WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toluna, the leading consumer intelligence platform and parent company of Harris Interactive and KuRunData, today announced it has appointed industry veteran Bruce Haymes as non-executive chairman of the board of directors. Haymes’ appointment is the latest in a string of milestones that herald Toluna’s unceasing momentum, ongoing global growth and significant investment to revolutionize the market research industry through technology innovation. As non-executive chairman, Haymes will work closely with executive chairman of the board, Frederic-Charles Petit, founder and chief executive officer of Toluna.

The appointment follows a new round of capital infusion that will help Toluna continue to deliver best-in-class digital solutions for quantitative and qualitative research. During 2020, Toluna commemorated its 20th anniversary and introduced its proprietary technology suite, Toluna Start, an end-to-end consumer intelligence platform designed by Toluna’s Innovation team to help businesses make data-driven decisions in real-time. Toluna also completed a corporate rebrand, and integrated Harris Interactive and KuRunData under its new global brand.

Haymes previously served as managing director at research firm Nielsen, where he led global investments and was responsible for Nielsen Innovate, the company’s startup investment fund and innovation platform. At Nielsen, he led over 25 innovation investments across the world and drove over $1b USD in corporate acquisitions. Haymes currently serves as chief partnership officer at Northeastern University, where he is responsible for corporate deals, investments and strategy that broaden the university’s global reach.

“Businesses across all industries recognize the need to engage directly and instantly with consumers to make informed, strategic decisions. Toluna has consistently proven its ability to adapt, innovate and evolve to deliver cutting edge technology that drives high quality research at the pace of business, even in today’s dynamic and challenging market,” said Haymes. “Toluna is at an exciting point in its global growth, and I am thrilled to work with the talented team to continue expanding their global footprint and drive the market research industry forward.”

“This appointment marks another triumph in a year of accomplishments for Toluna as we continue to lead with technology, drive innovation, and deliver exceptional customer service,” said Frédéric-Charles Petit, founder and chief executive, Toluna. “Bruce’s expertise and proven record helping to grow businesses through investments, partnerships and product development, combined with our unmatched 20 year industry legacy, will propel us into the future as we transform the market research industry to help our global enterprise clientele understand tomorrow today.”

About Toluna

Toluna delivers real-time consumer insights at the speed of the on-demand economy. With a commitment to leading by technology innovation, Toluna revolutionizes market research and empowers clients with the agility to instantly conduct quantitative and qualitative research. By combining global scale and local expertise with innovative digital solutions and award-winning research design, Toluna helps clients explore tomorrow, now.

Toluna is the parent company of Harris Interactive Europe and KuRunData. Together, we strive to push market research toward a better tomorrow.