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Judith discovered qualitative research after a brief spell in the music business and still thinks it's the best job in the world. Over the past twenty or so years, she has probably interviewed
over nineteen thousand people about topics ranging from the mundane to the sublime. She lives in inner city London with two aspiring teenage moderators, a husband and a very stupid cat.
Books on bedside table: The Gathering by Ann Enright, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picault, Political Lying by Peter Oborne, Why Do People Get Ill? by Darian Leader and David Corfield.
Dream Project: A hugely profitable, tricky multi-stage project that lasts for years.
Major irritation: Traffic engineering in London.
Favourite brand: Guerlain fragrances have my 100% loyalty.
Biggest mistake: I don't make mistakes, I have learning opportunities.
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Dominic spent 12 years in advertising, working for the likes of Saatchis and Ogilvy before becoming a qualitative researcher in 1995. He worked for Wardle McLean for its first
5 years before going off to broaden his experience and head up a big qual department at Another Place. Now he's been back for a year, bringing with him his experience of
alcoholic drinks (this time it's personal), chocolate (it's still delicious) and The Public Sector (it's so much more worthwhile).
Books on bedside table: John Grant, the Brand Innovation Manifesto (so good), John Steele, Perfect Pitch (read the anti powerpoint rant), Alan de Botton, 'Status Anxiety' (how true)
and 'Staying Sane' by Raj Persaud (something to aim for).
Major irritation: Presentations which are wordy, no pictures, full of jargon or are one word longer than they absolutely need to be.
Biggest mistake: I don't make big misteakes.
Favourite brand: Chablis (so much better than Champagne).
Dream project: Talking to people about things they really care about.
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Simon joined in September 2007. After two and a half years at Saatchi & Saatchi, he felt a step into Qualitative Research was more 'him' and it was more interesting spending time to
understand what makes people tick.
Outside work he enjoys concerts at the Barbican, Sunday walks in Greenwich Park, reading any old nonsense, a few sessions of exercise a week and watching Man Utd regain
their silverware.
Books on bedside table: The Great Gatsby, Philip Larkin: a Writer's Life and The Sagas of the Icelanders.
Major Irritation: Visits to Ikea.
Biggest Mistake: Owning a credit card.
Favourite Brand: Innocent.
Dream Project: Understanding behaviours and attitudes of football 'Greats' and what ones make them so.
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Katie accidentally found a job in research, whilst still at university in London, where she became a telephone interviewer in return for beer money! However,
this happy coincidence led her to explore entering the profession full time going on to spend 10 years at Synovate. Ready for a change, Katie joined
Wardle McLean at the beginning of 2008.
Outside of work, Katie enjoys swimming (for exercise), live music, reading, cooking, film (for fun), and will still occasionally spend her wages on beer!
Books on the bedside table: Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner & Steven Levitt, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, The Art of Travel by Alain du Botton, Affluenza
by Oliver James and American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story by Cynthia True.
Major irritation: Pizza delivery fliers (in the words of Banksy - 'Put a menu through this letterbox and I will never eat your food again').
Biggest mistake: putting a heat pack (rather than ice) on my back when I first suffered a slipped disc.
Favourite Brand: New Covent Garden Soups - super soups and lovely (handwritten) cookbooks.
Dream project: Observational research and in depth interviews at a number of music festivals around the globe. A good chance to explore established and
emerging youth cultures, as well as see a few top bands!
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Before joining Wardle McLean, Lavinia spent many a year in event management for music and media brands. She's had to deal with conflicting egos, ridiculous artist
demands and late nights. She's joined Wardle McLean to work in Field and Administration to fuel her interest in people and what makes them tick.
Books on bedside table: From onions to pearls - Satyam Nadeen, The Inner Game of Music - Barry Green.
Major Irritation: Paper Cuts.
Biggest Mistake: Saying yes when I should have said no.
Favourite Brand: Defected & Finger Lickin' Records.
Dream project: One that involves a tasting session with Krispy Kreme, and music from Finger Lickin' Records
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