlington. He is a graduate of Philadelphia University.
Howard Jaffe, Senior Vice President Healthcare
Howard Jaffe, Senior Vice President is a strategically oriented pharmaceutical market researcher whose capabilities span the life cycle of drugs from early clinical trials to years post-launch. He has applied his broad experience to innovations in qualitative and quantitative studies for new pharmaceutical products, brand development, and ad testing. He serves as team leader and is an active researcher. He works in a broad range of therapeutic classes including neuroscience, metabolism, anti-infectives, respiratory, oncology and immunology. Mr. Jaffe has had a varied career in pharmaceutical marketing and marketing research. He led qualitative and quantitative market research projects for major pharmaceutical clients while at leading global agencies and also from the client side at Merck and BMS. His capabilities are enhanced by his experiences in sales, as a Professional Representative – Hospital Specialist in marketing as a Group Product Director at Pfizer, and in advertising, as a Copywriter / AE at several major ad agencies. Many of his projects and assignments have been for global marketing or marketing research. He studied Italian and French. In addition to his work experience, Mr. Jaffe studied neuroanatomy, histology, biochemistry, and cell biology at Temple Medical School in a graduate program in pharmacology. Mr. Jaffe earned an M.S. in Biology at Villanova University, and M.Ed. in Secondary Education at Lehigh University, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts at Temple University.
Joan Mancuso, Senior Vice President
Joan applies her twenty-five years’ of research experience (including clinical research) to all of her marketing research engagements. With expertise and thought leadership in segmentation, pricing and product development, brand equity, and customer satisfaction, she has extensive experience designing and deploying complex B2B and multi-country projects. She has worked with a variety of clients in many sectors, with a focus on telecom and technology since 1998. Other focus areas include healthcare and energy. With her varied background that cuts across many social science disciplines, Joan is able to bring together multidisciplinary teams of professionals in a harmonious and productive mix that results in crisply laid out insights for her clients. Joan earned her M.B.A. in Management from Johns Hopkins University and her Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and Studio Art from Stanford University. She has also completed coursework for a Masters degree in Sociology at Brown University.
Karen Stuth, Senior Vice President
Karen is responsible for developing and managing global accounts among a broad range of companies, with a specialization in information technology and information delivery and publishing industries. With more than two and a half decades of marketing, business development, and marketing research experience, Ms. Stuth's professional background includes both marketing and market research management on both the client and supplier side. A skilled methodologist, Ms. Stuth has also successfully designed and executed complex international research studies spanning all points along the product life cycle, producing actionable and meaningful results for her clients. Ms. Stuth holds a Bachelor's degree from Stephens College, a Master's degree from The University of Missouri, a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law, and has additional post-graduate work in research and statistics. A licensed attorney, Ms. Stuth has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing research, business research, and business law at Regis University in Colorado.
Simon Jaworski, Senior Vice President
Simon is a Vice President Account Executive at The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG). He designs and executes a wide repertoire of qualitative and quantitative research studies for his client base. Simon graduated from Liverpool Business School (John Moores University, Liverpool, UK) in 1996 with a degree in Business Studies, majoring in Marketing. Simon's work career began at Unilever, where he interned as a Marketing Analyst for the Brand, Sales and Category Management teams. In his first post-graduate position he set up the Market Research department at Robert McBride's in Manchester England, in 1996, before working as a Market Analyst for Georgia Pacific until the end of 2000. In early 2001, he gave up his career in England and moved to the States, to be with his long distance girlfriend, Beth, a girl he met purely by chance, on a vacation in Ireland in 1999. Simon and Beth were married in 2004 and now have two wonderful sons named Ethan and Ashton, who are destined to play for Manchester United. Simon's US career took him to the market research supplier side with TNS, and he successfully worked his way up the company ranks, from Project Director to Account Executive, working on all manner of research studies within consumer packaged goods for seven years, until joining TRiG in January 2008. Among the state lotteries Simon has done research for over the past seven years, are Kentucky, Washington, Ohio, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, South Carolina, South Dakota, with study types including multi-domain segmentations, online strategy share tests, attitude & usage studies, concept tests and focus groups. For his sins, Simon roots passionately for the New York Metropolitans.
Denise Previti Burns, Vice President, Account Executive
With her broad background in quantitative and qualitative research, Denise specializes in understanding the consumer experience: What considerations go into choosing one brand over another? How can new products fit into established routines? What are the intangible benefits of a given product feature? What messages resonate most effectively with a given consumer target? She helps her clients design the most efficient and actionable market research to answer their business questions. Her research expertise includes choice modeling, concept/product testing, pricing initiatives, consumer diary studies, attitude and usage studies, decision tree analyses, multi-domain segmentations, and brand equity research. Denise works as an extension of her clients’ teams. She has a strong track record of helping clients focus on the overall success of a product or brand, while paying close attention to the details that make each project generate clear insights and actionable recommendations. Denise holds a dual M.A. in sociology and demography from The Pennsylvania State University, and a B.A from Washington and Lee University.
Sarwar Baqar, Senior Account Manager
Sarwar has more than ten years of experience in custom research design and implementation across many industry sectors including, customer loyalty and satisfaction, advertising, brand awareness, market segmentation, and concept testing research. His qualifications span both quantitative and qualitative methodologies encompassing both consumer and B2B research. Sarwar is a resourceful market researcher with extensive background in conducting cost-effective primary research, analysis of results and developing practical reports. Sarwar, in the current role of account manager is responsible for detailed and sophisticated research projects from their inception through study design, sample analysis, questionnaire development, data collection, quality control, report preparation, and analysis. Sarwar has managed numerous business-to-business and consumer research studies, both domestically and internationally, using a wide variety of data collection methodologies (telephone, Internet, mail, etc.). Sarwar has a Bachelors of Science degree in Business and Marketing.
