Ant Franklin inducted as life member of Research Association New Zealand (RANZ)

Our CEO Anthony Franklin was both surprised and humbled to have been inducted as a Life Member of the Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) at the REAWARDS last night. On top of this, the high caliber of finalists in Market Research Effectiveness Awards was a reminder of just how strong, influential, and impactful the market research industry is in the South Pacific. Congratulations to all the winners on the night! 

More information in the press release below:

Ant Franklin inducted as life member of Research Association New Zealand (RANZ)
CEO of Infotools honored by national association for his decades of commitment and innovation in the global market research and insights industry

Auckland, NZ - 31 March 2023 - Ant Franklin, CEO of Infotools, was inducted as a life member of Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) during a ceremony last night. RANZ, which is the country’s only industry body dedicated to professional providers and users of research, bestows its life memberships only under exceptional circumstances. Franklin, who co-founded Infotools 33 years ago with Ron Stroeven (also a RANZ life member), has been heavily involved with the association and supported its mission since it was founded in 2000. 

“Infotools is a real New Zealand success story. Ant started the company with Ron in his front room back in 1990 with a vision to find new ways to explore insights with innovative technology,” said fellow life member Maria Tyrrell, who presented him with the award. She is founder of Marble Consulting, and former Global Director of Brand Strategy at Kantar.

She continued, “He took his vision on the road in New Zealand and very quickly became a leading global player. Throughout this journey, he has been a tireless supporter of both RANZ and its predecessors, both through sponsorships and by contributing time and knowledge to the association. I am proud to confer this life membership.” 

A long-time active member of RANZ, Ant Franklin currently serves as the CEO and co-founder of Infotools. The company’s main technology offering, Harmoni, is a collaborative investigation platform for market research data. Franklin’s passion for market research stretches back over 35 years and he's proud to have pioneered the use of innovative analysis and visualization tools in the market research industry, which are used by insights teams from the world’s biggest brands. A native of the United Kingdom, Franklin studied at London South Bank University, moving to New Zealand in the late 1980s to begin his journey in the insights space.

“When I first came to New Zealand, I started out in a marketing role, where I sought to shake up the way market research was marketed. Soon after, I saw there was a huge opportunity to apply technology to the fundamentals of the market research process, creating efficiencies so that insights professionals could get more out of their valuable data," Franklin said. "I’m beyond grateful to have been advancing this vision for more than thirty years, having the privilege of doing so with incredibly talented people - too many to name. I’m also proud to have been part of RANZ for a large part of my career. It is an honor to be named as a life member of such a valuable organization.”

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About Research Association New Zealand (RANZ)
RANZ is the only industry body dedicated to professional providers and users of research, data and insights. The Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) brand is a trust-mark for clients, employers, colleagues and other industries and indicates that the bearer is a member of an expert community, which upholds the highest professional and ethical standards. www.researchassociation.org.nz