Interview with Andrew Appel of IRI

Today’s entry in the CEO Series is another first for me. The PR team for IRI reached out to me a few weeks back and asked if I would be interested in talking with Andrew Appel, CEO of IRI and after much wrangling on schedules we finally pulled it off. I had never spoken to Andrew before, and in fact, IRI is one of the handful of companies in the research space that I have had limited connections with, so this was an exciting opportunity that I was glad to take advantage of.

I’ve always been impressed with the solutions provided by IRI and their position as a world leader in in-store data and insights, but I didn’t have a good handle on what makes the company special.  I have found there is no better way to uncover the “soul” of a company than by talking with the CEO in an informal interview style. Of course, given the circumstances of the COVID-19 crisis and the universal experience of lock-down, many of the barriers of engagement are lifted and it just seems easier to connect and build rapport with folks since we are all hungry for good old-fashioned human connection. That was certainly the case in my chat with Andrew, and I think it shines through. What I came away with is that what makes IRI special is their commitment to their team, their customers, and their partners through one of the most challenging times any business has ever faced.

I was also impressed by how quickly the company has seemed to move to develop new tools and resources to help clients understand the rapidly changing marketplace. After-all, buying habits have been one of the most rapid and profound change areas over the past few months. IRI is uniquely positioned to help deliver vital insights so that manufacturers and retailers could rise to the occasion to ensure people could meet their everyday needs.

All of that comes from the leadership Andrew has shown. What I learned in our conversation is that those decisions have been rooted in humility, empathy, creativity, and a core desire to just help in any way that the company can. That is a theme that has become clear through all of my discussions with CEOs over the last few weeks. It’s gratifying to hear it playing out as well in a multi-billion dollar business just as it has in smaller enterprises.

Overall I was impressed with the company and with Andrew as well, and I encourage all leaders to listen in for the inspiration. He was also a heck of a nice guy and we had a good time chatting, so I think you’ll enjoy it too.

 

In case you are unfamiliar with the company, here is some more information about IRI:

IRI is a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help CPG, OTC health care organizations, retailers, financial services and media companies grow their businesses. A confluence of major external events — a change in consumer buying habits, big data coming into its own, advanced analytics and personalized consumer activation — is leading to a seismic shift in drivers of success in all industries. With the largest repository of purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data, all integrated on an on-demand, cloud-based technology platform, IRI is empowering the personalization revolution, helping to guide its more than 5,000 clients around the world in their quests to remain relentlessly relevant, capture market share, connect with consumers, collaborate with key constituents and deliver market-leading growth. For more information, visit www.iriworldwide.com.