Client Type: A public utility in a highly regulated market.
The Brief: The industry regulator had appointed a new director with responsibility for assessing pricing and service levels. This person requested meetings with all industry players to understand their attitudes and plans. Our client wanted to know as much as possible about the new appointee to avoid saying anything that could lead to an adverse view of their company.
Our Approach: Using public records, social media, news databases, and industry contacts, we built a dossier covering education, career history, previous roles, public statements, affiliations, and patterns of past business decisions. We carried out a small number of indirect interviews with identified past associates and industry commentators to gain insight into their working style and values. Because this individual had started their career outside the UK, we extended our research internationally.
The Result: Our profile provided our client with a nuanced understanding of the executive’s approach to risk, innovation, and the industry, including political and religious beliefs. Our client went into the meeting considerably better prepared than competitors and later heard, via the industry grapevine, that the regulator had praised them as the only company with a full grasp of the issues being considered. As a result, they were given greater flexibility in the next pricing framework applied to the industry.
Key Takeaway: A well-researched profile of key individuals can be as valuable as company-level intelligence — especially when decisions hinge on people as much as institutions.
