Leading independent research and insights agency, TRA (The Research Agency) has announced a raft of new senior hires in Melbourne, boosting its strategy, business, and brand and communications expertise.
Andie Lowings (featured image, right) and Alex Forrester (featured image, left) join as business directors, and brand and communications expert, Mark Hutchinson (featured image, centre), joins as product owner of TRA’s new brand management product, Streamlight.
TRA Melbourne partner, Mark Hobart, said the new appointments were the result of strong business growth supporting TRA’s proposition to offer clients a fresh approach in the research category and coincided with Streamlight’s launch.
“I cannot be more thrilled to welcome such a highly skilled and energetic trio such as Andie, Alex and Mark to the team,” he said.
“We have a growing roster of iconic, cross-category Australian and Trans-Tasman brands who benefit from TRA’s innovative and multi-disciplinary approach.
“The combined skillsets of Andie, Alex and Mark boosts our senior Australian expertise and enables us to bring new and innovative tools, such as Streamlight, to support clients’ business growth.
“The launch of Streamlight and their appointments are a brilliant way to kickstart the year.”
Hutchinson joins as product owner with a primary remit to lead on Streamlight across Australia and New Zealand.
“I am happy and humbled to launch Streamlight to market. It is a truly innovative, agile, and robust real time brand tracking program, combining leading-edge technology with TRA’s expert consulting team, frameworks and thinking,” he said.
Previously strategy director at The Lab, Lowings brings more than 15 years of strategy, research, and cultural insight experience to TRA, having previously held senior roles in Australia at House of Brand and in the UK at boutique consultancies.
Forrester has previously held strategy and client service positions with Clemenger BBDO, VMLY&R and most recently was Strategy Director at The Lab, working on household brands including TelstraSuper, Toyota Australia, Mondelez, Maurice Blackburn & SPC.
“As part of the core of Melbourne’s team Andie and Alex will also be responsible for building out new business and developing the culture of TRA Melbourne,” said Hobart.
“Setting up a new agency office is always exciting; doing so with the COVID backdrop has given us an incredible opportunity to make a research business like no other – with the tools, processes and ways of working embedded from day one to foster a more flexible working experience for the team, where every team member has everything they need to collaborate, learn and deliver amazing work.”
TRA opened its Melbourne office in August 2021. Lowings, Forrester and Hutchinson start work effective immediately.
