Bristol-based financial service insight specialist Consumer Intelligence has appointed former Kwik Fit Insurance operations director Alan Brown as chief operating officer as it strengthens its board for expansion.
The appointment frees up founder and chief executive Ian Hughes and managing director Martin Coates to focus on strategic development at the group, which works for all major UK insurers. 
In the newly-created role, Alan Brown, pictured, will take charge of day-to-day operations and will be responsible for overall achievement of the operating plan. The group’s marketing, client-facing, service delivery, and HR departments will report to him, along with Consumer Intelligence’s polling and mystery shopping panel Viewsbank, which has access to more than 130,000 shoppers.
Ian Hughes, the former development director of Bristol-based pioneering direct marketing services group MM Group who launched Consumer Intelligence 13 years ago, will focus on building new business propositions, including the new advisory business.
Martin Coates will become vice chair and take responsibility for governance and long-term planning as well as the consumer business.
Alan Brown said: “Consumer Intelligence has great people and I look forward to helping them and the company to reach its capacity. There is a huge opportunity for Consumer Intelligence to grow and achieve its goals.”
Ian Hughes added: “I am thrilled by this appointment and the capacity it will give us to grow the business even more. We are expanding rapidly and Alan’s support will help us achieve our ambition to be a global partner helping our clients to see the world through the eyes of their customers.”
Alan Brown spent 21 years with Ageas (Kwik Fit Insurance) during five changes of ownership after joining as a sales manager in 1996. He first worked with Consumer Intelligence as a client and became a non-executive director and member of its advisory board in 2015 as well as helping to mentor senior management.
Consumer Intelligence, which has achieved record growth in the past 12 months, specialises in collecting and analysing millions of pieces of data and prices for general insurance and banking sectors clients in nine countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Clients also include price comparison websites and a growing number of banks and foreign exchange specialists. Earlier this year it appointed former Deloitte vice chair Louis Jordan as is first chairman.
