Our stories
CHARLOTTE
VICARY
Charlotte’s story
“I am an optimist about the future of society and believe strongly in the positive role that business can play to improve quality of life for us all. Businesses can’t do this in the dark though so through consumer research and strategy, I have spent 25 years shining a light on what consumers need and how businesses can deliver it in a way that everyone involved benefits. For me, there is nothing better than the triple win of a delighted consumer, a proud employee and a healthy bottom line.”
ANNA
EGGLETON
Anna’s story
"I believe a customer-centric culture drives a more satisfying working environment, a better customer experience and ultimately greater sustainability for a company. Prior to joining The Customer Closeness Company I was a brand strategist both as a partner at The Brand Gym and previously to that a board director at The Value Engineers. My passion is unlocking commercial value by using insight to put customers at the heart of business’ strategy."
NICOLA
CRAIG
Nicola’s story
“My Customer Closeness journey began when James Murdoch, Sky CEO at the time, wanted to find out what was really behind supply chain problems Sky was experiencing. I created an ‘unsanitised’ experience of going out with a Sky engineer. Enlightened, James challenged me to develop a programme giving staff across Sky the opportunity to meet with customers first-hand. The programme was so successful in landing consumer insights and driving business change that it inspired me to found The Customer Closeness Company to do the same for others.
Nearly a decade on, it’s still so refreshing when a company steps off the treadmill of daily business life to connect with customers. I particularly love the power of it to challenge preconceptions about the reality of customers’ lives so that staff can make real-world informed, customer-centric decisions."
HEIDI
SELLIER
Heidi's story
" At The Customer Closeness Company my aim is to harness the power of qual, to really push the boundaries of understanding consumer worlds, no matter what the category or target – so that decision-making is intuitively driven by what will benefit the customer and thus drive growth for business. With a background in qual research gained over 20 years at award-winning agencies such as Kokoro and Added Value, and more recently time spent working in education with the most vulnerable children in primary school, my passion is to get under the skin of the reality of those who I talk to with a view to unlocking what really makes them tick and importantly how lives can be improved."
LUCY
NEWSUM
Lucy's story
"My curiosity about people, and desire to understand how we think and what we do, have been my north star throughout my career. I love sparking this curiosity within companies, uncovering impactful insights, and helping business to make better customer-centric decisions that drive growth. I am a sociologist, qualitative researcher, and coaching enthusiast. Prior to joining The Customer Closeness Company I worked at C Space and 2CV."
REBECCA
COOK
Rebecca's story
"I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people tick and reasons behind why they think or behave as they do; and it was this passion which kick-started my career as a qualitative insighter. I have an appetite for unlocking the truly powerful insights which transform how companies I work with see the world and their customers, to inspire change and, ultimately, drive commercial growth. Prior to joining The Customer Closeness Company, I ran my own freelance business, worked at The Value Engineers and MediaCom."
CLAUDINE
LEVY
Claudine’s story
"As an insight-led strategist and qualitative research specialist, I believe that through understanding people’s experiences, desires, fears and frustrations we can better meet their needs. Insight and customer closeness are key tools to ensuring people are put at the heart of service and product design, while delivering sustainable long-term growth for business. Drawing on my expertise and fuelled by a nagging need to deeply understand why people think and behave the way they do – I help businesses unlock human truths to inspire organisational change."
ALEXANDRA WHITTAKER
Alex’s story
"I joined The Customer Closeness Company in 2015 and have worked on customer projects in utilities, health and beauty and housebuilding to name a few. Little beats seeing the impact that meeting real customers has on organisations especially when it’s an emotional experience that spurs action. That’s when the power of insight to solve customer issues comes to life before your eyes."
ZOE
DAVIES
Zoe's Story
"Having worked across many quantitative and qualitative projects for financial services businesses within my previous role, it became clear that I really enjoyed those moments where you see the insight you’ve worked hard to extract, transform into business action - but those moments can be a rarity when you are working agency side and the report you produce feels like the only tangible thing that comes out of a project. Working with The Customer Closeness Company, you really see the power of the customer voice in driving business action – as there is nothing quite like hearing from the customer first hand, discussing their issues and needs that can drive action from senior decision makers. I also love that our role is about facilitating the discussion between our clients and their customers, rather than acting like a middleman or interpreter between the two."
LOTTIE
TILLER
Lottie's story
"As a naturally curious person, little beats the opportunity to connect to so many customers and hear their stories on a daily basis. I joined The Customer Closeness Company in September 2022, and as my first job in the industry my role has given me countless opportunities to learn about strategy and insight, and to challenge my own thoughts about why we make the decisions we do. Seeing the way in which our work impacts the key decision makers of businesses makes it even more rewarding, and when our insight turns into action, I'm reminded that what we do is much more than research."
Want to make your business more customer-centric?
We'd love to hear from you
Charlotte: (+44) 7914 669265
Nicola: (+44) 7703 502596
Anna: (+44) 7500 703368
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