Woodnutt (pictured) told Research that “traditional research”, such as group discussions, would be at the heart of his offering as he looks to help brands “bring customers closer to what they do”.

In addition Woodnutt said that he was working with different partners in a bid to “make the research process more engaging” – developing, for example, social media applications that can be used in his research work.

“It’s a really exciting time for people with research skills,” he said, “There are big opportunities for research, and people like me to be conversation strategists.”