Global Executive Team

Kees de Jong was named Chief Executive Officer of SSI in January 2009.  An entrepreneur who has founded and co-founded numerous successful businesses within the research and Internet industries, Kees launched Bloomerce Access Panels Europe bv in 2001, a leading online sampling company now part of SSI.

Kees is an active leader in many research associations and initiatives, and is president of Entrepreneurs Organization.  He was chairman of ESOMAR's first panel research conference in Budapest in 2005 and co-created the ESOMAR Codes and Guidelines on access panels, including the original 25 questions and the newly developed 26 questions. Kees studied business at the Rotterdam School of Management, and attended the MIT (USA) executive program for fast-growing companies.

Chris Fanning is President and Chief Operating Officer for SSI.  Prior to SSI, Fanning served as interim CEO of Lattice Semiconductor Corporation in Portland, Oregon.  He first joined the company in 1997 as Director, Strategic Planning and quickly moved up the ranks in a series of key executive roles, including Vice President, Strategic Planning; Vice President, Software and IP Solutions; Corporate Vice President, Enterprise Solutions; and Corporate Vice President & General Manager. 

Fanning came to Lattice from The Boston Consulting Group, where he spent 6 years as Manager, Project Leader and Consultant in the Chicago office.  While at The Boston Consulting Group, he developed effective growth, brand management, operational and portfolio strategies for companies across a broad range of industries, including technology, retail, consumer durables, airlines, chemicals and agricultural sciences.  His projects crossed all regions, from the Americas to Europe to Asia.

Before joining The Boston Consulting Group, Fanning was Lead Architect, Software Engineer at software and service provider ISI Systems, Inc. in Bedford, MA.  While at ISI, he served in a variety of technical roles.

Fanning holds an AB in Computer Science from Boston College.  He also earned an MS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.   

Rick Essex is Chief Financial Officer for SSI. He has been involved with the Company since 2005 as a member of the board of directors and joined the company full time as CFO in January 2012. Rick has extensive experience in finance and accounting, holding varied and progressive roles across private equity, investment banking and public accounting. Prior to joining SSI, Rick most recently served as a Principal at Providence Equity Partners, the world’s largest sector-focused private equity firm focusing on investments in media, communications and information services. Prior to Providence, he served as a Vice President at BCI Partners and held positions with Dillon Read (now UBS) and Arthur Andersen. Rick has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration from Washington and Lee University and a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University

Calista Corley is SSI’s Vice President of Client Services, responsible for leading our North American client services teams. She first joined SSI in 2003 and has held several key positions in both the client services and sales organizations. Calista brings extensive experience in client consulting and project management, as well as a strong dedication to delivering the highest levels of customer support.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology as well as a Master’s degree in Education from Fairfield University. She is a member of the MRA Chicago chapter and is MRA PRC certified.

Jeff Welch is Executive Vice President, Operations & Orem Site Administration at SSI.  Before his current role, he was President of Opinionology, a leading sampling and data collection firm which joined with Survey Sampling International to form SSI.  While at Opinionology, Jeff served numerous strategic roles, including directing market facing activities, domestic and far-shore operations, research and analytics functions and thousands of survey research projects.  He earned an MBA from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.  Jeff also holds BA and MA degrees from Brigham Young University, where he was a university graduate research fellow.  He has served on the adjunct faculty at BYU where he instructs Mass Media Research Methods.  Jeff is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Marketing Research Institute International (MRII).

Michel Guidi is Managing Director, International, with responsibility for Europe and Latin America. Previously, he served as managing director, Europe, and prior to that, was Chief Operations Officer (COO) for SSI Europe. Michel works closely with SSI clients and with the management teams to ensure that SSI delivers the best experience for clients, respondents, and employees. Michel lives in Paris.

Prior to joining SSI, Michel was vice president of Operations at Ciao for more than five years, based in Madrid. Before that, he worked as a management consultant at AT Kearney, and a junior brand manager at L'Oreal. He studied business (MBA) at ESSEC in Paris and at the Johnson School of Management (Cornell University).

Bob is Chief Access, Supply and Engagement Officer at SSI.  Prior to SSI, he served the same role at Opinionology, which later joined with Survey Sampling International to form SSI.  While at Opinionology, Bob expanded the company's portfolio of online sampling methods and improved methods for managing online panel inventories. Known for his expertise across diverse topics—from panel recruiting to sample routing to Address-Based Sampling—he is a frequent speaker at market research events. Bob first joined Opinionology to manage its online client service and project management team.  He holds an MS in Political Science and an MS in Applied Economics from Utah State University.

Andrew Moffatt is Vice President, Strategic Alliances for SSI.  Andrew is responsible for managing the company’s key partnerships, as well as for developing new products.  He first joined SSI in 1999 as an Account Executive, moving up the ranks to Sales Director, Europe in 2006; Global Account Director in 2007; and his current position in 2010.  Andrew earned a BA with Honors in International Marketing and Languages from Dublin City University in Ireland.  He also completed a one-year program in International Marketing through the Unversitat Dortmund in Germany.

David Zotter is Chief Technology Officer at SSI. He has more than 15 years of experience in information technology related to marketing research, including more than a decade working with online technology approaches.  Before SSI, David was was Chief Technology Officer for GfK Custom Research North America (formerly NOP World).  Prior to that, he served as Director of Research and Development at Greenfield Online. Before joining Greenfield, he was Manager of Interactive Product Development at NFO Worldwide & InsightExpress.  Mr. Zotter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University.

Troy Lauritzen is Chief Information Officer at SSI.  Before SSI, he held the role of CIO at Opinionology, which later joined with Survey Sampling International to form SSI.  While at Opinionology, Troy was responsible for online survey research, including best practices for online research panels and management. He also significantly contributed to the development of Opinion Outpost, Opinionology's online research initiative.  During his tenure at Opinionology, Mr. Lauritzen served a variety of key functions, including Director of IVR Services and Director of Technology.  Mr. Lauritzen has a BS in Business Management and an MBA from Brigham Young University.

Jason Buchanan joined SSI as Managing Director Asia Pacific in April 2011.  His focus is on strengthening SSI's position as the premier provider of sampling solutions in the Asian and Oceanic markets.  In addition, Buchanan will continue to drive SSI's thought leadership in online and offline market research, as well as expand and diversify its respondent access.

Buchanan brings more than 20 Years of cross-industry experience.  Prior to SSI, he served as Managing Director of GPS Interactive, a startup business that uses GPS technology to measure and monitor the behavior and performance of people and their vehicles.  Buchanan came to GPS Interactive from Research Now, where he served as Managing Director, Asia-Pacific and spearheaded the company's growth across the region.  He first joined Research Now as part of its team in London and then moved on to found Research Now Australia. Before coming to Research Now, Buchanan spent a decade in key business development roles across multiple industries. His experience spans the advertising, software and IT sectors.