MARILYN BAXTER is retiring as non-executive board director at the COI. Previously chairman Hall & Partners and vice-chair of Saatchi & Saatchi, Baxter joined the COI in 2003. She has resigned twice from previous roles to go long-distance sailing and this time will be no different as she makes plans to go sailing across the Atlantic.

A raft of new hires at Forrester. The analysts have been deployed across the firm’s three client groups: marketing and strategy, technology industry and information technology. RICHARD FICHERA becomes vice president and principal analyst. DEREK MIERS, PAUL HAGEN and CHRIS STUTZMAN become principal analysts. JOE STANHOPE, ANDRE KINDNESS and BRIAN LAMBERT are named as senior analysts. MELISSA PARRISH joins as an analyst.

MICHELLE BROWDER is the new research manager at Bellomy Research. She joins from Information Resources International where she was director of account management.

McCallum Layton has promoted HEATHER YORKE to the post of research manager. She joined the firm in 2008 as a senior research executive. She counts the National Trust and Lloyds Banking Group among her key clients.