Preston-Jones (pictured) specialises in areas such as youth employment, the care system, poverty and disadvantage, and the aging population, as well as integrating participatory design into research.

Before joining MEL, Preston-Jones served as evaluation lead at charity Frontline, where she worked on the design and implementation of evaluation activities for England’s largest government-funded training programme for social workers.

Newman has been with MEL Research since 2018, joining as an interviewer and field worker after experience in broadcasting, editorial and social media.

Key responsibilities in Newman’s new role include delivering quantitative and qualitative project support, conducting interviews, facilitating ripple effect mapping workshops and providing comprehensive analysis.

King has more than seven years of freelance experience in market research and copywriting across various sectors, including healthcare, retail and the museums/culture sector, including projects for Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Museum of Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum.

Karen Etheridge, managing director at MEL Research, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Emily and Sophie to MEL Research and to promote Richard internally.

“It is brilliant to see the development of individuals with internal MEL experience, as well as adding those joining us from client-side and agency backgrounds.”