Janet Buczek, Senior Account Manager
Janet joined The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG) as a Senior Account Manager in March of 2008. An experienced and client-oriented research professional, Janet Buczek’s project management experience extends across multiple industries, including consumer and IT research, and even includes academic psychological research. Supported by years of high-level project management experience in both the business and academic research world, Janet’s substantial skill set includes multi-layered project management and coordination, survey construction, data analysis, and reporting. Although Janet’s special talent lies in managing large-scale complex projects, where her organizational and people skills are put to best use, she is also a gifted analyst who brings to bear her multidisciplinary research background in combination with her background in human behavior research. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Psychology from Iona College, New Rochelle, New York, Janet began her market research career at SMS Research and Marketing Services in Honolulu, Hawaii. SMS is the largest market research company in Hawaii and it was there that Janet was exposed to and gained hands-on experience in all areas of project planning, execution, and analysis within a variety of industries. Upon re-locating back to the continental US, Janet joined TNS as a project director in the IT sector and was promoted to senior project director a year later. In 2005, Janet joined Synovate as a senior study director in the Technology & Telecom sector, advancing to Account Group Manager prior to joining TRiG in 2008.
Marie Gough, Research Support Manager
As part of the Client Shared Services team, Marie’s objective is to improve Leger’s efficiency, innovation and added value to clients. Prior to joining TRIG, Marie was the Operations Manager for the Cancer Support Community Research and Training Institute where her responsibilities were broad and included managing the daily operations of the office, managing special projects and providing research and administrative support. Marie graduated from Eastern University in 2008 with a degree in Business Management and Marketing.
Renata Cacciatore, Account Manager
Renata joined The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG) as an Account Manager in May of 2011. With more than 8 years of custom market research experience, Renata’s project management skills extends across multiple industries, including IT, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Hospitality, and Financial Services.
Prior to joining TRIG, Renata had been at TNS since June of 2007 primarily working on large tracking programs. Her primary role was to manage the overall day-to-day project, including survey design, managing complex sample designs, managing fieldwork for 70 countries, questionnaire design, data processing, report writing, as well as communicating and coordinating with internal and external team members.
Renata began her career at The Response Center (TRC), where she started as an interviewer and subsequently was promoted to a Project Director.
Renata holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Renata lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband Nick, their son, Nathan and a crazy little dog, Maci.
Matthew Heitzer, Account Manager
Matthew comes to The Research Intelligence Group with more than 5 years of experience working in the Technology Sector. He also co-ran the ABC News/Washington Post Social and Political Poll. Prior to joining both the Polling and Tech groups, he primarily worked for the third party Professional Services team across multiple specialties.
Matthew worked for the Strategic Sourcing Consulting firm SourceOne as a Project Manager in the Telecom and Materials Divisions. Matthew received his BA from The Pennsylvania State University – University Park, his MA from Temple University in Philadelphia, and his JD from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, GA.
Matthew is an occasional freelance writer (his articles have appeared in KidSports Magazine and ScoopMe), an aspiring Chef, and enjoys traveling with his wife to the types of places that require sun block and put umbrellas in your drink at the swim up bar. While not abroad, he can usually be seen most evenings playing the parts of Toby the Steam Tram and Percy for his young son’s impromptu performances of Thomas the Tank Engine in their living room.
Kasey Ryan Dougherty, Account Manager
Kasey Ryan Dougherty has a breadth of experience in applying a psychosocial perspective in oncology market research. This unique expertise enables her to unlock insights and measure the social and emotional impacts of a cancer diagnosis on patients and caregivers.
Formerly a research manager for the Cancer Support Community, she managed several market research projects for major pharmaceutical firms and cancer advocacy groups. Kasey’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and presented at several academic and professional conferences including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference, and the International Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Prior to her work in the non-profit sector, Kasey was the Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Dickinson College where she spent seven years building a nationally ranked program, and pursued M.A. in Community Psychology and Social Change from the Pennsylvania State University. In 1999, she graduated with an undergraduate degree in both Sociology and American Studies from Franklin & Marshall College.
Alison Epstein, Administrative Director
Alison grew up in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and attended Syracuse University. While there, Alison majored in Information Science and Technology. She also studied aboard the SS Universe, through the institute for Shipboard Education for a semester. While on board, Alison got to experience many cultures around the world including China, Vietnam, India, and Turkey, just to name a few. After Graduating Cum Laude from Syracuse University, Alison went to work as a Project Manager at TNS Intersearch in Horsham, PA. After about 1 year Alison moved on to the IT department at PSC Info Group in Oaks, PA and remained there until maternity leave with her first son. While having 3 children, she worked as an office manager for her husband’s custom cabinetry business. As well as being a sounding board, she was also in charge of advertising and banking.
Kate Heywood, Receptionist/Office Manager
She brings with her over 10 years of experience providing office management and administrative support. She possesses outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills.
Kate was born and raised in northern New England and is a graduate of The St. Johnsbury Academy. She is currently finishing her degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Kate lives in Montgomery County in Pennsylvania with her husband of 20 years and their 3 teenage sons.