Edwards, who has been given the role of head of mobile research solutions said it “makes sense” to offer a mobile service in response to the rise in smartphone use and SMS messaging. “Mobile research allows us to capture feedback anytime, anywhere and at the convenience of the survey respondent,” he said.

He pointed out that the firm has been offering “this type of research for a while” in some countries for certain clients, before expanding the service into a global offering.

Synovate said that research findings from the mobile service can be integrated with the results from other methodologies the firm offers, such as online, CATI and paper data collection.

Before being promoted Edwards, who has been with Synovate for seven years, served as global business development manager. He is based in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, Synovate Business Consulting has named a new top team in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Karthik Ramamurthy, currently head of Synovate BC in India has been given the task of leading the firm’s operations in the MENA region. The company has also hired Rashid Al Banna, formerly a management consultant with 17 years of experience, to lead its operations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Ramamurthy said: “We have been remotely servicing clients in MENA for a long time, and to further give impetus to our presence, we have recruited Al Banna as another senior resource for our clients there.”

He added that the firm’s plan was “to get a firm foothold in new markets and expand in existing ones”.