Research Clever celebrates 400% team growth with key senior appointments amid rapid expansion

Research Clever has expanded its team by 400% with a suite of senior appointments. Alongside 186% year-on-year revenue growth, this marks a significant milestone in the company’s second year of trading. This has been supported by the securing of a new office space at Metal Box Factory in Borough, alongside client work for Opinium, C Space, and the University of Essex.

Payal Jani joins the leadership team as Operations Director, supported by Frankie Slattery, who joins as Senior Business Development Manager. Kristian Barnard has been appointed Senior Account Manager and Wendy Phu as Senior Project Manager.

Jani brings over 17 years of experience from prominent research organisations, including Savanta, Potentia Insight, and Sainsbury’s Nectar Loyalty. She now heads up Research Clever’s operations strategy, with a focus on efficiency, quality assurance, and the continued development of exceptional client delivery processes.

Slattery adds more than a decade of experience at firms including Language Connect and Bilendi, most recently as Associate Director. With over eight years’ experience in consultancy, account management and business development, Barnard brings a strong record of building strategic partnerships with leading global organisations. Prior roles include IDC, Frost & Sullivan, and Global Data.

Phu has been an insights and research professional for upwards of seven years, working across FMCG, tech, retail, and public policy sectors at Basis, Savanta, and On Device Research. She has overseen complex online research programmes for high-profile clients like Google, Vodafone, NatWest, and Sainsburys, and supported polling projects for the UK’s 2024 general election.

Ross Cafferkey, Founder and CEO, comments: “When I started the company, my aim was to make research operations faster and smarter. Our growth over the past year shows that there’s a real appetite for that balance of agility and quality. This expansion gives us the capacity to support more agencies and consultancies globally, while maintaining the accuracy, collaboration, and care that define our work. I couldn’t be more confident in – or prouder of – the team we’ve put together, not to mention the astounding growth rates we’ve achieved as a bootstrapped company.”

Payal Jani, Operations Director, adds: “What drew me to Research Clever was the passion, authenticity and ambition that runs through the business. There’s a real commitment to doing things the right way, with integrity and empathy. Being able to be shape the operations function from scratch, alongside such a dedicated and forward-thinking team, is incredibly motivating. It’s a fantastic opportunity to build strong foundations, put clear processes in place and create ways of working that truly support both our people and our clients.”

Source: Research Clever

  Agency, Appointment, Expansion, Frankie Slattery, Kristian Barnard, Operations Director, Payal Jani, Research Clever, Senior Account Manager, Senior Business Development Manager, Senior Project Manager, Wendy Phu